Winner Takes All

By: Robert Bidinotto

Narrated by: Conor Hall

Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's Summary

From the author of Hunter, a number one Kindle thriller...

A murderous conspiracy for ultimate political power

Engaged to be married, mysterious journalist Dylan Hunter and CIA officer Annie Woods are eager to put their violent past behind them for good.

But then an intrepid investigative reporter is brutally, mysteriously murdered. A visionary presidential candidate is targeted for destruction. And a horrific day of unspeakable terrorism rocks Washington, DC.

Soon, Hunter's investigation puts him in the crosshairs of a power-hungry billionaire and a cold-blooded assassin. Camouflaged by "fake news", a deadly conspiracy of Russian spies and American traitors aims to install their puppet in the White House. And these predators will do the unthinkable to bring America under their total control.

The stakes - political and personal - couldn't be higher. Because to stop them, Dylan Hunter must make an irrevocable choice. He must revert to his dark, secret life as a violent vigilante, waging a one-man war against the corrupt and untouchably powerful. It's a decision that will, finally and forever, seal his fate...including his future with the woman he adores.

But for now, only one thing is certain:

In the tidal wave of political violence sweeping through the blood-soaked streets of Washington, DC, the final outcome will be...Winner Takes All.

©2017 Robert Bidinotto (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Dylan Hunter is back!!!

One journalist is murdered. Now another journalist is being put under the same microscope for possible elimination. The second person being scrutinized is Dylan Hunter. He's a ghost. Used to work in black ops but no more. He became a vigilante with rules for himself. Only kill individuals responsible for a crime , don't create more victims of crime.
This is book three of the Dylan Hunter series. These books (Hunter and Bad Deeds) can each be read as a stand alone but I would suggest reading them in order for continuity of character and relationship development.
This book has a very complex plot with many intricate pieces that must fit to make it all come together in a compelling and well told story. It is loosely based on the current political situations and investigations of outside involvement/interference, voter manipulation and/or big money influence in Washington. Or so it appears but who? And what exactly is the end game?

Hunter's fiancé Annie is in the CIA. Her assistance proves invaluable when Hunter begins an investigation. Although there is a romance going on this adds rather then takes away from the story.

Basically this book has a good vs evil plot. From the very beginning this book flies. The pace continues to build and never slows right to the end.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Connor Hall does an outstanding job narrating.
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Thank You.

15 of 15 people found this review helpful

Another great Dylan Hunter series novel!

Retired journalist Robert Bidinotto is an incredible author of political thrillers. Winner Takes All is his third novel and the third novel in the Dylan Hunter series. Suspense mystery thrillers do not get better this series. Dylan Hunter is a journalist whose dedication to justice is stronger than his dedication to legality (I believe vigilantism is the proper word for this). Dylan Hunter is a pseudonym for a man whose real name is unknown but he has both military training and a CIA covert agent background. Winner Takes All is a long, complex and thoroughly worthwhile work of fiction. There is action, suspense, and more than a hint of romance with CIA agent Annie Woods. Narration is outstanding. Just get the audio book and listen, after listening to the to the two prior novels in the series, of course.

Kindle Unlimited has lost some of it's value to Audible listeners during the last year, but for me it is still a great deal. With Kindle Unlimited this audio novel cost me $1.99 (plus NC sales tax, of course).

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Ugh...tortured, long, and blatantly partisan

What could have been a fun revenge thriller is instead a tortured, overly drawn out muddle of story with hackneyed characters lacking any real depth, history, or motivation.

For a book that is over 15 hours in length, pages which should have been spent developing characters that I might have found interesting (for good or bad) are instead spent on tacky and trite misogynistic sex or leering scenes, or politically partisan story building in which the Democrats are all dirty, rotten, corrupt scum and Oh, fracking is great (or so the author seems to think).

Note to the author: Mr. Bidinotto, Liberals enjoy spy thrillers too. The GOP doesn't have a lock on the genre. I can deal with Jack Ryan in the Clancy series being a Republican. Bidinotto instead chooses in every chapter to push the liberals' faces in what he quite subjectively considers to be liberal doo doo every chapter. It is counter productive to insult so many potential book buyers with your overt disdain for the Democratic Party.

And the story is just plain dull.
I had listened to the other 2 Hunter books, and the annoying partisan politics was present but at least the stories moved along. This 3rd installment however, was mind numbing - really, I was listening to words but just couldn't find myself invested in the story. I had to return this one.

The reader is ok - a few pronunciation errors but, whatever. The story itself is just unlistenable, mostly because it is just not well written.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

This book has teeth

I never thought I would love a political thriller as much as I loved Winner takes all, but I do.  Bidinotto has taken a genre that I usually would not touch and gave it teeth.  

You can read this as a standalone however I would not recommend it.  There are many characters that are introduced in the first book Hunter and all of their backstories.  Not to mention all of the nuances that make Dylan Hunter started in book one.  Bidinotto is a master storyteller, and his characters have continued to grow as the series has evolved.  

I started this series in audiobook, and I have continued it that way.  Conor Hall was once again fantastic.  I don’t understand why he hasn’t done more work in audiobooks.  His range of voices is beyond any other narrator I’ve encountered.  He is truly phenomenal.  

Winner Take All, is gritty, fast-paced, steeped in mystery and intrigue and so loaded with action the story never stops.

 I am giving it 5 Boundless Stars; I can’t wait for the next installment!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Brilliant!

I'm so HAPPY I waited for this book to come out so patiently! so much thought and hard work went into it, and i loved every minute of it!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

amazing book!

Robert definitely did his homework when it comes to his books, but he put did himself when it came to this one! my daughter and I VERY MUCH enjoyed this book! the characters, the story line, the plot line, all of it was grade A. a masterpiece.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Hunter's bodycount migrates ever northward

If you liked the prior two in the series, you’ll like Winner Takes All. Starkly anti-Left politics, fight scenes matching Lee Child’s best, logical plot progression. There’s a nice homage to that supreme masterpiece of the thriller genre, The Day of the Jackal. A worthy sequel.

IMO you need to have gone through the prior two first, this book doesn’t stand on its own. Most of the great thriller series (Jack Reacher, Travis McGee, Matt Helm, James Bond) hit a reset button at the beginning of each installment. New love interest, and little or no carryover of plot strands. Not here. And the length keeps increasing (Hunter 12 hours, Bad Deeds 15, now 18 for Winner Takes All). I think something will have to give if this series is to stay on track.

My main criticism is well stated by the (fictional) thriller writer James Rodman: “an artist with a true reverence for his craft should not descend to gooey love stories, but should stick austerely to revolvers, cries in the night, missing papers, mysterious Chinamen, and dead bodies — with or without gash in throat.” We’re now on a third installment with Hunter and Annie together, and there’s not much room left for relationship progression. Their conflict is now about whether/when Hunter is going to inform Annie’s father that they’re engaged. Sorry, but this is fit for Barbara Cartland, alternately P.G. Wodehouse, depending on whether the treatment is one of forthright glutinous sentimentality or (preferably) something gently satirical and humorous. It’s just not thriller material. So by the end of Winner Takes All I found myself hoping that the author’s next homage would be to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Specifically its final chapter.

The reader is excellent.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

keeps you listening

great story, makes it plausible. just enough twist and turns to keep you focused on the story.

another hit

On the edge of your seat story line. Looking forward to the next in this series!

Yes, awesome!!!

This book and series has it all and excellently done! I am so glad I found this author and series! Thank you Mr. Bidinotto, keep them coming please!