The
Last Man Standing is a reprint from 2001. It's a psychological
thriller. The main character, Web London, is with his team
(Hostage Rescue Team) on a mission. As they go 'green' towards
a drug dealer's hideout, an unusual amount of gun fire kills
everyone but London. London recovers enough to rescue a young
boy from the gun fire. The boy disappears under suspicious
circumstances -- at least it looks that way when London discovers
another agent in charge of the boy isn't too concerned with
who walked off with him. London becomes obsessed with the
missing boy. Also, London is not feeling secure in himself;
he may be dealing with survivor's guilt. London was already
dealing with some psychological wounds, so he seeks out the
psychiatrist who was helping him. His doctor is out of the
office, but London meets up with the attractive Dr. Claire
Daniels, who takes an interest in him. Here is where the readers/listeners
discover more about London's past cases, his childhood, and
his parents. Dr. Daniels wants to help London find the answers
he needs to move on. London decides to investigate his case,
himself, and track down the boy. He doesn't ask nicely and
makes enemies in his own camp. He also leaves readers/listeners
with a bad impression.
With
Last Man Standing, Baldacci moves the storyline in
different directions and throws quite a few characters in
the mix. There are more details than really needed, but then
again, this is one of his first books. London wasn't the only
one obsessed with knowing why he was the last man standing
or what happened to the boy. It's the only reason I stayed
with it. Ron McLarty was the original narrator in 2001. Professional
voice over actor Jason Culp narrates the reprint. He's narrated
a wide variety of books for various publishers. It's your
typical narration with the occasional lull. Last Man Standing
has its merits, so if the storyline and/or the narrator slows
you down from time to time, just stick with it; the threads
will pull together and the ending will surprise you in typical
Baldacci fashion.
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