`TOTAL CONTROL' OF PLOTTING FOR THRILLER AUTHOR.Byline: Ann Hellmuth Orlando Sentinel The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently in its 131st year of publication. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. Title: ``Total Control'' Author: David Baldacci David Baldacci (b. 1960 in Richmond, Virginia) is a bestselling American novelist. Biography Baldacci received a B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. Data: 517 pages, Warner Books; $25 Our rating: Three Stars A plane crashes. On board are the chairman of the Federal Reserve The Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is the head of the central banking system of the United States and one of the most important decision-makers in American economic policies. and, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the passenger list, Jason Archer, a brilliant executive at Triton Global, the world's leading technology conglomerate. Only Archer isn't aboard. He changed flights at the last minute, apparently swapping identities with an unnamed man. Obviously, Archer is up to no good, or so it appears as David Baldacci launches his latest nail-biting thriller. Like his first novel, ``Absolute Power,'' it moves at the pace of a flying bullet and is probably destined des·tine tr.v. des·tined, des·tin·ing, des·tines 1. To determine beforehand; preordain: a foolish scheme destined to fail; a film destined to become a classic. 2. for the big screen. ``Total Control'' has more plots and subplots, red-herrings, dastardly das·tard·ly adj. Cowardly and malicious; base. das  tard·li·ness n. villains and dead bodies than you can count, but no matter; in Baldacci's skilled hands, the result is fun rather than confusion. You have to admire plotting that is so detailed that even a bumper sticker on a car has relevance 400 pages later. Grieving widow Sidney Archer, a savvy lawyer who just happens to be representing Triton Global in a sticky takeover deal, is in despair. But her problems are only just beginning. Federal investigators discover that the flight was sabotaged and that the missing Jason Archer was not on the plane, making him their No. 1 suspect. Then a mechanic thought to have tampered with the plane's wing is shot to death. As the plot thickens, Sidney learns that her husband is suspected of trying to sell Triton takeover secrets to the firm's biggest rival. Sidney has an important ally in her search for the truth - veteran FBI Agent Lee Sawyer, for whom life consists of work and little else. Wary of each other at first, the two eventually find themselves sharing information when Sidney, also suspected of betraying Triton's secrets, is fired. Not that all is above board at the law firm, but thereby hangs another tale. It wouldn't be fair to give away too much of the plot; just about every chapter contains more revelations. Plucky pluck·y adj. pluck·i·er, pluck·i·est Having or showing courage and spirit in trying circumstances. See Synonyms at brave. pluck Sidney lands herself in some tight situations as she tries to prove her husband's innocence and discover what he really was up to the morning he disappeared, saying he was going to Los Angeles for a job interview. The evil shadows behind all the scheming aren't hard to spot, but even that knowledge can't detract from the final shootout Shootout Venture capital jargon. Refers to two or more venture capital firms fighting for the startup. during which justice is well and truly dispensed. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: no caption (Book cover - TOTAL CONTROL) |
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