Author is Sidney Sheldon corporation, suggests owners of a name hire ghostwriters to capitalize on previous successes by the original name. Formula seems to be power-hungry characters of importance, fame and physical beauty threatened by affairs and murder, international research, with a surprise twist or two. Lead female cleverly outwits men to success. Action avalanches so fast, I forgot previous reading and whodunit. Others use the same title, Terry Fallis for an honest Ottawa candidate, and poking fun at Canadian politics. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...When hot-blooded lawyer Oliver Russell is manipulated into U.S. presidential office and marriage to daughter Jan by rich puppeteer Senator Todd Davis, fiancee Leslie Stewart is jilted a week before their wedding. "I can't fault you for being horny - just don't let it turn you into a toad" p142 (Todd to Oliver). She vows revenge, marries old Phoenix Arizona millionaire Henry Chambers for his failing newspaper. Widowed after two years, she builds a national communications empire. Todd donates money, influence, and religious rakishly eye-patched campaign manager Peter Tager, who brings conservative voters, reputation of family stability, skill, confidential access to private apartments, and supplies bottles of clear liquid Ecstasy drug for Oliver's groupies. But bodies mount up - six young beauties die of overdoses, the last Chloe Houston 16 on a school White House tour. Her mother, Colorador state governor, had torrid affair with Oliver 17 years ago, hinting at incest. Oliver's repeated affairs and the author lead the reader to suspect he is the killer. Leslie obeys a horoscope columnist, and the author (not always accurately) foreshadows action. When Dana learns about "live feed" broadcasts, "She had no idea that one day it was going to save her life" p129. "He had no idea that that action was going to cost him his life" p230. Whether "he" refers to Oliver or Peter, neither comes true. "He was too late" p289 does happen. Characters have selfish dishonest agendas except one, the feel-good influence. Pretty Dana Evans grows from army brat to Sarajevo combat correspondent to burned-out Washington DC investigative beat, linking other plot lines, and triggering final close-to-death climax. (view spoiler)[ Dana befriends armless orphan Kemal, feeds dozens of other homeless Serb-Croat children, arranges their escape to Paris, and is almost shot as a spy till elected Oliver, Leslie's empire, and others, cooperate to free her. She broadcasts live while Peter's strong-arm threatens to shoot her and admits his employer's guilt. Sports reporter Jeff Connors teaches baseball to underprivileged boys, proposes to Dana, and Kemal joins their family. Oliver's alibi is overnight with an ambassador's wife, he confesses to his wife and arresting DA's group who agree to confidentiality. So all round happy ending. (hide spoiler)]
I’m still having Sidney Sheldon marathon, folks and this is the third book I have read in the past three days. Yep, you got that right, I read one book a day, nothing difficult with this one as Mr. Sheldon’s works are quite “light and entertaining”.How can I start with “The Best Laid plans”? Before I picked it up this morning, I only remember that I have read it once and I thought it was awesome, but that was me – 15 years ago perhaps and I’m sure that I have changed a lot since then, including the little segment in my brain that produces something called “opinion”.The thing is Sheldon books are always entertaining, I guess it’s formulae numero uno if you want to sell your books and he’s quite damn good at it, but then the reality hits you hard in the face as there are only few pages left, you begin to realise that you’ve been cheated and that the author should have devised some sort of “twistier” (is there such word?) plot to make everyone’s happy. At least make me happy!The Best Laid Plans is a story about a woman who was scorned. Yes, you all know the phrase: Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorned. So is this one. Leslie Stewart – a bright (but nobody) girl suddenly found herself dumped by the Kentucky Governor-to-be Oliver Russell few days before the wedding ceremonies and the fiancee didn’t even bother to tell her that he went off to marry his ex-girlfriend in Paris in exchange for more power. Of course Stewart was pissed. I would be too if I was her and since then she cleverly developed a plan how to acquire more power than Russell and make him wish as if he was never born before.As Russell’s goddess of luck brought him all the way to the highest political seat in the country – The President of the United States – Stewart’s own ambition led her to be the owner of several newspaper and television companies across the globe, including the influential The Washington Tribune, and you could guess the rest: the war was getting ugly and uglier. It’s always ugly in politics, they say.The book is alright, it doesn’t suck but doesn’t impress either. What’s the best laid plans anyway? There’s a possibility that I’m too thick to see it through the storyline but there’s a huge chance that the author couldn’t name his works properly (I have seen this before with the previous two I have reviewed: Are you Afraid of the Dark? and Windmills of the Gods). The titles always leave me scratching my head.Anyway. Like I have previously said: Good for rainy days, when you can’t do a thing outside and the TV programmes aren’t worth watching at.
What do You think about The Best Laid Plans (1998)?
Leslie Stewart merencanakan balas dendam kepada Oliver yag mengkhianati cintanya untuk kedudukan sebagai orang no.1 di dunia. leslie menikah dengan Henry Chambers yang tak lama kemudian meninggal dan semua warisannya jatuh pada Leslie. Leslie menggunakan kekuatan pers untuk menjatuhkan lawannya.Tragedi skandal dan pembunuhan karena ectasy cair semua buktinya merujuk pada Presiden Olliver. Leslie berusaha sekuat tenaga untuk membuktikan bahwa Oliver bersalah, namun ternya ialah yang salah.Dana Evans mengungkapkan bahwa pelakunya adalah Peter Tager.Satu hal yang cukup mengganggu dalam novel ini adalah siapakah tokoh utama sebenarnya? Di awal cerita Leslie digambarkan sebagai sosok utama yang disakiti hatinya, sehingga para pembaca mungkin akan merasa iba padanya, namun di akhir cerita ia berakhir dengan tragis akibat dendam kesumatnya dan Dana Evans seolah-olah mengambil peran utama yang akhirnya dapat menikmati happy ending. Tapi tetap saja saya tertipu lagi... saya berharap Oliver memang bersalah, dan Leslie akhirnya menang. Sungguh ironi situasi bagi pembaca...
—Azzahro Wijaya
رواية مسلية و طويلة نوعا ما..تتحدث عن حقد المرأة الجريحة عندما تتحول من مخلوق عُرف باللطف إلى وحش لا يرحم...الرواية ممتعة نوعا ما إلا أن فيها تفاصيل كثيرة في سرد تاريخ الشخصيات و خلفياتها على حساب أحداث القصة نفسها. لو اقتصر الكاتب على القصة فقط بدون التطويل في سرد خلفيات الشخصيات لكان حجم القصة الربع أو ربما أقل...الأحداث قليلة، فعندما يسرد الكاتب عشرات الصفحات متحدثا عن تاريخ الصحقية دانا و قصتها في سرائييفو فإنه يسرد صفحات محدودة عن دور دانا الحقيقي في القصة. و هذا مثال فقط يقاس عليه على المستوى الرواية ككل...أجمل ما في الرواية هو نهايتها المفاجئة تماما....أعجبني السرد في القصة فهو مسلٍ على أي حال و لكن محدودية الأحداث و المشاهد المرتبطة بالقصة نفسها أزعجني.
—Amin Ali
as it usually is with Sheldon, I finished the book in one day!! mind blowing as usual...Oliver Russell kind of reminds me of Obama; charming, well-meaning and absolutely useless!the part about the Arab king and the peace treaty is my least favorite of course...I found it stupid which is a shame cuz Sheldon doesn't do stupid.I cried when Kamel cried in the van. which by the way reminds me of how infuriating the whole it's-nobody's-yet-everybody's-fault explanation Sheldon appointed to both mentioned wars (Israel/Palestine and Sarajevo). innocents are hurt from both sides, that's a fact, just like the fact that in both cases, there's an aggressor and a victim and confusing them is a grave mistake indeed. And I almost fell on the floor laughing about the senator's speech concerning Israel..Does Sheldon really believe that America is holding back on "defending" Israel because they wanna keep selling weapons?!!I mean I know the book is fiction, but COME ON!!
—Ebthal Eisa
