Winner Take All

I have enjoyed every one of T. Davis Bunn's books. I've bought his books from the beginning. I continue to enjoy his books, and this one is great as usual. Without getting into details, Winner Take All continues to give me a very interesting, fast paced story with great characters.

Despite the fact that I had to go to work in the morning, I stayed up a tad too late in the hopes of getting to a "slow spot" where I could set the book down and drift peacefully off to sleep. Regrettably, the book contains the ongoing, irritating flaw of ending each chapter in such a manner that it essentially compels the reader to continue on -- even if it is three o'clock in the morning and the reader truly does have a day job and the reader's spouse keeps mumbling, "Just go to BED!" To make matters even WORSE, the plot took an explosive, unexpected turn at the absurd hour of 4:00 a.m. This left me literally no choice but to shake my wife vigorously and shout, "You will not BELIEVE what he just did!" She immediately became airborne and shrieked, "WHO? WHAT?" "I can't tell you or it will ruin the book," I replied. The novel completely ruined her sleep. The poor woman had to drag herself into the living room and sleep on the sofa. Bunn should be ashamed of himself. In the future, he needs to make his books more dull. My wife will appreciate it.

. . . and I've read a lot. This is Davis Bunn's third thriller for WaterBrook, an imprint of Random House. The first two, The Great Divide and Drummer in the Dark, were very good, but this book is really something special. There's a depth and richness to it seldom found in commercial fiction.What really sets this book apart is Bunn's ability to seamlessly combine serious moral, spiritual, and psychological themes with an extremely fast moving and deftly plotted storyline. Others have written similar books--some of David Morrell's later work, Dean Koontz's last three or four books, David Lindsey (sans the spiritual element)--but few have been as successful as Bunn, in my view.One of the great pleasures of this book is the contrast between the main female characters. Both suffer from major childhood/teen trauma. Both have experienced the highest levels of international fame and acceptance. Both enter adulthood badly wounded and desperately in need of true love and care. One somehow finds the courage to seek it out, while the other remains completely self-consumed. A key scene--indeed, one that the entire book hinges on--occurs when the two meet and one is able to resist the almost overwhelming temptation to fall back into her former life. This scene is simply marvelous and brings front and center Bunn's prodigious talent: fraught with hair-raising peril, depicting a world impossibly glamorous, and perfectly pitched, it is the kind of reader-friendly tour de force that many authors try to pull off, but few have the chops to absolutely nail.Another thing I really liked about Winner Take All is the grand rogue gallery. Hamper Caisse (great name), Sephus Jones (another great name), and a third individual who shall go unnamed (not to spoil things for those who haven't read it but want to) are about as colorful and nasty a combination of characters as one is ever likely to meet. Indeed, I've read hundreds of commercial thrillers, and seldom have encountered such creatively malevolent characters.My only complaint is that I had a little trouble getting into the book. You may experience this too. If you do, keep with it; things eventually heat up way past the boiling point. Plus, there are some very skillfully handled plot twists and character revelations that make for great reading pleasure.All in all, I'd say this is a major advance for T. Davis Bunn in particular and religious-based commercial fiction in general.

Mr. Bunn has done it again.... An incredible legal thriller that will keep you reading.

If you read "The Great Divide," the previous Marcus Glenwood novel, then you need to pick up "Winner Take All." T. Davis Bunn creates believable characters, explores levels of motivation and emotion, and tries to tie it all together with a legal mystery.The prime players: Erin Brandt, an opera diva, with a determination that overrides even family bonds; Dale Steadman, a CEO under fire, both personally and professionally; Marcus Glenwood, our trusty lawyer friend; and Kirsten Stansted, his fiancee, who struggles with secrets from the past. When Steadman's child is kidnapped by his ex-wife, Erin, Marcus and Kirsten become entangled in a mystery with far-reaching implications.Bunn struggles to maintain the same level of depth that he accomplished in "The Great Divide." New characters--mostly unlikeable ones--weigh the story down, and certain stretches in plausibility (a mother with not one ounce of concern for her infant child was a hard sell for me) became distractions. As the story progressed, my attentions shifted to Marcus' fiancee, Kirsten Stansted, and I wished the story had been centered from the beginning around her personal struggles.As in "The Great Divide" and "Drummer in the Dark" (my personal favorite), Bunn has a way of drawing us into worlds unfamiliar and making them interesting. "Winner Take All" actually gave me more interest in the world of opera. Bunn spices his well-crafted narratives with scenes of suspense and true drama, but the two previously mentioned books might be better introductions to his work. In "Winner Take All," he hits the high, and the low, notes. If you're a fan, though, this book is a welcome addition.