The Winner Review

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(More customer reviews)I read this book a few years ago but it has retained it's place in my top ten ever since. This is a a wonderfully crafted story that keeps you turning the pages until the end. This was the 2nd Baldacci book I had read; the first having been The Simple Truth. Although that book was enjoyable, this one was, in my opinion, just better. Baldacci is better well known for his political thrillers and this one doesn't quite fall into that genre, which is a welcome change. Always a good thing when a writer can be diverse with his subject matter.
The story itself is interesting, and what makes it interesting is that it is sort of unique. A little far fetched that someone could fix the lottery and cook up such an elaborate scheme to control people's lives? Perhaps. But that is not something you think about while reading this book-the characters are engrossing. Particularly the character of LuAnn. You can't help but care about what happens to this woman, and no matter how much wealth is bestowed upon her, you can't help but feel for her and sympathize with her situation. She is definitely someone you can identify with, whether you are male or female. I didn't particulaly care for the character of Charlie, but it would have been nice to know a little more information about him. Jackson is a wicked and diabolical character that you just love to hate. The combination of this and an excellent storyline that keeps moving at a good pace equals a great read. I would definitely recommend this book!

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The Collectors Review

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(More customer reviews)It wouldn't be October without the publication of a new David Baldacci thriller, and The Collectors is his latest for 2007. While I enjoyed The Collectors, I don't think it is his strongest effort.
The Collectors is actually two stories. In the first, the Speaker of the House and a curator at the Library of Congress are both murdered (the second is made to look like natural causes). Caleb Shaw is a librarian at the Library of Congress, and he is also a member of the Camel Club (introduced in the book by the same name). The Camel Club consists of four misfits (nearing senior citizen status) who form a secret conspiracy watchdog organization. They decide to investigate the deaths and immediately, they discover they're being followed by agents who could be FBI, CIA or NSA. The subplot involves four individual cons who launch a scheme to swindle an Atlantic City casino owner out of $30 million. The ringleader, Annabelle Conroy, becomes immersed in the Camel Club's investigation when she attends the funeral of the library curator. The closer they come to the truth, the more endangered their lives become.
All thrillers have a bit of disbelief in their stories, and The Collectors is no exception. I don't think Baldacci was on top of his game with The Collectors in terms of plot development. Plus, the ending never really resolves all the questions and is just an opening for a sequel. While good, it doesn't come close to his earlier works including Absolute Power and A Simple Truth.


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Stone Cold Review

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(More customer reviews)Even though I do a lot of reading, fiction isn't really my thing. In fact, I usually only read a few works of fiction each year. So, when my daughter brought home an advance reading copy of STONE COLD by David Baldacci from the bookstore where she works, I didn't get too excited about it. She told me she had read one of his books before and thought it would be something I might like. The book sat idle on the desk in my library for a couple of weeks. Then one morning, before going to the office, I had a few extra minutes and decided to take a look at it.
If I lacked excitement about the book before, that lack of excitement was multiplied after reading the excruciating first sentence. It was a painful fifty-two words long and contained six commas. I looked at my watch then glanced again at the cover. "Okay Mr. Baldacci, you've got exactly twelve minutes to grab my attention."
Well, guess what. Mr. Baldacci did indeed grab my attention. The first sentence turned out a poor example of Baldacci's writing style. Over the next day and half, every spare minute was spent flipping the pages of this book. Even though this is apparently the third or forth book in a series, the character development was spectacular. The story is non-stop and will have you dying to know what happens next.
I hate it when reviewers give away too much storyline, so I'll limit what I tell you about the plot. Most books of this nature, I find, too much of a stretch to be believable. I only found minor instances of that here. Here's an example; as I said, Baldacci brilliantly constructs his characters. Here we have a ruthless casino owner, feared by all, known to be a dangerous man you never want to cross. Yet he employs a barmaid at the casino who is quite loose-lipped about her employer's dealings. Not likely. The reader is also asked to buy into assassinations of high ranking cold-war officials. But don't let these little trivialities stop you from enjoying a book that is non-stop action. These mistakes are few and far between and are easily overlooked. This is a book you will not want to put down.
Baldacci is a champion at creating the scene on that big screen TV in your mind. In fact, this book has all the makings of a blockbuster movie. You'll see what I mean as the story unfolds. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, some pedantic, self-absorbed producer will get their hands on it and ruin a perfectly good story.
I'm still not a big fiction reader. I just don't have time. But as someone who reads only a handful of fiction books each year, I'm glad this book was one of them.


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The Camel Club Review

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(More customer reviews)Nobody writes a conspiracy thriller like David Baldacci, and The Camel Club will keep you turning pages at breakneck speed. Unfortunately, his latest is not without some flaws and while many of his books defy belief, this one is even more of a stretch.
The Camel Club consists of four misfits (nearing senior citizen status) who form a secret conspiracy watchdog organization. The ringleader is "Oliver Stone," a man with a very secret and mysterious past. While meeting in a park during off-hours, the four witness the murder of a Secret Service agent, Patrick Johnson. Unfortunately, the two killers realize they have witnesses. Because of their checkered backgrounds, the Camel Club decides not to report this to the police. Instead, they go on the offensive, trying to discover not only the identity of the killers but also their motivation. At the same time, Secret Service agent Alex Ford is assigned to investigate the death of Johnson, but runs into trouble with the various agencies also looking into the murder (FBI, Metro Police, NIC, etc.).
As if this isn't enough going on, a group of Islamic extremists is plotting a terrorist act involving the US president. But not all of the plotters are Islamic or Middle Eastern. In fact, some are working from the inside.
Much of The Camel Club is very relevant to post 9/11 America. The FBI, CIA, NSA and other intelligence agencies are being forced to combine information, but infighting, jealousy and guarded secrets are still common. Government agencies are involved in illegal activities. The war is still raging in Iraq with Americans split on the issue. The issues are very similar to today.
But The Camel Club has just too many flaws. When three different sets of characters were introduced in the first three chapters, it took some time keeping them all straight. Between the FBI, CIA, NSA, NIC, etc, the spy organizations caused some confusion. It was made even murkier because Baldacci would often use the same initials for different things (NSA was either National Security Agency or National Security advisor). There was way too much going on in the plot. And as mentioned previously, much of it was totally unbelievable. The romance angle with Alex Ford and a young justice lawyer was especially unconvincing. Even the small details were far-fetched. For instance, the terrorists plan a major assault, but use tranquilizer darts so as not to kill anyone. Also, not to give away the plot, but what happens to Oliver Stone's daughter is just too incredulous.
So while I enjoyed The Camel Club and couldn't turn the pages quick enough, it's not the best Baldacci work. But even a mediocre Baldacci is better than the efforts of many other authors.


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