Stone Cold by David Baldacci Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Stone Cold
Book Review: Not that stoned
Summary: 2 Stars
I'm a big fan of that other guy (T.Clancy) and Baldacci came well recommended. Well...I think "Stone Cold" will be the last one from this author. Thanks anyway. WDYBook Review: Oliver Stone Cold Killer
Summary: 4 Stars
This is another in the Baldacci series of Camel Club adventures. It does not matter what order you read them, they all stand alone. In this caper Baldacci intertwines two fast paced yarns. We have a casino mogul who is beyond evil, bent on revenge for his falling for a long con and a short con, managed by an estranged daughter and father team.
Then we have the expected advance of the Camel Club. The genesis is an unrelated set of murders of former Oliver Stone colleagues. The Intelligence chiefs get the idea that Stone is the killer since there are many marks of an experienced assassin. However the back story is more complicated, we have to go back to the last bad days of the Soviet Union. A lot of us, including President Reagan, considered it good fortune that the leaders of the USSR were geriatric geezers prone to short terms with no achievements. Apparently there was more to this than coincidence and the vagaries of our term on this planet.
The Cold War went on so long that we need to let some of the killing fall to the second generation of spies. Now we have an independent contractor killing Stone's colleagues. Fortunately all the good guys end up on one side and the Intelligence chiefs see the tables turned. To keep renewing the Camel Club roster, we lose one member but gain some new ones, so the Baldacci children will not need to worry about food on the table for some time.
Overall these are fun books to read. This one is probabaly the best of the series. Baldacci is remarkably clever in bringing two unrelated stories together to an unexpected result.
Book Review: One of Baldacci's best!
Summary: 4 Stars
This was an easy read, fast paced, and one of David Baldacci's best political thrillers ever!!Book Review: Pretty Darn Bad
Summary: 2 Stars
I will allow Mr. Baldacci's own words form the review for this book:
"He was dressed in his usual faded jeans and shirttail-out clothing. And with round eyeglasses on and his intelligent, introspective expression, he looked like an accountant who enjoyed listening to Aerosmith after a day of crunching numbers. Although he was amazingly athletic, living by his wits was actually how he put bread on the table and iPods in his kids' ears, and he was very good at his work."
This is where I stopped reading, and I would suggest you do the same.
Book Review: Revenge City
Summary: 5 Stars
Author David Baldacci's Camel Club, a key element in the book, excludes dromedaries and his Oliver Stone, a central character, only directs himself to the kitchen. Nevertheless, this book is a very fast read. The story centers on a plot to avenge the murder of a high CIA operative. The avenger is the dead man's son, Harry Finn, the kind of guy who can take out a platoon of hostile gunmen by using his strength and cunning.
Another vengeful (and tough) character is Annabelle Conroy, whose mother was murdered by a vicious casino owner. So, the tale is largely about revenge. How Finn's and Conroy's lust for payback come together is an integral part of the book.
Finn's "day job" is working for the Department of Homeland Security to determine how tough security really is around potential terrorist targets. He repeatedly finds that this security is very flimsy and easily penetrated by someone as clever and resourceful as he. Although this is a work of fantasy, it suggests a real need for increased vigilance.
The book suffers from a couple of bizarre coincidences as the conclusion approaches. One expects this sort of thing in a thrilling spy games yarn, but Baldacci drops some real whoppers here. Not to worry, though. It's still an exciting conclusion.
I can see movie written all over this novel. If it is produced, it will be a challenge for Hollywood to top the book.