The Collectors by David Baldacci Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Collectors
Book Review: Outstanding!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is without a doubt the best Baldacci book I have read to date.
Three seemingly mutually exclusive story lines conquer the first couple hundred pages. Even though it is difficult to tie all the events together, that doesn't take anything away from how enjoyable this book is. Eventually, everything logically comes together and begins to make perfect sense.
In other Baldacci books that I have read, some of the stories seem to go on too long. This one is edited down to the point where every page is not only necessary, but gratifying.
I have not read the other Camel Club books, but I find the characters to be quite fascinating. Ordinarilly, I'm not at all interested in conspiracy theory based stories. However, the quality of Baldacci's writing and the intrigue of the characters makes this book a must read!
Book Review: Part two of the Camel Club
Summary: 5 Stars
Besides THE COLLECTORS, I have read the following works of David Baldacci: THE WINNER, THE SIMPLE TRUTH, and THE CAMEL CLUB. I found most of these unmemorable. However because of the difficulty in following the storyline, I forced myself to read THE CAMEL CLUB twice. It took a long time to assess my problem with Baldacci's writing. Actually, it is the same problem that Americans have with watching a soccer game - slow scoring.
Baldacci includes simultaneous multiple major storylines. Each is seemingly unconnected and could easily become an independent novel. He takes these unconnected storylines and slowly weaves them together. A reader can become distracted and frustrated with the movement from one storyline to another. If one gets distracted, one will miss the connection when the diverse storylines emerge into a single coherent novel. It takes an extraordinary amount of writing talent to be successful with this approach.
As soon as I became adjusted to his writing style, the book was hard to put down. In the end, I have to say, THE COLLECTORS is the best novel I read this summer.
Based on the last page, it is clear that there will be a 3rd novel in this series.
Book Review: Return of the Camel Club
Summary: 4 Stars
David Baldacci has become one of the big names in the suspense genre in the past decade or so. He may not be the greatest of the suspense writers, but he is good and he knows how to tell a good story. The Collectors is another example of both Baldacci's strengths and occasional weaknesses.
The Collectors is a sequel to Baldacci's recent novel, The Camel Club and once again is centered on the four members of the Club: ex-soldier-turned-dock worker, Reuben Rhodes; librarian (at the Library of Congress) Caleb Shaw; obsessive genius Milton Farb; and the group's leader, a former government assassin who now goes by the name of Oliver Stone. When one of his co-workers is killed, Shaw becomes the man's literary executor, overseeing the sale of the dead man's high-end book collection. Stone, always one to suspect a conspiracy, thinks there is a link between the dead man and the murder of the Speaker of the House. Suspicion falls on a wealthy defense contractor with ties to them both.
The actual killer, however, is Roger Seagraves, another ex-assassin who worked in the same secret agency as Stone. (This is no spoiler as Seagraves is revealed as the bad guy in the opening chapter.) Seagraves has grown fond of killing over the years as well as money; his recent killings are part of his plot to sell key American secrets to the highest bidder. While the Camel Club pursues the wrong lead, Seagraves quietly works to derail them.
Meanwhile, top-notch con artist Annabelle Conroy is working a "long con" on an Atlantic City casino owner named Jerry Bagger. Bagger is a nasty man and Annabelle has a grudge against him which makes her success all the sweeter. Bagger is a vengeful sort, however, so Annabelle knows she needs to go far away; her plans go awry, however when she becomes entangled with the Camel Club.
If the plot seems overly complicated, it is, and not all will be resolved by the end of the book (the sequel, Stone Cold, wraps up these issues). Therein lies one of the weaknesses of The Collectors: it doesn't end cleanly. Normally, in this genre, all should be more-or-less wrapped up within the book; unlike fantasy or science fiction, thrillers do not lend themselves to trilogies and the like. After all, if these are supposed to be page turners, you shouldn't have to pause (possibly for months or years) to get to the conclusion.
That gripe aside, however, this is another good Baldacci book. The main characters may be a little too eccentric at times, but they are always likeable and interesting. If you have enjoyed previous works by Baldacci, this one will also be enjoyable. People new to Baldacci should not read this book without reading The Camel Club first.
Book Review: Silly! Was this story contracted out to high school kids?
Summary: 1 Stars
Read the other 1 star reviews as they describe the silliness of this amateur production better than I can. Besides, I've already wasted too many hours on this book. I just felt a duty to warn my fellow man before they waste time on it too.Book Review: The Best Baldacci in years
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the most complex Baldacci novels, and the best in years. The sequal to the Camel Club brings back our group of gov. watch dogs (Oliver Stone, Rueben Rhodes, Caleb Shaw, and Milton Farb). It also introduces Annabelle Connroy, one of the best charecters in recent fiction.
In this novel, the speaker of the house is murdered. Shortly after, the director of the Rare Book Room at the library of congress is murdered. Now, Stone, Rhodes, Shaw, Farb, and Connroy are all involved in a huge conspiracy that could end up killing them all.