The Collectors by David Baldacci Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Collectors
Book Review: The Collectors- worth collecting
Summary: 5 Stars
Baldacci has written another excellent book. He usually stumps me for a while on who the real culprit is. I like the members of the "team" too.Book Review: The Mastermind wore a disguise?
Summary: 1 Stars
This was my first Baldacci book, and I have to say that I would have to have my arm twisted to read another. To me, it was very amateurish, both in the plot as well as the writing itself. I stayed with it until the bitter end...just for kicks and giggles. If this is any indication, I was twenty pages to the end, and chose not to take it to the beach to finish. After returning two weeks later, I picked it up this morning to finish. When the mastermind of the conspriracy was revealed as someone who fooled the "Camel Club" with a shaky disguise, I actually laughed out loud.
It is difficult to make fiction realistic, but I would hope that an author who has reached the level that Mr. Baldacci has apparently achieved would have mastered that. That's what supposedly separates them from the pack. Not the case here, though. I would have rated this an excellent book, had it been a first-out-of-the-gate for a fifteen-year-old novice. Trite at best, and if Mr. Baldacci's goal was to insult the reader by hiding the mastermind behind a cheesy disguise, well then I guess he succeeded in at least that much.
Book Review: The old guys do it again.
Summary: 4 Stars
I am not a regular reader of this author but found camel club to be quite enjoyable. This second installment is just as good. I love these old guys. The dialogue between them just sounds so much like what old guys would be saying in real life. They should really think about turning these books into movies. I could envision some older actors having a ball playing these guys. Can't wait to read the next installment.Book Review: Two intriguing, interwoven plots
Summary: 4 Stars
In this thriller, Baldacci brings back the four colorful members of the Camel Club, with the focus on the mysterious character known as "Oliver Stone", an ex "triple six" CIA spy/assassin. When the Curator of the Library of Congress's Rare Book collection, who is the boss of one of the Camel Club members, dies at work under mysterious circumstances, the self-appointed watchdog group decides to investigate.
Their investigation eventually collides with a seductive female con artist who has just pulled off a "long con" swindling a corrupt casino owner out of $40 million. Since the deceased librarian was the long-lost love of her life, the fascinating Annabelle Conroy lingers to help solve his murder, instead of fleeing the country to avoid the wrath of the murderous casino owner. While the murder is solved and a deadly spy ring exposed, it is clear that Annabelle's dilemma will have to continue into the next book.
Yeah, I grant you, that makes the ending kind of an obvious come-on for the sequel - but I suspect the sequel will be worth it! A very enjoyable read!
Book Review: What's With the Cartoon Characters??
Summary: 1 Stars
I've read every book Baldacci has published (well, at least the ones that have made it to paperback) and loved them all up until The Camel Club. It struck me while reading The Collectors this past week that the characters in this book are about as well developed as cartoon characters. Too many unbelievable people doing unbelievably stupid things to be taken seriously. Bagger is the worst of these, but all of the characters are extremely flawed. This goes to a large extent for The Camel Club book also, although it is not quite as egregious there. The whole setup of the four main characters strains any semblance of believability.
This has not been the case with the previous books I've read of his, and is very much a disappointment. I understand that fiction is by its very nature not true, but I prefer fiction that has the depth that allows me to believe it could be true. The Camel Club series fails this test miserably.
Hopefully this is not a turn of events that infects his other non-Camel Club output. While I will continue to buy his books in the future, The Camel Club series is off my list.