The Collectors

By David Baldacci
Rejoining the camel club after their last adventure, a whole new set of problems has emerged. The Speaker of the House has been assassinated, and the camel club has connected this murder with the death of the director of the Library of Congress’s Rare Books division. The director just so happens to be the boss of camel club member, Caleb Shaw. The Camel Club utilizes their inside man to directly “work against” a powerful and dangerous espionage ring. 

While we catch up with the Camel Club, we are also introduced to the con artist Annabelle Conroy. Annabelle is arranging a team for a con to settle a personal vendetta. Her target is Jerry Bagger, Atlantic City casino tycoon. After a series of short cons, they have built up enough capital to pull the big con against Jerry Bagger. After the con, the team parts ways, and Annabelle ends up in Washington. It just so happens that her ex-husband is Jonathan DeHaven, the former Director of the Rare Books Division. While attending his funeral, she runs into Oliver, Caleb, and the rest of the camel club. She agrees to meet with the camel club to discuss Jonathan’s private collection of rare books, to assist Caleb who was named his literary executor. The Camel Club begins to realize that the murder of the Speaker of the House and the death of Jonathan DeHaven are connected. Soon they are tracking down leads, and investigating suspicious characters trying to uncover major players in an espionage ring.

Baldacci once again does a wonderful job spinning an elaborate web of interconnected plotlines and interrelated characters. He slowly builds on the major theme, and creates additional tension with side plots. The two, related plotlines work well together. Baldacci effectively alternates between villains Roger Seagraves and Jerry Bagger. He makes good use of his opportunities to create tension and drive the story, often putting the Bagger story on the back burner and bringing you back to it when appropriate. I still feel that many of the characters in this book are underdeveloped. The majority of the Camel Club are practically faceless and placeholders for activity. In addition, some of the more technical (science-related) details in this book bothered me due to inaccuracy. As a reader, one thing that irritates me is when an author over-extends himself into an area in which he is unfamiliar. Baldacci should stick to government ops, and avoid science (for me). Despite these few faults, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to continuing the series.

Rating: 4 out of 5 bunsen burners

Up Next: Stone Cold by David Baldacci