Hell's Corner

By David Baldacci

            The final book of the Camel Club series is centered around a bombing that has taken place in Lafayette Park, across from the White House.  Once again, our friend Oliver Stone had a front row seat and now he’s involved in the whole mess. 

Oliver’s past indiscretions are seemingly forgotten, and now his government wants his help.  Oliver is given the task of getting to the bottom of the Russian drug trade.  Later as he is walking by the White House, the British Prime Minister’s motorcade arrives to pick up their charge and escort him to Blair House.  Suddenly, machine gun fire rings out into the night followed by a brief silence.  This silence is then shattered when the bomb in the park detonates. 

Stone gets out alive, and soon the government is relying on his insight to help determine who planted the bomb, and why.  He is paired up with Mary Chapman of the MI6, and the two begin their investigation into the attack.  They discover the origin of the bomb, but they have difficulty learning how it got there and how the bomb sniffing dogs missed it.  More interesting is that the bomber seems to be an obvious patsy, and the people involved in the case are being systematically eliminated.  As Oliver gets closer to solving the case, things become more and more dangerous for everyone involved.  The thrilling conclusion not only sheds light on the perpetrator, but discloses an interesting connection and motive for the crime.  The crescendo has a bit of nostalgia to it, as we find Oliver fighting for his life in a familiar location from a previous novel.  It was a very exciting and perilous conclusion to the book.

Baldacci once again created a very interesting story, slowly leading the reader along by feeding us small morsels of the main plot.  Baldacci uses characters from previous Camel Club books as they assist Oliver in a variety of tasks.  My single complaint with the story is consistent with previous books by Baldacci.  His scientific knowledge is sometimes limited, and his application to the story is often a stretch.  I am especially critical in this case because of how integral this “information” was to the main plot.  In the end, this could be overlooked and ultimately did not negatively affect the story.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Bunsen Burners

Up Next: Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes

Mudbound

by Hillary Jordan
         
           This novel is about the racial tension between white people and black people in the Mississipi Delta and how it affects them all in different ways. This story consists of six narrators, whose voices are woven together to share the events of this tale. Each narrator brings a different perspective, as half of them are white, half of them are black.  Three of the voices are the white McAllan family. The narrators from this family are Laura, Henry, and Jamie. The other family of narrators are the (black) Jackson's. The Jackson's consist of Hap, Florence, and Ronsel. Each person touches on the same events, but have their own personal voice that comes through. This story is centered around the racial tension in the south so as one can imagine, this story and it's narrators help to build a dramatic and unique novel.
            The story is set in the years 1946 and 1947 just as the turmoil of WWII is coming to an end. The readers are first introduced to the McAllan family. Laura is a woman who had considered herself condemned to spinsterhood until her brother brings his new boss, Henry McAllan to dinner. Henry soon begins to woo Laura and after a shaky courtship, he proposes. She convinces herself that despite his being unromantic, plain, and having a matter of fact personality, he would provide for her. Laura is content to live within the city of Memphis until Henry's dream of owning a cotton farm uproot the family (including Pappy, Henry's hateful father) to the Mississippi Delta. Laura's distaste for the new farm is simply illustrated by her suggestion of it's name "Mudbound". Jamie, Henry's younger, energetic, and handsome brother visits the farm after he returns from serving as a pilot in the war. His return creates two problems. His vitality and warm nature makes Laura question her marriage and Jamie's new drinking problem causes rifts among the family.  On this farm the McAllan's are secluded from visitations and all socialization except for the black sharecroppers, the Jackson's.
           Hap Jackson is the tenant farmer whose voice enlightens readers to the hope of Southern black people during this time period. His wife Florence is a midwife who is observant and intelligent. She helps the McAllan's after Laura's daughters get sick, and puts up with Pappy's racist comments. Despite the negativity and racism around her, the love her family has for one another cannot be dampened. Then there is their son Ronsel, who has experienced racial acceptance in Europe and finds the racial divide in the Delta hard to cope with upon returning from the war. Being a well decorated soldier means next to nothing to the racist white men in town. They view Ronsel as an overconfident problem, and Ronsel soon realizes the danger he is in if he stays in the Delta. During his return, he creates an unlikely friendship with Jamie McAllan which causes even more unrest among many angry town members and continues to create many dangers for the two young men.  
             All of these voices come together to tell a story about heartbreak, hope, and injustice. The racial tension in this book provides a roller coaster of emotions for readers. This novel was Hillary Jordan's debut and it was exceptionally written. Her descriptions of the scenery and the characters feelings were exquisite.  Although at times it was hard to read, due to the emotional impact of the content she wrote about, I loved this book. Pick up this book and enjoy the journey.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Up Next: A Time to Kill by John Grisham

Divine Justice

By David Baldacci

In the fourth book in the camel club series, we catch up with Oliver after his vengeful act on those who wronged him.  Oliver is now on the run, and has broken contact with his friends for fear that they will be unfairly punished for his activities.  Oliver flees his home in the cemetery, as a fugitive.  While acting as a good samaritan, he finds himself getting kicked off the train after breaking up a fight.  This act of kindness leads him to the small town of Divine, Virginia.  There’s something going on in Divine, and Oliver finds himself in the middle of it (of course).  While Oliver is trying to help out the town, his friends are trying to find him.  They understand why he is hiding, but are unwilling to abandon Oliver since he has always been there for them.

Oliver accompanies Danny Riker, the boy from the train, to his hometown of Divine.  Oliver knows that he is a wanted man, but decides to take the opportunity to earn some cash before hitting the road.  Always looking to help out, Oliver soon finds out that things in Divine are not what they seem.  The two major industries in the town are mining, and the supermax prison in the mountains.  Many of the miners are drug addicts who use methadone to numb their pain.  Danny’s father was a miner who was killed in a gas explosion in the mines.  An unusual number of deaths seem to be happening in this small town, and there seems to be a common thread.  Oliver puts his spy skills to work and begins to unravel the truth about the town, but will he survive as his opposition notices his snooping?

While Oliver deals with the conflict in Divine, Joe Knox is the agent in charge of piecing together the whereabouts of Oliver and bringing him to justice.  Joe begins by interviewing Oliver’s friends and begins to track his movement as a fugitive on the run.  As he digs into Olivers past, he discovers important details related to the crime Oliver has committed.   As Joe gets closer and closer to Oliver, he becomes less and less trusting of his agency, and begins to question how guilty Oliver really is. 

The book accelerates towards the conclusion, thrusting Oliver into sticky situations that make you wonder how he will survive.  In typical Baldacci fashion, as we near the end of the book all of the key pieces begin to fall into place and we finally have a clear picture of Divine’s radical secret.  Oliver finds himself struggling to survive and needing to make some hard decisions.  Should he trust someone he has determined to be an enemy, or will his friends be able to save him like he has so often done for them? 

While this was not my favorite book in the Camel Club series, I did enjoy following Oliver through more adventures.  This book felt much more fresh to me, since the subject was quite different from the others.  It was good to see Oliver’s skill set applied to a different scenario, instead of the typical government corruption.  At the same time, the side story kept the reader involved in the major arc of the series, Oliver’s past and relationship with the government.  I am eager to read the final book in the Camel Club series and see what will develop for Oliver and his friends.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Bunsen Burners

Up Next: Hell’s Corner by David Baldacci