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