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