The Collectors

The Camel Club #2

by David Baldacci

People are dropping dead in Washington, D.C. First the Speaker of the House falls victim to a hit man in a carefully orchestrated murder in front of dozens of the city's power elite. Next, the director of the Library of Congress's Rare Books Room dies in a book vault, but no one knows how. Caleb Shaw, Camel Club member, nearly falls victim, too. Across the country, a gifted con woman assembles an A-list team to pull off one of the most audacious scams ever, against one of the most dangerous men in the world. When the worlds of Washington and the elite con collide head-on, the Camel Club finds itself teamed with a person they don't really trust but whose skill helps them unravel a secret that threatens to bring America to its knees.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

612 pages, Hardcover

First published October 18, 2006

About the author

David Baldacci has been writing since childhood, when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she’d given him the notebook to keep him quiet, "because every mom needs a break now and then.”)

David published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996; the feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 52 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. David has also published seven novels for younger readers. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 200 million copies sold worldwide.

In addition to being a prolific writer, David is a devoted philanthropist, and his greatest efforts are dedicated to his family’s Wish You Well Foundation®. Established by David and his wife, Michelle, the Wish You Well Foundation supports family and adult literacy programs in the United States.

A lifelong Virginian, David is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Camel Club book 2: A random death in the Library of Congress draws in Camel Club member and librarian Caleb and then Stone (ex spy and killer now in his 60s), Reuben (Vietnam vet and ex DIA, now loading dock worker) and Milton (child genius who had mental health episodes, 'saved' by Stone) as they first have to prove foul play after which they find themselves investigating a conspiracy. Quite a gripping and well though out thriller which is almost overshadowed by the story of Annabelle, who seeks out the greatest revenge heist of all time. As ever, a worth reading Baldacci thriller with added touch of such an eclectic group, 7 out of 12, up to a strong Three Star read :)

2009 and 2023 read

[Paul Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE CAMEL CLUB comes of age!

Even from the opening pages, THE COLLECTORS harbours no deep, dark secrets about the identity of the villain. Roger Seagraves, top flight CIA agent has turned renegade assassin for hire and seller of top level secret information. Having recently completed a successful hit on Speaker of the House, Robert Bradley, his next job was Jonathan DeHaven, Director of Rare Books and Special Collections in the Library of Congress. Why DeHaven, a harmless antiquarian book lover? Thus are sown the seeds of the involvement and interest of the four gents of the Camel Club - Milton Farb, obsessive-compulsive computer geek and ex-Jeopardy champion; Oliver Stone, former CIA black ops agent whose past has simply been erased and swept under the carpet; Reuben Rhodes, the pugilistic, big man and decorated Vietnam veteran; and Caleb Shaw, the mild-mannered, retiring librarian who stumbled across the body of his recently deceased boss as he arrived for his day's work! As one might expect from such a collection of aging, overwrought conspiracy theorists (C'mon! This is a thriller after all!), the details of DeHaven's death, written off as cardiac arrest, smell slightly off and our heroes are unable to resist inserting themselves into a search for the solution to a mystery that nobody else even believes is a mystery.

The other half of this dual plot-line novel involves Annabelle Conroy, a gorgeous confidence trickster, who pulls together a team of top flight criminal colleagues to engineer three "short" cons. These clever smaller jobs are aimed at procuring the funds to finance an ingenious "long" con to lighten Jerry Bagger's wallet to the tune of $30 million. Bagger, an Atlantic City casino baron, was responsible many years earlier for the ruthless murder of Annabelle's mother and Conroy wants her revenge. As they must, the plots cross paths and mesh together when Oliver Stone spots Conroy at DeHaven's funeral, recognizes her from an old photograph in his home and discovers that Conroy is DeHaven's ex-wife.

With the Camel Club, there can be no doubt that Baldacci has put together an entertaining series concept that now has some serious legs. The dialogue is credible and punchy and the cast continues to mature out of their more comic introduction in THE CAMEL CLUB into a set of endearing, thoughtful characters each with their own set of strengths, weaknesses, foibles, idiosyncracies and motives. Baldacci's reading audience will be rooting for the right outcome, booing at the bad guys, chewing their fingernails with concern at all the appropriate cliffhanger locations and will doubtless care what happens to these men as they move quickly from one crisis to another. The story ends (for better or worse) on a completely unresolved plot issue guaranteed to provide the opening for a sequel and return encounter with the Camel Club, Annabelle Conroy and an infuriated Jerry Bagger.

Like most thrillers, THE COLLECTORS requires a certain amount of suspension of belief and an acceptance of coincidence but the story is so entertaining that I found myself quite forgiving. The fascinating information that Baldacci wove into the story was completely intriguing - the mechanics of identity theft, the backroom operations of a casino, the antiquarian book market. But then there was the sex ... holy cow, and was it awful! I'll admit it ... I enjoy a good, steamy sex scene from time to time in a thriller but Baldacci's writing in this area was so laboured, so trite and so rigidly choreographed that it sounded more like a laughable rehearsal for a bad back alley B-movie!

One weakness notwithstanding, THE COLLECTORS was a thoroughly entertaining novel that will have me waiting in line for its sequel.

Paul Weiss

[Sheyla ✎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole first half of The Collectors, I was thinking how are these two storylines going to connect? I was loving both of them on their own but wasn't sure where David Baldacci was going with it. When it finally happened I was like, wow I didn't see that coming.

The book begins with the murder of the Speaker of the House and then Caleb Shaw's boss, Jonathan DeHaven is also found dead in the Library of Congress's Rare Books room. When Caleb sees his boss's body, Caleb passes out. His three friends, Oliver Stone, Ruben Rhodes, and Milton Farb will go in search of the connection between these two very different set of deaths.

While the Camel Club is going in one direction, another plot emerges. We're introduced to sexy, smart, independent con artist, Annabelle Conroy who is recruiting a group of men for a con involving an Atlantic City casino owner by the name of Jerry Bagget. Jerry is well known for his lack of compassion and if it is up to him, anyone messing with his casino will pay with their own lives.

When the two stories collided, I couldn't put the book down. Annabelle was a fantastic asset to the story- and to the Camel Club. I loved her. She created mystery, humor, intrigue, and suspense in every page she appeared. I wasn't a fan of the first book but with the addition of Annabelle and I'm all in. Good job Mr. Baldacci for launching this unforgettable character!

Even though one of the plot lines closes by the end of The Collectors, another one is left wide open, making it impossible for me not to grab the next one in this series.

Cliffhanger: Yes

4/5 Fangs


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[Xabi1990 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buahhhhh! La he gozado

Segunda entrega de su serie “The Camel Club” en la cual no paras de leer. No hay ni una palabra de relleno, no hay ni un momento de relax en la trama.

Como el anterior de la serie -y como muchas otras de sus novelas- tiene como protagonistas a las intrigas de poder entre distintas agencias de esas de espías a que nos tienen acostumbradas las pelis. Y los protagonistas son un grupo de cuatro personas, uno de ellos un “ex-007”, que se ven inmersos en unos asesinatos que involucran a un bibliotecario del Congreso, a un e-asesino de la CIA y a una estafadora de alto nivel. Y los libros raros tiene mucho protagonismo.

NO merece la pena contaros mucho de esta novela, sólo deciros que le quito una estrella xq no hay nada especialmente novedoso en ella, pero os aseguro que si os va el género lo vais a pasar muy bien leyéndolo. Admito un poco de clichés en el perfil de los personajes, sí, vale. Conste que a mi no me ha molestado para nada, aunque soy consciente de ello. A pesar de que por esos dos aspectos le quito una estrella puedo deciros que por placer lector sí le pondría las 5. Digamos que para mi es un 5 pero para ser objetivo le dejo en 4.

Una vez más recomiendo el autor como palomitero total, como entretenimiento puro.

P.D: el siguiente de la serie ya está cargado en el Kindle.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love David Baldacci. I think he is my guilty pleasure when it comes to books. He does such a wonderful job of character development and plot timing. The first part of this book, I was trying and trying to figure out how the two seemingly disconnected stories were going to tie together, and then BAM. Never saw it coming. The Camel Club is an organization of disenfranchised former (and current) government employees who always seem to be in the thick of things and have a unique combination of skills that help them stay alive while solving dangerous crimes. This is the second installment of their adventures, and I just love every minute of it. Of course, I have to now read the next one to see how the cliffhanger on this one unfolds! I also love Baldacci's pacing (although it has cost me many a late night). His chapters are 3-10 pages, so it is very easy to say, "Well, I'll read just one more!" A great read for anyone who enjoys interesting thrillers with a historical/governmental context and flavor. After reading this, I want to go to the Library of Congress reading room and peruse a book!

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book of a series. It can be read as a stand alone. In this one there are two different murders in Washington D.C. that seem unrelated. The Camel Club believes different and they are correct. They end up getting into a situation that they did not bargain for.

I thought this one was a step down from the first one but still a likeable story. There were aspects that I did enjoy. I really am enjoying the Camel Club and their characters. I like their dynamic and their interaction with each other. The author does a great job of dialogue between them and at times I had a smile on my face following them. In this one we follow a new character Annabelle. I thought she was a terrific character and I enjoyed her a lot. The minor plot was her story and she will be involved with the major story. We spent some serious time with the minor plot and this is where my gripe about this book begins to form. It is left unfinished. I believe we will tackle it in the next book but I was left unfulfilled. It was not even a true cliffhanger as it was more an abrupt stop in the story. As for the main story it was okay but nothing special. I felt like the main point of the story has been done before and it did not really grab me.

I liked this book but not nearly as much as the first book of this series. I liked this one because of the characters and not for the events of the story. The characters grabbed me and held onto me throughout. The story did not. It was solid. I guess they cannot be all home runs. This was more like a two out single and you hope the team builds on it. I hope this leads into the next book producing something a little more blood pumping.

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got to page 117. I realized it was time to quit when I found myself thinking, "Gee I really should read a few pages in that book I'm working on, but I'd rather clean the bathroom." With all due respect to Mr. Baldacci. His writing obviously affords many people untold hours of welcome diversion. But apparently I'm not going to be one of them.

So far, what we've got is a dead body in a locked room and two groups of people running around like gangs of middle school kids, playing at being grownups. One consists of four unlikely superhero types charging around in a van and on a motorcycle trying to solve the crime; the other is a group of crooks that persist in proudly calling themselves "cons." (Isn't "con" a verb or the name of an action unless it refers to "convicts"?) Eventually, I'm sure, they'll all come together, but I won't be there to see it.

To me, the characters are flat and silly. I really don't care who killed the librarian.

My apologies to Baldacci fans. I tried.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the second book by David Baldacci that i had found in my local second hand store and luckily it was the second book in the Camel club series. It's readable and a decent story but didn't woke any strong feelings. If I get a hold in another book in the series I'll might continue but not something I'll actively will look for

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Read: The Collectors is a thriller novel written by American author David Baldacci. The book was published by Warner Books on October 17, 2006. This is the second installment to feature the Camel Club, a small group of Washington, D.C. civilian misfits led by "Oliver Stone", a former CIA trained assassin. On November 5, 2006, the novel debuted at No. 2 on The New York Times Best Seller list and remained on the list for seven weeks.

The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and the curator of the rare books collection of the Library of Congress both are found dead. The Speaker has been killed by a sniper at a party while the head of the rare books collection dies from "unknown circumstances." Oliver Stone and the Camel Club become suspicious, although initially they indulge what they believe is his overactive imagination. Stone and his cohorts discover that Seagraves had been selling American intelligence secrets to terrorists in the Middle East, compromising intelligence efforts in the region. However, when they are followed and ask the Secret Service for help, the followers disappear, and the Camel Club becomes interested in their activities. Seagraves kidnaps and subsequently tortures Stone for information. Annabelle Conroy is introduced as a con artist, who after pulling off a $40 million heist against an Atlantic City Casino owner (Jerry Bagger) is on the run for her life. Bagger wants to find and kill Annabelle and her con team. Alex Ford from the previous novel reappears, and in the climax Seagraves is killed by a knife thrown at his carotid artery by Stone who turns out to be an ex-CIA killer. Alex Ford and his agents take Seagrave's remaining collaborators into custody. One of Annabelle Conroy's collaborators in the heist is tortured for information by the angry casino owner, who finds out the general area in which she is living (Washington, D.C.). The novel ends with a set-up for Stone Cold, the third novel of the Camel Club series The mystery deepens in the gripping second novel in David Baldacci’s Camel Club series, The Collectors.

Annabelle is a beautiful stranger with a mysterious past, planning the heist of the century – two short cons to fund a long con, then a life of unashamed luxury, incognito in a foreign land. Jonathan DeHaven, the shy head of the Rare Books Division at the Library of Congress, is planning nothing more than an uneventful day amongst his cherished collection. But when Jonathan is found dead by Caleb Shaw, a member of the Camel Club, two conspiracies are destined to meet as the Club determines to track down the dead man’s long-lost wife – and Annabelle decides to avenge the death of her beloved ex-husband. Unfortunately, the victim of Annabelle’s long con has sworn eternal revenge and Jonathan’s killers will stop at nothing to keep the truth about his death, and the code they have perfected over the years, from surfacing.

Second Read: The Collectors is the 2nd novel in the Camel Club series, following The Camel Club (2005). This novel is both a thriller and a mystery. First, it is a thriller because we know who the assassin is, by name, from the first page. He is quite an engaging psychopath, smart as the proverbial whip, and has a snideness to his inner monologues that can make the reader smile widely, if not downright laugh out loud. But do not be misled by that snideness, he is a stone-cold, government-trained killer.

The mystery, however, is three-fold. First, we must discover why the assassin, located in Washington, D.C., is killing his targets, as it is clear from the first chapter that it is not by agency directive. Secondly, we have to divide why the author is creating a second plotline involving a sophisticated con artist who is preying on the uber-rich 3000 miles away on the West Coast. And finally, we must determine how the members of the Camel Club, involved already in the first mystery, can possibly fit into the 2nd plotline.

Then, in one sentence, the degrees of separation between the three mysteries converge and the novel skyrockets to the next level of action and anticipation. While the previous novel in the series set up Oliver Stone as the main protagonist, it also introduced his friends and fellow club members. That novel also tended to revolve the story line around and through all the supporting characters evenly. However, in this novel, Baldacci centers most of the attention on Caleb Shaw, who happens to be a Rare Books librarian at the Library of Congress.

Caleb finds the body of his boss murdered in one of the Library’s book vaults, finds himself the executor of that man’s literary collection, finds an extremely rare book in that collection that should not have been there and then finds himself up to his eyeballs in trouble, the kind of trouble that makes you dead really quickly. Caleb’s basic character is one that is incredibly rule-oriented, law abiding, and self-righteous almost to a fault. And it is fascinating to watch Baldacci take this character through the physical stress and moral ambiguousness of the spy game in which he finds himself an unwilling and central figure.

Throughout the novel, Baldacci’s writing is both tight and informative. By “tight,” I mean he does not indulge in those “Hi, how are you? Fine, thanks, and you?” aspects of conversations that appear to occupy space and increase word count. Nor does he wander afield in descriptive prose.

As to being informative, he does not dump paragraphs of facts onto the reader. He blends the technical or historical background information that he deems necessary for the progression of the storyline into the conversations of the characters and into their internal monologues. Thus, the reader can move along smoothly without being overwhelmed or bored. But being smooth in style does not make this book a “cozy.” It is gritty and its violence is graphic. The action scenes feel realistic, no super-hero stuff, just pure use of intelligence, experience, desperation and guts.
Highly Recommend. Great Read!!!

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book mainly for teenagers.
Four rusty guys (the Camel Club?!?) and one tricky lady are confronting some spies. These one are quite stupid, as in internet era they don't find a proper way to transmit information than using sympathetic ink.
In the end, as usual, the villain is dumb enough in order to speak instead of shooting... One more fact, too much unnecessary violence, par example the death of the Portuguese maid, Tony's mistress.

[Eric Bjerke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anytime I read a book from cover-to-cover in just a couple of days, I obviously enjoyed it. I am easily bored and this one was not boring. I learned about con artists, and ex-CIA hit men, and rare books. That said, it wasn't clever enough. I don't mean the plot--I will never understand how people come up with such a twisting, complex tale--but the characters just seemed so pedestrian to me. Obviously a book like this is not going to contain charaters that are dynamic because it is all about the plot. I just felt like all the banter between the characters was, well, weak. I will probably read this author again (this one is already set up for a sequel), but I'm not running out and getting it right away.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in the “Camel Club” series combines a lot of subjects that are near and dear to my heart: antiquarian and rare book collecting, short and long cons, and the Library of Congress (yes I am a card-carrying member and certified as a “reader”) and its Rare Books reading room. The story brings back the four main members of the Camel Club from book one The Camel Club, but FBI agent Alex Ford gets a breather this time around. Instead we are treated to the interesting character of Annabelle Conroy, a con artist extraordinaire who pulls off an amazing revenge con on an Atlantic City casino king only to be drawn into the orbit of Oliver Stone and the rest of the Camel Club as they investigate the somehow connected deaths of the Speaker of the House and the Director of the Library of Congress’s Rare Books room.

I think I enjoyed this one just a little bit more than the first, probably because of the book-related and con-related plots. I do think it would be best if readers begin the series with book one, rather than plunge directly into this novel because there is not much time devoted to describing the various quirks of the main characters. I would be afraid that without the background development from book one, readers might think these Camel Club guys are just plain weird versus understanding how their peculiar personalities and characteristics actually lead to progress in resolving the plot.

I chose this book to read during a business trip because I always feel confident that Baldacci can hold my attention throughout the ordeal of crowded airports and cramped plane seats as I make my way across the country. He has an easy-to-read style which not only holds my attention but also makes it easy to pick up my place in the narrative despite multiple interruptions. This book did the trick…I only wish I had brought along book number three for the trip home.

[kartik narayanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the review of the entire Camel Club series at my my blog

The Collectors is a perfectly acceptable entry in a perfectly acceptable series. It stars the same four main characters from The Camel Club with an new character added to mix things up.

I found some of the main characters to have mysteriously changed from the previous book. Milton no longer displays OCD behaviour and is a lot more assertive. Caleb has become more of a coward. Oliver makes mistakes you would not expect a 666 man to do. But, this is a book that does not take itself seriously and, I guess, neither should I.

It was fun to read and that's all that matters

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catching up…

I was sad when Baldacci ended his ‘Camel Club’ series. But I was particularly frustrated because I could never find a copy of this book in the series. So, in many ways I felt like I was incomplete in having all the parts of the ‘Camel Club.’ So, when this one was recently donated to my Little Free Library Shed, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of glee that I would finally be able to read it.

The “Camel Club” is a group led by Oliver Stone, a former CIA-trained assassin. They investigate political conspiracies. There are 4 members besides Oliver which include Milton Farb, Caleb Shaw, Reuben Rhodes and honorary member, Alex Ford. Each person brings a unique set of skills to the table and to their own investigations. This is the second book in the series.

Readers who enjoy reoccurring characters who fight for a cause will appreciate the ‘Camel Club’s’ camaraderie. The story balances it with intrigue and espionage. Which feels true to form for their mission. After all, this group’s purpose is to keep the government accountable to the people. They are talented men who now are taking on dangerous cases because something is not right in government.

This one was published in 2006, but re-visiting it only makes me nostalgic for what I came to appreciate about this group when I first was introduced to them in book 1, “The Camel Club.”

Still, I can’t help but wonder…

Could there possibly be a real-life version of the Camel Club out there, please? 😉

The characters are well-developed, where it is clear to readers who you want to love and hate. Because the bad guys are truly bad. Although there are moments where it felt like I had to suspend disbelief, I still appreciated the intricate plot, compelling characters and suspenseful story.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was wondering how these two story lines...Annabelle and the big Atlantic City heist...and a dead librarian in the Library of Congress rare books section...was ever going to connect. I should never have questioned the "master storyteller"...David Baldacci. Come together they did...with a BANG!)...or was that a shot fired by Seagraves, the government assassin adding to his "collection"? Annabelle with her perfect...though maybe questionable, skills...was a fantastic asset to the Camel Club boys. It isn't a perfect book by any stretch...and some readers won't like the two different story lines or that the story of Annabelle will continue into the next book... but it is Baldacci...it's entertaining and ensures that we, the fans of this author will be picking up the next in the series.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Before reading any of his books, I was all set to become a David Baldacci cheerleader. With twelve New York Times bestsellers to his name, 50 million books sold in 80 countries, plus glowing press and reader reviews, he seemed an ideal candidate for my pantheon of favourite authors. Then I started reading The Collectors

With a mixture of disappointment and disbelief, I ploughed through page after page, hoping that at some point it would turn into a thriller. But, far from the diamond-sharp dialogue and pacesetting plot I’d been expecting, the book turned out to be as thrilling as a damp dishcloth.

The main story surrounds an investigation by a group of conspiracy theorists into a death at the Library of Congress in Washington. Elsewhere, a gang of con-artists sets out to relieve a notorious mobster of his fortune. These plots intertwine and the rest of the book unravels the consequences.

So far, so good. But right from the start Baldacci’s clunky writing gets in the way of the story. On Planet Baldacci, people don’t just say things. They say them “bitterly”, “solemnly“, "eagerly", "breathlessly", or even "matter-of-factly". This outbreak of adverbs is profoundly annoying, but it’s by no means the only problem with The Collectors.

The paper-thin characters are a mixture of the unremarkable and the unbelievable. Baldacci may have intended con-artiste Annabelle Conroy to come across as a clever and classy broad with a will of steel and a heart of gold. But before too long, I was tiring of this James Bond in tights. The reader is meant to gasp in wonder at her skullduggery and subterfuge as she takes the mean and the greedy for a ride. But how can we admire a character whose actions lead to the innocent getting killed? Or are we supposed to dismiss these casualties as collateral damage?

Meanwhile, the group of conspiracy theorists, known as the Camel Club, owe more to Hanna-Barbera than to Hitchcock. They’re not so much amateur detectives as shamateur defectives. Led by Oliver Stone (I kid you not), these misfits bumble their way across Washington with all the finesse of a herd of elephants on roller skates. Especially irritating is Caleb Shaw, the wimpy librarian. Baldacci gets exactly no prizes for fishing him out from the dressing-up box of tired old stereotypes.

As for the mobster, Jerry Bagger, he’s an incredibly stupid pantomime villain. Far from masterminding his way to owning a string of casinos, a dodgy character like this wouldn’t get past the doorman in my local supermarket.

With little of interest in terms of plot and character, the reader should at least have been able to admire the scenery. An attractively drawn map of Washington, D.C. on the first page suggests that this monumental city will play a significant part in the story. Yet, aside from passing references to the Mall and the White House, we might as well be in Grimsby. Even the magnificent Library of Congress, where much of the action (I use the word guardedly) takes place, is described in the most fleeting of terms.

Early on, we’re told that the Camel Club saved the world from Armageddon in a previous adventure. This incredible claim should have set alarm bells ringing, but I pressed on, expecting an eventual resolution to the story. But not in another book.

Baldacci couldn’t have been less subtle had he placed a photograph of a cash register on the final page, with a little banner declaring: "So long, suckers, see you in the sequel". It was an appropriately fraudulent end to a so-called thriller that delivered not so much a tightness in my chest as a lightness in my wallet. Baldacci is on record as saying that he strongly identifies with Annabelle Conroy. Having conned me out of my hard-earned cash, I can say (truthfully, angrily, bitterly, furiously) that he’s well on the way to emulating his heroine.

Perhaps I was just unlucky. Other reviewers have claimed that this isn’t Baldacci at his best, and it could be this wasn't the right place to start on his books. But it’s definitely the right place to stop. Rather than risk another mugging, I’ll be steering clear of this particular author. From now on, my bookshelf is a Baldacci-free zone.

[James Glass · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out well but then fizzled out. A librarian is found dead in the rare books section of the Smithsonian. A congressman is murdered. At first glance there doesn't seem to be a connection.
The Camel Club begins to put some of the pieces together when they team up with a beautiful woman who's interested in finding out who killed the librarian. She claims to be an old friend, but no one can find anything about her.
As the Camel Club dig deeper in to the clues they discover there's no conspiracy going on, but find out there may be espionage involved...but how are the librarian and the congressman connected.
The book was well written, but the plot seemed a bit farfetched. Some of the characters were over the top. But I still enjoyed the book. Not one of my best by Baldacci, but readable.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of nasty characters in this book, actually liked this book better than the 1st in the series.

Rare books are the underlying theme in this edition, with murder, stuff blowing up, poisonous gases, makes for a very thrilling and interesting espionage read!

From the blurb: Oliver Stone and his Camel Club are in a race to stop a man who is determined to auction off America to the highest bidder: Roger Seagraves is selling America to her enemies, one devastating secret at a time. On a local level, Annabelle Conroy, the most gifted con artist of her generation, is becoming a bit of a Robin Hood as she plots a monumental scam against one of the most ruthless businessmen on earth. As the killings on both fronts mount, the Camel Club fights the most deadly foes they've ever faced.

4.5 stars and 2 thumbs up!

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. Can this strange and loose configuration with a strained resemblance to a police detective squad actually resolve a confusing assassination and a possible murder? The eccentrics call themselves "The Camel Club" under the leadership of the most illusive of the four, Oliver Stone, who we find has a "666" classification, whatever that means! The new Speaker of the US House of Representatives, a reformer trying to bring the assembly into the 21st century, has been shot at a reception, and soon thereafter the Director of Rare Books at the Library of Congress is found dead. That last one doesn't even look like murder. One of his employees is Caleb Shaw, a member of the Club. Who would want to kill a head librarian? When they visit his home, the Club finds one of the rarest and most valuable books in America in his private vault. How could he afford it? At the same time we meet a new character, the beautiful and talented thief Annabelle Conroy who practices the long con on Atlantic City casino owners including the dangerous Jerry Bagger. Where are all these disparate lines leading? And what about the title? Yours to find out! (September 2019)

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Collectors is a book that has two key plots one involves the assassination of the director of the Library of Congress and the Speaker of the House, and the other involves con artist Annabelle Conroy attempting to rob corrupt casino owner Jerry Bagger of his money. I won't say too much because I don't want to give away the whole story.

David Baldacci does an excellent job with the storyline and great character development, I found this book better than the first Camel Club book, I look forward to reading the rest in the series as well.

[Vignesh Ashok Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating - 9/10(Extraordinary) - Selling American secrets a book at a time



After reading the Camel Club series as a whole, the order of the books from better to worst is -
#5 > #4 > #2 > #3 >#1

After reading the first novel, I wanted to quit the series. But my curiosity got the better of me and wanted to find out whether this series gets any better. And thanks to my curiosity, I was able to get through this with more interest. While, the first book was so unoriginal and had so many exposition related to the American history(which was boredom), second book just redeems itself by rectifying the mistakes that made the first book worse.

The plot of the novel was very intriguing - it revolves around the conspiracy on who sold the american secrets to the enemies(Middle East of course!!). The hitman dude pops the speaker of the White House's head and another dude who is just a rare books collector just dies naturally. Who would have thought those two could be connected? Well, here comes The Camel Club - Oliver Stone aka John Carr - the 666 assassin presumed dead, Reuben Rhodes - Former DIA who has a thing for
all ladies, Caleb Shaw - Librarian who is a bookworm, Milton Farb - the tech guy who has photographic memory and OCD. They also stumble upon Annabelle Conroy - a professional con-artist who just conned a casino dude for 40 million dollars. This just added the hotness to the Camel Club. The plot related to Annabelle Conroy was very interesting, well handled and had me glued to the book. The antagonist in the book was also very challenging. The cliff hanger of this novel was jaw dropping wanted me to quit writing the review and continue on.

Apart from this, the characters were a little out of their character - Milton was cracking jokes even though he has OCD, Caleb was a comic relief, Stone was just annoying me with more mistakes. But, that doesn't make it bad.

[Vikas · Rating 4 out of 5]

On their second adventure Camel Club stumbles over a game so twisted and dangerous that the bodies keep on dropping left right and center. This time the honourary members of Camel Club are missing for the most part and we have a new kick ass heroine who is con artist and is out to ruin someone but the time causes her to meet with Camel Club and she shows them all the tricks in her armoury.

This one was again a nice read and though this time the focus wasn't on white house and nearer there and Oliver also spent less time in his camp but we spent most time in this book in the Library of Congress.

The story is very enjoyable and fast paced, with our elderly team moves to break open another conspiracy which is threatening to dismantle US of A.

Now on to the 3rd part of this series - Stone Cold :) Keep on Reading.

People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.

[D.K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oliver Stones suspects there is a link between the assassination of the U.S Speaker of the House and the director of the Library of Congress rare books room. The Camel Club is joined by Annabelle Conroy, a con-artist who should be running for her life, but is instead aiding the group to solve this mystery.

All the members of the Camel Club lives are threaten by a ruthless enemy that once worked for the same ultra secret organization as Oliver Stone.

David Baldacci has the amazing ability to thrill and surprise in his novels and never disappoints with his Camel Club series.

[IslandRiverScribe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Collectors is the 2nd novel in the Camel Club series, following The Camel Club (2005). This novel is both a thriller and a mystery. First, it is a thriller because we know who the assassin is, by name, from the first page. He is quite an engaging psychopath, smart as the proverbial whip, and has a snideness to his inner monologues that can make the reader smile widely, if not downright laugh out loud. But do not be misled by that snideness, he is a stone-cold, government-trained killer.

The mystery, however, is three-fold. First, we must discover why the assassin, located in Washington, D.C., is killing his targets, as it is clear from the first chapter that it is not by agency directive. Secondly, we have to divine why the author is creating a second plotline involving a sophisticated con artist who is preying on the uber-rich 3000 miles away on the West Coast. And finally, we must determine how the members of the Camel Club, involved already in the first mystery, can possibly fit into the 2nd plotline.

Then, in one sentence, the degrees of separation between the three mysteries converge and the novel skyrockets to the next level of action and anticipation.

While the previous novel in the series set up Oliver Stone as the main protagonist, it also introduced his friends and fellow club members. That novel also tended to revolve the story line around and through all the supporting characters evenly. However, in this novel, Baldacci centers most of the attention on Caleb Shaw, who happens to be a Rare Books librarian at the Library of Congress.

Caleb finds the body of his boss murdered in one of the Library’s book vaults, finds himself the executor of that man’s literary collection, finds an extremely rare book in that collection that should not have been there and then finds himself up to his eyeballs in trouble, the kind of trouble that makes you dead really quickly. Caleb’s basic character is one that is incredibly rule-oriented, law abiding, and self-righteous almost to a fault. And it is fascinating to watch Baldacci take this character through the physical stress and moral ambiguousness of the spy game in which he finds himself an unwilling and central figure.

Throughout the novel, Baldacci’s writing is both tight and informative. By “tight,” I mean that he does not indulge in those “Hi, how are you? Fine, thanks, and you?” aspects of conversations that appear to occupy space and increase word count. Nor does he wander afield in descriptive prose.

As to being informative, he does not dump paragraphs of facts onto the reader. He blends the technical or historical background information that he deems necessary for the progression of the storyline into the conversations of the characters and into their internal monologues. Thus, the reader can move along smoothly without being overwhelmed or bored.

But being smooth in style does not make this book a “cozy.” It is gritty and its violence is graphic. The action scenes feel realistic, no super-hero stuff, just pure use of intelligence, experience, desperation and guts.

And, after finishing this novel, you may never ever look at the members of your book club again in the same way as you do now.

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahoy, ahoy, it seems we've found an improbably better book than the previous installment, which is rare. Rarity is the theme of The Collectors, what with people being rare individuals or collectors that range from the harmless to the pretentious to the macabre. I liked the Con group eventually, which means I didn't at first. Annabelle is a fantastic character, and I'm sad that she's going to die horribly soon, although the cliffhanger ending made sure that didn't get confirmed. Alex's cameo was well inspired, and I missed Kate and Adelphia. Based on this series and the Christmas Train, I must concede that Baldacci is a criminally underrated writer.

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another tale of the slightly ramshackle group called the Camel Club, led by the long retired CIA operative, Oliver Stone. Investigating the murder in the Library of Congress of a senior work colleague of one of the group, they stumble into a spy ring and need the help of the ex-wife of the victim, herself in hiding after a successful con trick in Atlantic City. A little over-convoluted at times, Baldacci keeps the narrative moving at pace, as usual.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this, the second of the Camel Club series, we learn much more about the club members, and also meet the lovely Annabelle Conroy, the most successful scammer of them all!

We start with mild mannered and shy Jonathan DeHaven, who is head of the Rare Books Division at the Library of Congress, where Caleb Shaw, member of the Camel Club, is also librarian. Little did they know the terrifying events which were about to unfold, leaving death in the Library, and the Camel Club investigating with their lives in desperate danger.

Annabelle flees her most successful long con ever, with riches she’d only dreamed about. But while waiting at the airport for her flight out of the country, she happened upon an item in the newspaper, which made her re-think her plans. Someone from her past life had died, the funeral was the following day, and Annabelle decided there and then to go to Washington to pay her respects.

With Annabelle now on their team, Oliver, Reuben and Milton, along with Caleb were getting too close to the truth, and the killer needed to eliminate them….with large amounts of money involved, the stakes were high.

This incredible thriller delves into murky worlds….gambling, politics, espionage…all drawn together to create a massive finish! Definitely a great read…highly recommended.

[Toni Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to "The Camel Club"

Soon after the Speaker of the House is assassinated, Caleb Shaw a quiet librarian stumbles upon the body of his boss Jonathan DeHaven at the Library of Congress narrowly escaping the same fate. "The Camel Club" group promptly sets out to investigate and it becomes a race to stop a man who is determined to auction off America to the highest bidder.

On a local level, Annabelle Conroy, a gifted con artist, is out to pull off a major con against a ruthlessly violent casino boss. She gathers three other scammers and together they undertake a heist that promises to make them all rich. She eventually meets up with the Camel Club after she attends the funeral of Jonathan DeHaven (her ex husband). She then joins the group in the hopes of solving the crime. Their lives become more and more in peril as they come closer to the truth.

This crisp action thriller is a blend of two masterfully intertwined plots, truly entertaining. The characters may be a little too eccentric but they are likeable and interesting. As the storyline unfolds you are left turning the pages to a very interesting conclusion that is obviously leading to a sequel. I would recommend reading "The Camel Club" first.

[William Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Can't get enough of David Baldacci, his writing , plots, characters, and interesting mysteries are the very best.

[QuinnReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slight of Hand

I obviously really like this book (& series) as I've read it a few times over the years. This time I sat back and listened.

This starts out focused on Annabelle Conroy and the cons she pulls to take millions from the wealthy, with a casino king in Atlantic City being her ultimate target. How she is connected to The Camel Club isn't revealed for some time. This drove me a little crazy as I'd figured it out long before that.

That brings us to Rueben, Caleb, Milton, and Oliver. If The Camel Club didn't highlight their different skill sets, or lack thereof, this definitely does. I was chuckling at Caleb when I wasn't trying to wish someone would biff him to bring him out of his hysterics or naivete. And then there is Rueben who sometimes acts like a horny teenager, even though those days are decades in his past.

There are several slight of hand tricks. Blink and you'll miss them. This is true with the con game and spy trade, as we see multiple times throughout this book. I honestly think my favorite moment occurs shortly after Annabelle meets The Camel Club, Oliver in particular. That's one trick that doesn't go unnoticed.

While the primary story involving The Camel Club wraps up, there is a secondary plot that ends with a cliffhanger and Jerry hunts those who conned him. (FYI - it makes for some good reading in the next book).

This addition to the series isn't as intense as the first, but it's still a captivating and enthralling read. And it can be read without having read the series opener.

I borrowed a copy of the audio book from my library. The narrators are LJ Ganser, Aimee Jolson, and Richard Mover. This is my first time listening to each. I like this style of narration. It reminded me of older shows (TV & radio) where there is a storyteller with additional actors to voice the conversations.

Story: 4.5 stars
Narration: 4.5 stars
Listening Speed: 2.0x