Very good book if you like action. This is part 2 of "The camel club " ( )

After several years in which I largely eschewed the thriller as a genre, I have found myself rapidly becoming addicted to the books of David Baldacci. I don’t know whether this represents the passage of years eroding unnecessary genre divisions in my preferences, or a hardening of the cerebral arteries and weakening of my discernment. Whichever it might be, I have been enjoying racing through several of Baldacci’s books, which certainly seem capable of snaring and retaining my attention within a few pages.

This is the second in the Camel Club series, and marks a welcome return for the staunch campaigner who has adopted the name of Oliver Stone to betoken his utter cynicism towards the corridors of power in Washington, along with his various partners. It is one of the less prominent members of the club who initially becomes involved in the tangled plotline. Caleb Shaw works at the Library of Congress where he supervises some of the most rare and valuable books owned by the nation.

A quiet and withdrawn man, Caleb perhaps epitomises the stereotypical perception of a librarian. He is, therefore, notably ill-equipped to find the body of his suddenly deceased director at the door to the Library’s inner vault. Indeed, he passes out at the scene, although that subsequently proves to be less straightforward than initially thought. Just a few days earlier, the newly-appointed Speaker of the House of Representatives, who had established a reputation as a crusader against corruption, had been assassinated.

Meanwhile, Annabelle Conroy, a highly dexterous hustler, is putting together a complicated and ambitious scam to defraud the head of one of the largest and most crooked casinos in Atlantic City. As the events in Washington DC unfold, she is engaged in gathering a powerful crew to assist her.

Baldacci ties these various plot strands together seamlessly. His characters are carefully drawn, and I find the membership of the Camel Club both credible and empathetic. The book fairly fizzes along, too, and I was absolutely hooked. ( )

(2006)Another very good thriller involving the Camel Club. This is a good series. PW: In bestseller Baldacci's entertaining if overly long sequel to The Camel Club (2005), renegade CIA agent Roger Seagraves has set himself up in the business of freelance assassination and selling our country's secrets to the highest bidder. The Camel Club, a group of four dysfunctional crime solvers headed by ex-CIA assassin Caleb Shaw, becomes involved with Seagraves through a killing at the Library of Congress, where one of the club members works. Meanwhile, an enigmatic young woman, Annabelle Conroy, is assembling a team to engineer a "long con," a $33 million scam targeting Jerry Bagger, the sleazy owner of an Atlantic City casino. This time around, Baldacci wisely tones down the wackiness of the club members, focusing instead on bringing Seagraves to justice while Annabelle works her ingenious scam. The splicing of the two plots is problematic, but Baldacci sacrifices a bit of believability to cobble together a new cast of characters destined to continue fighting the forces of evil in the next installment.

Not a ton of depth to this and a really high body count before it was over, but the fact that Baldacci writes with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek and has given us a wonderful (if implausible) group of characters that is a joy to read adds an extra star for me. Suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride! ( )

ok book for long drives. investigation of spy ring through old books an library of congress.