About
Reviews
Search
Submit
Home

Mystery Books for Sale

[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]


  

THE COLLECTORS
by David Baldacci
Warner Books, October 2006
438 pages
$26.99
ISBN: 044653109X


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

I've read David Baldacci before, and enjoyed his work. THE COLLECTORS is a tale of camaraderie, intrigue and espionage based in modern day Washington, DC. Unfortunately, I was never quite sure of the 'why' of the story I was reading.

The Speaker of the House, an honest man third in line to the Presidency, is murdered by Roger Seagraves, a CIA asset who seems to have gone around the bend a bit. He is working with another top Capitol Hill staffer selling highly classified NSA secrets to the highest bidder. A spate of overseas murders is also attributed to the killer, State Department assets in Iraq, India and Pakistan. Seagraves collects trophies from all of his kills, hence the title of the book.

Calling impediments to his venture "thunderstorms", he sets about murdering the people who may jeopardize his operation. One of his victims, Jonathan DeHaven, is a seemingly benign librarian at the Library of Congress' rare books division. The cause of death is ruled a heart attack, but the man has just received a clean bill of cardiac health from his doctor.

DeHaven possesses a simple but nice private collection of rare books, and a man who works for him, Caleb Shaw, is appointed literary executor of the estate. Bolstered by his friends, a group of misfits who call themselves the Camel Club, Shaw goes to De Haven's house to inventory the collection and finds an amazingly rare book in his friend's collection.

The Camel Club bills themselves as a group meant to keep the government accountable to the people. Led by a shadowy ex-CIA operative known as Oliver Stone, they are conspiracy theorists, all highly talented men who are relegated to the fringes of society. Stone finds cause to investigate the death of Jonathan DeHaven, sending the group headlong into danger.

Meanwhile, Annabelle Conroy is a con artist extraordinaire. She is gearing up for the biggest long con of her career. Through a series of events, Annabelle ends up working with the Camel Club, and finds herself facing a bigger enemy than she thought possible.

Set against an interesting backdrop of rare books, THE COLLECTORS examines the depth of friendship and loyalty of people who choose to work together to save the United States from her enemies.

The book is quite long, and the good guys are very good while being bad, and the bad guys as mean and wretched as they get. No matter what I did when I was reading this, I failed to get truly involved with the characters. The subplot of rare books was delightful, but the sense of danger and suspense really never worked for me. In this kind of world, the thought that private conspiracy theorists and con artists would be able to work a case better than the government, and at one point with the government's sanction, flew in the face of reason.

Baldacci always writes interesting people, and he has a deft touch with his female characters, making them strong and capable. The Camel Club members were enjoyable in their own right, and Seagraves was a despicable villain. But the stories didn't quite coalesce. But if you can suspend disbelief, this book will give you several hours of enjoyment.

Reviewed by J.T. Ellison, October 2006

[ Top ]


QUICK SEARCH:

 

Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]