The Collectors Review

by David Baldacci

Overall 4.40 of 5 view all 5 reviews

Magician
Columbia, MO

Why was the Speaker of the House and a librarian killed?

avid reader, chronic book buyer

Pros

Recurring series, Complex plot, Interesting secondary plot

NOV

2007

The Collectors —

David Baldacci's recent book, The Collectors, is the second in his series on The Camel Club, a loosely organized collection of four men who have met and bonded over the years in Washington, D.C. The Camel Club consists of Oliver Stone, nee' John Carr, a former assassin for the CIA and now a groundskeeper/caretaker for an old cemetery and sometime protester with a tent in front of the White House; Caleb Shaw, a research specialist in the Rare Books room of the Library of Congress; Rueben Rhodes, a Vietnam veteran, former Defense Intelligence Agency employee, and currently working on a loading dock; and Milton Farb, the son of carnival employees, formerly employed at the National Institutes of Health, sufferer of various mental disorders and now the designer of Web sites for corporations.

The novel opens with the assassination of the new Speaker of the House, Robert Bradley. This is shortly followed by the death of the director of the Rare Books and Special Collection Division of the Library of Congress, Robert DeHaven. Shaw discovers DeHaven's body in the Library of Congress. Upon discovering the body, Shaw passes out. In listening to Shaw's story, Stone senses that there's a connection between the deaths and begins investigating, bringing in the other Club members with him.

Meanwhile, a subplot involving the bilking of an Atlantic City casino owner, Jerry Bagger unfolds. The leader of the con, Annabelle Conroy, has a debt that must be paid by Bagger. Years before, Bagger had killed her mother. The eventual con nets Annabelle and her three associates $40 million from Bagger. Bagger, not being the type to forget and let live, leaves no stone unturned in his search for the con artists. However, after whetting our taste for this plotline, Baldacci abandons it until his next book, Stone Cold.

Returning to the main plot, Annabelle Conroy enters the picture when she reads about DeHaven's death and comes to the funeral. As it turns out, many years before, she had been married to DeHaven. However, DeHaven's mother disapproved of the marriage and forced DeHaven to have it annulled. Through the passing years, DeHaven regretted his decision, but never sought out Annabelle. However, he did keep a photograph of the two of them by his bedside. Stone, recognizing her at the funeral, confronts her and reveals his suspicions about DeHaven's death. She decides to stay and help investigate.

As the novel progresses, events become dangerous for The Camel Club and Annabelle. Bagger is tracking her and the assassin of the two victims is keeping a close eye on the Club. After another murder, the set-up of Rueben to take the fall, and the attempted murders of Annabelle and Stone, Baldacci ties these crimes together with a long-hidden spy ring that has been selling American secrets for years.

Baldacci's novels have all been quick and enjoyable books to read. This is no different. His characters are intriguing, although I got tired of Shaw's whininess and cowardice. This was a fun read in the suspense genre and I easily recommend it to anyone interested in these types of books.