The Collectors (Camel Club Book 2)

The Collectors has ratings and reviews. Kelly said: I just love David Baldacci. I think he is my guilty pleasure when it comes to books. He.
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The four are political watch-dogs, who are always looking for conspiracies within the government. Oliver Stone is the leader of the Camel Club. Stone is the crypt keeper of the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church. Stone is a false name his real name, though rarely used, is John Carr , taken because of the real Oliver Stone 's conspiracy theory-themed movies. Stone was a former member of the esteemed and fictional "Triple Six" division of the CIA that was composed of highly skilled government assassins.


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Stone himself is also monitored by the government, which constantly has agents watching him. After a few years of drug usage in England, Rhodes returned to the States, where he met Stone, who got him a job unloading trucks. He and Stone are the best marksmen in the group. He, like Rhodes, was a protestor of the Vietnam war. Shaw holds twin doctorates in political science and eighteenth century literature.

Shaw is also known for always wearing clothing from the 19th century. Farb was a child prodigy who suffers from extreme obsessive-compulsive disorder and paranoia. As a child, his parents had him act in a side show, adding extremely high numbers in his head and reciting extremely long sections of text without faltering. As is shown in Stone Cold , Farb's gifts allow him to win extremely high amounts of money at casino games, such as blackjack.

Farb was hired by the National Health Institute, but was fired after sending a threatening letter to the President. Stone met him and got him on the TV show Jeopardy! If you are going to kill someone, shoot them. See all 4 questions about The Collectors…. Lists with This Book. 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 o I just love David Baldacci. 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 pages, so it is very easy to say, "Well, I'll read just one more! After reading this, I want to go to the Library of Congress reading room and peruse a book! Jun 26, Carol rated it really liked it. The Collectors is a thriller novel written by American author David Baldacci. The book was published by Warner Books on October 17, This is the second installment to feature the Camel Club, a small group of Washington, D.

On November 5, , the novel debuted at No. 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. 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. 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.

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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.

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. 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 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.

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. Fine, thanks, and you? 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.

The action scenes feel realistic, no super-hero stuff, just pure use of intelligence, experience, desperation and guts. View all 3 comments. Action-adventure fans who don't care much about credibility.

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I got to page 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. 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.

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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. View all 12 comments. Jun 03, Eric Bjerke rated it liked it Recommends it for: Recommended to Eric by: 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 Anytime I read a book from cover-to-cover in just a couple of days, I obviously enjoyed it.

Obviously a book like this is not going to contain charaters that are dynamic because it is all about the plot.


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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. Jul 11, Diane rated it really liked it. 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! 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, Lots of nasty characters in this book, actually liked this book better than the 1st in the series.

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. Jan 09, James Glass rated it liked it. This book started out well but then fizzled out.

A librarian is found dead in the rare books section of the Smithsonian.

The Collectors

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 This book started out well but then fizzled out.

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 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. Mar 19, Benjamin Thomas rated it really liked it Shelves: 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.

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.

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 dialog Before reading any of his books, I was all set to become a David Baldacci cheerleader. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Perhaps I was just unlucky. From now on, my bookshelf is a Baldacci-free zone. Nov 03, Mahoghani 23 rated it liked it Shelves: The Camel Club can really place themselves in harms way; the sights of a killer. A spy ring in Washington, D.

Has caught the attention of Oliver Stone and he never backs down from getting to the truth of the matter. Annabelle needs to inform them of her previous activities. Jerry Bagget, her last con job, is right on her tail because of Tony's mistake. Starts off slow but brings The Camel Club can really place themselves in harms way; the sights of a killer.

Starts off slow but brings you to the threshold of action, suspense and a better understanding as to why everything happened the way it did.

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Sep 04, IslandRiverScribe rated it it was amazing Shelves: 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 miles away on the West Coast. 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. Feb 02, Toni Osborne rated it really liked it.

On a local level, Annabelle Conroy, a gifted con artist, is out to pull off a major con against a ruthlessly violent casino b 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.

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. Dec 12, D. 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.