September 22, 2008
Near the start of bestseller Baldacci's less than compelling fourth Camel Club thriller (after Stone Cold
), former CIA assassin Oliver Stone (aka John Carr) boards a New Orleans–bound train at Washington's Union Station after shooting to death “a well-known U.S. senator and the nation's intelligence chief,” the two men responsible for his wife's murder. Ever the Good Samaritan, Stone intervenes in a fight on the train, but when the Amtrak conductor asks to see his ID, he gets off at the next station, knowing his fake ID won't withstand scrutiny. So much for Stone's vaunted ability as a resourceful planner. This sudden detour takes Stone to Divine, Va., a mining town where he becomes enmeshed in corruption and intrigue—and falls, in just one of several clichéd situations, for an attractive if beleaguered widow. Series fans should be satisfied, but this effort lacks the imagination that distinguished Baldacci's debut, Absolute Power
(1996).
November 1, 2008
Justice is in the eye of the beholder. In Baldacci's fourth novel (after "Stone Cold") in his "Camel Club" series, Oliver Stone (aka John Carr, ex-CIA assassin) is wanted dead by his enemies and alive by his friends. Stone is on the run after assassinating the two men responsible for the death of his family and his friend Milton. Now Stone's former superior, Gen. Macklin Hayes, enlists tracker Joe Knox to locate Stone so Hayes can silence Stone forever. During Stone's flight from the law, a random act of kindness by Stone forces him on an unwanted detour to Divine, VA. There, Stone's continued good deeds might end up costing him his life as he quickly gets tangled in the hidden web of deceit to which the town owes its prosperity. Meanwhile, both Stone's friends and enemies are furtively searching for him. Who will reach Stone first? Baldacci fans will welcome this latest tale about the charismatic Stone and his exceedingly loyal friends with its fast-paced action and intriguing plot twists. Highly recommended for all thriller collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 7/08.]Susan O. Moritz, Montgomery Cty. P.L.s, MD
Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from October 1, 2008
Readers who have been holding their breath since the end of Stone Cold (2007), the previous Camel Club novel, can inhale: Oliver Stone did survive his plunge into the water. For the uninitiated, Baldaccis Oliver Stone isnt the noted film director; hes a former government assassin who has made a risky living foiling government conspiracies. Now, having eluded capture after committing a pair of necessary assassinations, Stone (or John Carr, if you prefer to use his real name) is on the run, hiding out in rural America, where he discovers that small-town intrigue is at least as intricate and dangerous as anything hes come up against previously. Combining the Camel Club series wit and fast pace with a Fugitive-like story (casting Stone as Richard Kimble, the man on the run who risks his life to protect the lives of strangers), Baldacci shows once again that he is a sort of thriller Renaissance man: a master of plot, dialogue, and character. Its fascinating to observe how Stone operates when hes entirely on his own, too. Not only is he evading his pursuers, especially Macklin Hayes, whose obsessive determination to capture Stone may be based more on personal reasons than professional ones, buthes also cast himself adrift from his comrades, who are working feverishly behind the scenes to find him and keep him safe. A rousing success, although this should come as no surprise to faithful Baldacci readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)