The Collectors (Camel Club Series #2) » (Unabridged)

A Washington, D.C.-based lawyer-turned-author, David Baldacci writes legal thrillers that are as tightly constructed as they are authoritative. Readers know his books, with their cinematic plots and colorful details, are sure to offer the sort of breathless entertainment that thrillers always promise but can t always deliver.

A Supreme Court Justice is assassinated in a terrifyingly precise execution in the heart of Washington, D.C. In a quieter corner of the nation’s capital—the rare book room of the Library of Congress—a reclusive, wealthy scholar drops dead under mysterious circumstances that leave no clues. Following on the heels of the natural death of the Speaker of the House, the city and the nation begin to tremble. In California, a beautiful but capable woman is planning and executing one of the most brilliant cons on record. All the while, “Oliver Stone” and his quirky Camel Club stand by and observe as the genius of their collective perspective begins to connect the dots between these seemingly disparate events and they realize they must act and act quickly before their country falls victim to a silent yet bloody coup.

Publishers Weekly

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. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.