The Collectors (Camel Club Series) Mass Market Paperback – September 1, 2007

I read this once before and I got parts confused w.with other camel club adventures, but great reading even the second time.

The whole first half of The Collectors, I was thinking how are these two storylines going to connect? I was loving both of them on their own but wasn't sure where David Baldacci was going with it. When it finally happened I was like, wow I didn't see that coming.The book begins with the murder of the Speaker of the House and then Caleb Shaw's boss, Jonathan DeHaven is also found dead in the Library of Congress's Rare Books room. When Caleb sees his boss's body, Caleb passes out. His three friends, Oliver Stone, Ruben Rhodes, and Milton Farb will go in search of the connection between these two very different set of deaths.While the Camel Club is going in one direction, another plot emerges. We're introduced to sexy, smart, independent con artist, Annabelle Conroy who is recruiting a group of men for a con involving an Atlantic City casino owner by the name of Jerry Bagget. Jerry is well known for his lack of compassion and if it is up to him, anyone messing with his casino will pay with their own lives.When the two stories collided, I couldn't put the book down. Annabelle was a fantastic asset to the story- and to the Camel Club. I loved her. She created mystery, humor, intrigue, and suspense in every page she appeared. I wasn't a fan of the first book but with the addition of Annabelle and I'm all in. Good job Mr. Baldacci for launching this unforgettable character!Even though one of the plot lines closes by the end of The Collectors, another one is left wide open, making it impossible for me not to grab the next one in this series.Cliffhanger: Yes4/5 Fangs

The Camel Club returns to Mr. Badlacci's pen and I dare say it will again if Jerry Bagger has anything to do with it. That comment will mean absolutely nothing to you unless you read the book as there are two stories (at least) threading through the book.The first involves Oliver Stone and his Camel Club cohorts who suspect there may be a linkage to the murder of the Speaker of the House and the sudden and unexplained death of the Director of the Rare Books and Special Collections section of the Library of Congress. Caleb Shaw a member of the CC and employee of the section discovers his body and while there is no evidence of foul play, the absence of any cause for the death raises their suspicion level.The second story spawned by the book involves Anabelle Conroy. Anabelle is the daughter of a con artist who worked a con on a notorious casino operator by the name of Jerry Bagger. Bagger discovered his treachery and in trying to find him he murders Anabelle's mother. As far as Annabelle is concerned, it is now payback time. She rounds up an assortment of associates and sets out to perpetrate a long con on Bagger. The story of the con is almost worth the price of the book itself. Suffice it to say it is wildly successful and leaves Bagger 40 milllion dollars poorer and more than ready to kill and maim all who participated in the con.The link between the two stories is Annabelle, for as she is planning to flee the country and lie low for a period of time, she learns of the death of the Rare Book Director. It turns out (small world) she had been married to him at one time and she decides to postpone her trip and attend the funeral.And the rest, as they say, is history as Baldacci does a very skillfull job of bringing the stories and the characters together in a yarn that leaves you turning the pages and waiting for the sequel. And when you get to the end you will understand what I wrote at the beginning and you also will be looking forward to the sequel.

Almost needed to make a diagram to keep track of characters and which side they were playing on. Making a chart of the characters and where they fit in the story would be helpful. Good guys vs. Bad guys, although their "side" may not be apparent till the end of the book. The world of rare books is fascinating and not something we encounter often.

Somehow or other, it took him half the book to bring the two plots together. Then I thought it was going to end it in a couple of chapters but of course there's the cliffhanger.

Baldacci never disappoints. I have the next book in the series on order. Can't wait!

It wouldn't be October without the publication of a new David Baldacci thriller, and The Collectors is his latest for 2007. While I enjoyed The Collectors, I don't think it is his strongest effort.The Collectors is actually two stories. In the first, the Speaker of the House and a curator at the Library of Congress are both murdered (the second is made to look like natural causes). Caleb Shaw is a librarian at the Library of Congress, and he is also a member of the Camel Club (introduced in the book by the same name). The Camel Club consists of four misfits (nearing senior citizen status) who form a secret conspiracy watchdog organization. They decide to investigate the deaths and immediately, they discover they're being followed by agents who could be FBI, CIA or NSA. The subplot involves four individual cons who launch a scheme to swindle an Atlantic City casino owner out of $30 million. The ringleader, Annabelle Conroy, becomes immersed in the Camel Club's investigation when she attends the funeral of the library curator. The closer they come to the truth, the more endangered their lives become.All thrillers have a bit of disbelief in their stories, and The Collectors is no exception. I don't think Baldacci was on top of his game with The Collectors in terms of plot development. Plus, the ending never really resolves all the questions and is just an opening for a sequel. While good, it doesn't come close to his earlier works including Absolute Power and A Simple Truth.

Excellent book, as always from Me Baldacci, couldn't put it down!Looking forwards to the next book and "the arrival"!!!

If you like surprises, and suspense in a fast paced surrounding then you should enjoy David Baldacci's excellent books.

Ottimo libro. Baldacci non delude mai...

One of his best thrillers read by me till date. Characters come live in his description. Stone and Annabelle are unique.

Well written, fast paced with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.