Author:
Format: Mass Market Paperback, Abridged-CD
Publisher: Warner Books Inc
Published: Sep 2006
Genre: Fiction - Suspense
Retail Price: $8.99
Pages: 606
Four oddball political conspiracy theorists--the Camel Club of the title--get some actual grist for their paranoia in this near-future thriller by the bestselling author of HOUR GAME. As American actions abroad and at home spin out of control, the Camel Club searches for evidence, no matter how far-out, that would force leaders to take some responsibility for the desperate political situation. They unexpectedly stumble across such evidence when they witness the murder of a Secret Service agent, which proves to be only the smallest part of a conspiracy of epic proportions.
I found this book a little confusing with the refernces to arab culture and the names a little hard to remember who was who. Near the end it picked up with lots of action and predictable conclusions.
The only good thing that I can say about this book is that the narrator, Jonathan Davis, did a decent job with moronic dialog and sophmoric descriptions.� Camel Club could have been much, much shorter.� If you must listen to or read this book, do yourself a favor and get the abridged version.� My best advice though, is that if you have a highschool education or higher, avoid this book.� This is the first and last Baldacci book that I will every read/listen to.� His research and therefore understanding of the subject he writes about in this book is sub-par.� Baldacci, for instance, doesn't know the difference between Agent and Officer.� A simple distincion if you've done ample research.� The dialog between the characters is hammy and misguided.� I struggled through this book until the last CD, hoping that the end would do some sort of justice to having listened to this trife.� But I was not so fortunate, Baldacci's ending to Camel Club was just as horrible as the reast of the book.� I couldn't even listen to the last 2 or 3 tracks.If you like this book and think that it is well done, and/or smart, please rethink this because Baldacci does a serious disservice to those who protect this country.� Bottom line, this book is terrible.
I have read Baldaccci's previous books starting with Absolute Power and while his plots were always clever, his characters seemed more mechanical than real. The Camel Club was every bit as well plotted as the earlier novels, but here is characters actually did spring to life and. addition to the high tension that made me turn the pages faster and faster as the threatened doomsday finish aproached, there was a good bit of sly humor. I highly recomend it.