Divine Justice (Camel Club)
by David Baldacci
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Book Reviews of Divine Justice (Camel Club)
Book Review: The best of this superb series of stories.
Summary: 5 Stars
The Camel Club is back, at least what's left of it. Their number has been reduced, since Milton Farb was cruelly cut down in a gun fight meant to take out Oliver Stone. Now Stone has some scores to settle. He says his goodbyes and handles a little unfinished business before taking off for parts unknown. After all these years, things have come to a head.
"He had a letter to deliver. And something to pick up. And then it would be time to hit the road. His alter ego John Carr was finally dead. And the odds were awfully good that Oliver Stone might be right behind him."
Two men have been murdered, linked to Stone by past sins. General Macklin Hayes, wielding heavy influence and little mercy, sets agent John Knox on Stone's trail. A formidable opponent, Knox studies his quarry's reputation. He fears that he too may not live through this assignment. The more he learns about Stone, the more perplexed he becomes. Stone seems like an honorable man. Why would he kill two men in cold blood, as he is accused of doing? It doesn't fit. And the deeper Knox digs, the more nervous his boss becomes. General Hayes refuses to give him access to crucial information and then blocks the investigation when Knox heads in a direction the general doesn't like. What was Hayes's purpose in assigning him to find Stone if he won't allow him to follow all leads?
Meanwhile, Stone has hopped a train out of town. He doesn't really care where it takes him so long as it gets him out of Washington. His plan might have worked out better had he not decided to run interference for a young man grossly outnumbered in an ugly fight. Danny Riker could have died on that train if Stone had not jumped in to help. Soon, he finds himself and the kid standing on a road watching the train chugging off into the distance. They start down the long road for Divine, Virginia, a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, a place that Riker has called home for his entire life. To Stone, it sounds like the perfect place to disappear in. But it turns out that Divine is not the idyllic town suggested by its name. In fact, it has some nasty little secrets. And people with something to hide often look upon strangers with a suspicious eye.
In Divine, Stone, aka John Carr, tries to maintain a low profile. But Abby Riker, Danny's widowed mother, takes an interest in Stone, complicating his ideas of a smooth getaway. And he can't deny the growing fondness he feels for both Danny and Abby, further complicating things for him.
As Knox's search is bringing him closer to Stone and the truth, the members of the Camel Club are working frantically to find Stone before Knox does. A rough-and- tumble group, their personalities and talents get them through the toughest situations. And they know that whoever reaches Stone first will have some hard decisions to make. As will Stone.
With Milton Farb gone, it seemed like the Camel Club may have run its course, but they remain unified and committed to Stone. Each person has battled his or her demons and grown stronger for it. Their faith in Stone is unwavering. And David Baldacci's readers' faith should be unwavering, too. There is good reason Stone is so popular and has lived as long as he has. He is a true hero. Full of compassion, justice and nail-biting tension, DIVINE JUSTICE is the best of this superb series of stories.
--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers
Book Review: The name's Stone... Oliver Stone
Summary: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Narayan Radhakrishnan for RebeccasReads (12/08)
I am slowly turning into a David Baldacci fan... a fanatic of David Baldacci thrillers. Ever since I read "Absolute Power" (and later saw the movie starring Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman) I have been in the habit of reading the novels of David Baldacci. And its not often you hear of a lawyer author who has carved success in a genre, outside the legal thriller genre.
But when Baldacci introduced the "Camel Club" series, I just went bonkers. The concept of conspiracy theory was given another dimension, a facelift by Baldacci, and I just had to buy and read, re-read, re-re-read all of his books. Thus, I bought and read "The Camel Club," "The Collectors" and "Stone Cold," and I became a fan of Oliver Stone. For the uninitiated Baldacci reader, Oliver Stone is the series protagonist. And if you confuse him with the real Oliver Stone, I can't blame you: like his eponymous, this Oliver Stone is also one big conspiracy theorist; in fact the origin of this Oliver Stone is also shrouded in conspiracy.
"Divine Justice" ties up some loose ends in the Camel Club series. The origin of the man Oliver Stone is dealt with in this book. John Carr was one of United States' leading assassins. However, he soon got fed up with his job and wanted to call it quits. His bosses disagreed and to keep Carr as an assassin, they developed an idea: simple, kill off his family. But the plan goes awry, and a bereaved Carr takes his guns against those in CIA and the power circles in United States. He kills the CIA chief, as well as a Senator and goes into hiding. The CIA deputes one Macklin Hays to trace John Carr. (And oh...before I forget, Carr was the earlier avatar of Oliver Stone.) But now Stone is in a place called Divine in Virginia. It is a sleepy coal-mining town, but with Stone arriving there, the `sleepiness' doesn't last long...
With their boss in hiding, the other members of the Camel Club are also at a loss of what to do, but they know one thing, they must rescue their chief, they must help him...but does Stone really require their help?
Frolicking between the past and present, alternating between the life of John Carr and the life of Oliver Stone, David Baldacci offers a unique thriller with an absorbing (and twisted) plotline, which culminates in a finish that is vintage Baldacci. Highly, highly enjoyable, I really absolutely devoured the book.
Book Review: Satisfied first time Baldacci reader
Summary: 3 Stars
I've never read a book by David Baldacci before this one. I didn't really know what I was getting into when I picked up this book at random at an airport in Sydney after briefly reading its synopsis, such as how it was part of a series of books about the "Camel Club."
Still, I came away quite satisfied. Baldacci keeps an excellent pace throughout the book. Almost all the chapters are between 3-7 pages, and he often finds cliff-hangers to many of them, which keeps the pages flying.
As for the story, there is good and bad. First, the good. Baldacci does a great job of making Stone (or Carr) a very honorable and likeable character. There are other interesting characters as well, such as the vile Macklin Hayes, and Joe Knox, the guy on Stone's tail who ends up caught in the middle. The action and suspense keep coming as well, with numerous set pieces and a dramatic, if a little cli-che'ed, climactic battle. From fights to the cause of the corruption in the small town to... well, I don't want to give away too much. It keeps you entertained, that is for sure.
Now for the not so good. For one, I found it difficult to suspend disbelief about Stone's actual age (the book suggests he's at LEAST 60 years old) for the things he was doing. Jumping off cliffs into the ocean, fighting 3-4 younger men at a time, swinging from rafters of a pitch black mine shaft while dodging snakes [sorry for the spoiler], yes, supposedly all from a senior citizen! Perhaps you could get over this minor quibble. Also, as others have mentioned, the love story with Stone seems a little forced. And maybe even out of place. Baldacci seems to think that's the part of the story the reader cares most about, when in fact there were so many more interesting parts to the story. Finally (and maybe this is my fault for not looking deep enough into the description), I was a little disappointed that the book focused the vast majority of the time in and about the small town of Divine. I thought the book would be more about a tense and epic man-hunt across the country... and Stone doesn't even make it out of the state. But again, it's not necessarily bad--just not what I had expected.
Overall, Baldacci crafts a fast paced, exciting ride, even if it can feel a little contrived and/or far-fetched at times. Definitely worth reading, especially if you're into action and suspense.
Book Review: Stretches belief...
Summary: 3 Stars
I have been a big David Baldacci fan from the very beginning, and have looked forward to everything he has written. In Divine Justice, he brings the Camel Club full circle and while it's not his best effort, I still found it enjoyable.
With the Camel Club, it is necessary to read them in order. If you haven't read them yet, please skip this review! At the end of the last Camel Club book, Stone Cold, Oliver Stone has killed two prominent men and then appeared to commit suicide by jumping into the Chesapeake Bay. But of course, the former US assassin plotted his escape and planned to flee to some remote area. But on an Amtrak train going to New Orleans, Stone intercedes to break up a lopsided fight. Tossed from the train, he and the young victim, Danny Riker, return to Riker's hometown--the poor, mountain, coal-town of Divine, Virginia. At first, Stone thinks that this might just be the place to hide out to avoid the massive man-hunt searching for him. But Divine has a lot of mysteries and Stone finds himself in the middle of a dangerous situation.
While Stone is trying to remain anonymous, CIA official and former general, Macklin Hayes, gives the job of finding Stone to one of the CIA's best, Joe Knox. Hayes wants Stone and he wants him bad. He also wants him dead. But the more Knox researches the elusive Oliver Stone, the more he realizes that his country has done him wrong and perhaps there's more to the story than the official record. While he is trying to track down Stone, the Camel Club members (Reuben, Caleb and Annabelle) are following Knox in the hopes that he will lead them to Oliver.
Most thrillers have an element of unbelief, but Divine Justice really stretches things to the limit. For someone who is supposed to be as smart as Oliver Stone, he makes one bad decision after another. It's amazing that he manages to stay alive. But with Baldacci, the writing is good and the book is fast-paced. I also thought that the ending redeemed it to some extent, although I think it's time for Baldacci to retire the Camel Club crew. He's taken them as far as he (or they) can go.
Book Review: "With two early morning pulls of the trigger..."
Summary: 4 Stars
If you haven't already read a David Baldacci book, can't imagine how you missed him. He's penned fifteen bestsellers four of which feature affecting protagonist John Carr also known as Oliver Stone. Once a CIA assassin Stone now battles mightily to right wrongs. Through this character Baldacci has taken readers to Washington, more often than not shocking them with scenarios that may be too close to the truth.
Stone is back in this the fourth installment in the Camel Club series, and he's once again on the run. "With two early morning pulls of the trigger he'd become the most wanted man in America."
He's too smart to try to board a plane knowing the major airports are alive with those looking for him but instead buys a ticket on the Amtrack Crescent, headed for New Orleans. Once settled in his seat, ever alert, he takes note of his fellow passengers - a mother with a baby, a thin man eating a cheeseburger, and a kid a few years out of high school but still wearing his varsity jacket. "To Stone's eye the young man also had the look of someone who was certain that the world owed him everything and had never bothered paying its bill"
The young man is Danny Riker who is soon assaulted by a trio who accuse him of cheating at cards. Stone rescues Danny and the two leave the train at the next stop. When Stone finds out that Danny is from an Appalachian coal mining town, Divine, Virginia, he decides that might be the perfect place for him to hide out.
Divine might be a good place to take cover but it's also a place where corruption is rampant and most of the coal miners are methadone addicts due to the daily injections they take to pass inspections. Couple this with a suicide that in truth might have been murder, and you have an idea what Stone is up against.
In addition to being a masterful storyteller, an expert at creating riveting suspense, Baldacci is a native of Virginia and lives there today. Thus, he brings an added realism to his descriptions of this area and its people.
Highly recommended.
- Gail Cooke