Stone Cold
by David Baldacci
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Book Summary Information
Author: David BaldacciEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-08-26
ISBN: 0446615641
Number of pages: 544
Publisher: Vision
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780446615648
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Book Reviews of Stone Cold
Book Review: Better Characterization Improves this Baldacci Thriller
Summary: 4 Stars
STONE COLD takes up again the characters introduced in THE CAMEL CLUB and continued in THE COLLECTORS. "Oliver Stone" is the pseudonym of John Carr, an ex-CIA "666" assassin, now war protestor. He and his conspiracy theorist odd fellows--Reuben Rhodes, Caleb Shaw and Milton Farb--form The Camel Club," which had previously helped to prevent a nuclear war by defeating a couple of rogue elements in U.S. intelligence, including the head of intelligence himself, Carter Gray, and then later wrapped up ("skewered" might be more accurate) a spy who had been colluding with terrorists.
This novel follows two plot lines that are only loosely intertwined:
(1) a con played against a Jersey casino gambler by Annabelle Conroy (first introduced in THE COLLECTORS) and her washed-up father, Paddy Conroy, and
(2) John Carr's teaming with Harry Finn, the assassin son of a Russian spy, to defeat the murderous scheme of his former boss and now nemesis, Carter Gray.
The tight, fast-moving plot of STONE COLD fulfills the expectations of a Baldacci reader, although the climactic gun battle is wrapped up a bit too hastily, as if the author got a little bored with the scene and wanted to move on. What follows the gun battle then feels a little melodramatic; it almost (but not quite) works because Baldacci has given the characters a degree of depth. One can feel some empathy for characters like Harry Finn, whose killings, done at the behest of his mother, are to avenge the death of his father, and yet undermine the integrity of his other life as a loving father and husband. As a result of the more rounded characterization, STONE COLD is a more satisfying read than the series debut. On the other hand, John Carr, a.k.a. Oliver Stone, still seems removed from the reader, so when he has an emotional breakdown, it's less moving than weird--especially since the catalyst was so totally gratuitous a plot device.
Baldacci introduces religion in the lives of his characters (for instance, Carter Grey, we learn, is Presbyterian), but it's unclear why since religion never really seems to inform the conduct of his characters. Maybe that's the author's point. I think it would be more effective, though, if the religious and moral lives of these characters actually meant something, even if it was struggling with their faith convictions in the face of a cold realpolitik.
The reader on the audio CD version, Ron McLarty, is the best reader I've yet had the pleasure to listen to. He differentiates the characters through the skilled use of different voices, and does so without going over the top (notwithstanding Paddy's Irish brogue). It's enough to seek out McLarty's other work on Amazon.
Summary of Stone Cold
The #1 bestselling author of The Collectors and Simple Genius returns with STONE COLD...an unforgetable novel of revenge, conspiracy, and murder that brings a band of unlikely heroes face-to-face with their greatest threat.Oliver Stone, the leader of the mysterious group that calls itself the Camel Club, is both feared and respected by those who've crossed his path. Keeping a vigilant watch over our leaders in Washington D.C., the Camel Club has won over some allies,
but it has also earned formidable enemies-including those in power who will do
anything to prevent Stone and his friends from uncovering the hidden, secret
work of the government.
Annabelle Conroy, an honorary member of the Camel Club, is also the greatest con artist of her generation. She has swindled forty million dollars from casino king Jerry Bagger, the man who murdered her mother. Now he's hot on her trail with only one goal in mind: Annabelle's death. But as Stone and the Camel Club circle the wagons to protect Annabelle, a new opponent, who makes Bagger's menace pale by comparison, suddenly arises.
One by one, men from Stone's shadowy past are turning up dead. Behind this slaughter stands one man: Harry Finn. To almost all who know him, Finn is a doting father and loving husband who uses his skills behind the scenes to keep our nation safe. But the other face of Harry Finn is that of an unstoppable killer who inevitably sets his lethal bull's-eye on Oliver Stone. And with Finn, Stone may well have met his match.
As Annabelle and the Camel Club fight for their lives, the twists and turns whipsaw, leading to a finale that is as explosive as it is shattering. And when buried secrets
are at last violently resurrected, the members of the Camel Club left standing
will be changed forever.
With unrelenting pacing, stunning reversals, and two of the most compelling characters in modern fiction, STONE COLD is David Baldacci writing at his breathtaking best.
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