5 comments about The Camel Club.

1. This was my first baldacci book and it wont be my last. Though some parts were improbable, it was a good thriller and had me hooked until the end. If you don't mind far-fetched ideas (i don't mind at all) you will love this book. personally i gave it a 5/5 for i could not put the book down.



2. This is my first Baldacci read, and Camel Club was enjoyable enough to pick up more of his books. One of my favorite genres is the political/espionage/thriller, and this has a good balance of technical info, action, and character development. You do engage with the characters and that allows you to get past some of the wordy or improbable parts.
   
   Unfortunately this book suffers from a common fault of many writers in that Baldacci rolls out a lot of the worn out political talking points for texture rather than actually creating real back story. One character is angry because his army unit was decimated by Agent Orange; another character loved "Ronnie" Reagan but thought Jimmy Carter was the best president ever; the American invasion of Iraq turned Baghdad into a "constant fireball," etc.
   
   Just skip over the political commercials and you will enjoy this book. It's a great beach read.



3. I became a David Baldacci fan while reading The Winner. I don't remember what caused me to pick it up. I'd never read him before, and I guess I was looking for new authors. It didn't take me long to realize that this was a master story teller. I savored that book as one might savor a fine wine.
   
   The Camel Club is another edge of your seat tale that takes the twists and turns that Baldacci weaves into the story so cleverly. He does something new this time, at least from the books I've read. He reveals some of the villains early in the story; he just doesn't reveal what they are planning to do. The concept is a fun change in his story telling.



4. The overall low rating of 3 stars has motivated to do my part to bump the ranking up. The Camel Club is a compelling and enjoyable read. I finished and immediately ordered the next book in this series.



5. The Camel Club is cool. They're an odd group of conspiracy theorists, led by Oliver Stone, on a quest for the truth.
   
   Baldacci weaves quite a tale that keeps your attention and is full of twists and turns.
   
   I thought this was a great mystery thriller with a bunch of interesting characters.
   
   This is the first Camel Club novel. The second is The Collectors and the third is Stone Cold.

5 comments about Saving Faith.

1. The book weaves in and out of interesting scenes. Towards the end you get a bit bored of the necessary language that must take you through the predictable ending.
   My plane was delayed and this was the best book in the small airport bookstore and it was better than what my husband picked up. So, if you have nothing else, it is a fine read.



2. Maybe not Baldacci's best, but still good. Interesting look into Washington politics, the book starts out a little slow, but picks up quickly and soon I couldn't put it down!



3. I'm surprised that the average rating is only 3 stars. I've read every Baldacci Novel published through 2007 and Saving Faith is still my favorite. Everything - the story, characters, and settings - were all appealing and interesting to me. Last Man Standing is a close second favorite.



4. Good story, although a bit slow in places. Faith Lockhart has information that will allow the FBI to put away quite a few Congressmen. Problem is that CIA has been using her boss to gather intelligence on these same Congressmen for their own purposes.



5. I thought this was right on par with David Baldacci's other books. It kept my interest and was fast paced. I liked the characterization of Faith and made me root for her. I would recommend this to people who like political thrillers!

No comments about Split Second.

5 comments about Wish You Well.

1. My son had to have it for his high school English class. He enjoyed the story and the price!



2. Absolutely wonderful reading. I read the book in almost one sitting; didn't want to put it down. It's a huge difference from David's previous books which I also rate highly. Almost didn't buy it but certainly am glad I did. Recommend it highly.



3. You have got to read this one. It's a totally different story than I was used to, but I enjoyed the emotional ride just like the other thrillers...



4. Even though this book was published eight years ago, I decided to read it. Boy am I glad I did. This is one of the most beautifully written and heartwarming stories I've read. I just had to tell every one that if they enjoy REAL people who work hard for a living and get by using the brains God gave them then you will LOVE this book. This is about the triumph of the human spirit and decent folk helping their neighbors.
   You will not be disappointed!



5. This is a wonderful story. It had me crying and laughing.. It was a completely departure from his other books. I truly enjoyed every page.

5 comments about Split Second.

1. The start of this book grabbed me right away. Two secret service agents who failed to protect their political candidates are brought together with a chance to right their past wrongs. Good concept! This mystery-thriller was filled with twists and turns, and with each one, the book became more and more far fetched. I'm more than happy to suspend belief in a page-turning thriller, but this book went so far over the edge, the ending was truly laughable. One of my all time favorite thrillers is Baldacci's Absolute Power. Nothing else I've read of his comes close to that. This is by far the worst. If you enjoyed Absolute Power and want more Baldacci, my advice is to get the audiobook of Absolute Power. It's fun to listen to as well. Regarding Split Second, it is ironically named. The story really dragged. I think I'm done with this author.



2. Secret Service Agent Sean King looks away for a "Split Second" and his Presidential Candidate is shot and killed. Nine years later Agent Michelle Maxwell's Candidate is kidnapped when she has a momentary lack of judgement. In the Sercret Service these two agents become known for all the same bad reasons, but do these events have more in common than what appears on the surface? They join together to find out.
   
   This story has good characters, some romance, lots of action, and lots of excitment, but as the plot thickens it gets too thick. What I mean is instead of flowing along smoothly, the story slows as I tried to figure out why the events unfolded as they did. Since a number of years are involved in the story, it was real difficult to keep it all tied together.
   
   It did end as all stories do, but it let me down. It did have the potential to be much better.



3. Solid read.....not an absolute page turner....but close. More importantly if I had to put it down, it was easy to come back to.



4. PLOT: Once Sean King was one of the best agents in the Secret Service. But one day his attention was diverted for only a split second and a presidential candidate was killed right next to him. So Sean had to leave the Service. 8 years later Secret Service agent Michelle Maxwell lets a presidential candidate out of her sight and in that short moment the candidate disappears. Two completely different incidents, no common denominator, no link between the two agents. And yet their destinies are interdependent. They need each other and they need to solve the riddle. One to save her future, one to dispel the demons of his past...
   
   The premise of the book is really great and promised long time of continuous reading. Also the two main characters are really great and well developed - as a reader you just must love them. And of course there are several twists and turns in the book that will make you wonder about the link between the two incidents. I stayed up long hours to get closer to the answer. 'Who' and especially 'Why' were the main questions I asked myself again and again. But I could not solve the riddle. Maybe because new characters were introduced repeatedly and there are lots of dead ends during the agent's investigation?
   The introduction of a third ex Secret Service agent as another main character is unexpected and also a bit strange because I never got rid of the feeling that the motive and the behavior of that person did not fit in. And Sean's connection with that agent is really strange after all what happened. On the other hand the story would not work without that character.
   
   OK every book has flaws.
   For once you wonder why the perpetrator is always so well informed and at the right spot at the right time right from the start. Furthermore it seems very strange that he is able to set up Sean and Michelle so easily all the time - doing things he should not be able to. You also wonder why that person does not stop the two agents early in their investigation.
   Second, you wonder why Sean and Michelle split for each night when already somebody attempted to kill them. Shouldn't they watch each other's back a lot closer?
   Third, after a while you do not need to be a genius to figure out what distracted Sean during his duty 8 years earlier. But you wonder why nobody else saw what he saw [or why it was not captured on film etc.] and why he never mentioned it to anybody. (The explanation for it later on is kind of lame.)
   
   Nevertheless most of the flaws mentioned are minor and do not really spoil the fun of reading.
   
   Unfortunately towards the end of the book something really strange happened. Something that I have never experienced before. The first three quarters of the book I had difficulties to put it down because it was so thrilling. The closer I came to the ending though, I had a strange urge to slow down reading. It might be because both tension and pace slow down in the end. Or the fear that the ending with all its conclusions and explanations would not be satisfying. Regrettably the fear was justified.
   The ending is really disappointing and could even be called ridiculous or plain stupid.
   Somebody plans for years and creates this clever plot - all for that?! That is really lame. Nobody with a motive like that would go through all the difficulties to create such a scenario. Or you need a better and stronger motive to do so. Sorry Mr. Baldacci but I am not buying it!
   
   Looking back at the other two Baldacci books I read ("Last Man Standing" + "The Simple Truth") I have a hunch that there might be a general problem with his books: The start is brilliant, the tension is high, you cannot put the book aside but at the end you are not happy with the solution. From those 3 books "Split Second" is the weakest one because the ending is really bad and it more or less ruins the whole story. Therefore 2 stars only.



5. The book grabbed me from the start -- it had suspense, conspiracy, interesting characters, etc. Somewhere around the middle it lost speed, and by the end I was shaking my head in disgust. Sorry. The best part of the book was getting an "inside" look at how the Secret Service works. I'm not sure how much of this was made up by Mr. Baldacci, but if you're interested in getting a (fictional) account of the Service, you will enjoy Split Second.

5 comments about Simple Genius.

1. Sometimes books are great when reading, others when listening, and a few as movies. I listened to this book via my public library free audio downloads and enjoyed it very much, however I think it may have been a bit slow in some parts had I en devoured to read it.



2. This was a good book, and I enjoyed it. Michelle Maxwell & Sean King characters are in this book. It starts off with Michelle having some sort of meltdown, but that was where the most unexpected twists end. It was pretty straightforward, with many of the plot twists anticipatable.
   
   For a quick & entertaining read, this is on the list!



3. David Baldacci has brought back Michelle Maxwell and Sean King in this book. I think this is a good book but not a great book. I'm not sure where Mr. Baldacci is going with these two characters. I'm enjoying the series arc of exploring Maxwell's psyche but not sure where he's going with it. King appears to be less and less intelligent and more lucky in every book. I just wish these two would have stayed with the Secret Service. However, I did enjoy the historical aspects of this particular book. Not so sure about the mystery part though. The twists really aren't twists or they were out of left field. I like books where I can look back and say why didn't I figure that out...I totally missed that clue. This book wasn't it. It is very quick paced and I enjoyed the character of Viggie who is little girl that happens to be a genius. She was extremely interesting. I would recommend this book to readers who want the history of Camp Peary in Virgina or to readers of the series in order to see the progression of Michelle Maxwell.



4. I tried to read one of his books once but I found that to be pretty frustrating. For some reason, all of the deus ex machina and silly dialogue isn't so bothersome on a cross-country PCS trip. So that's how I consume all of my Baldacci, and Clancey, and occasionally Grisham nowadays. The library almost always has those authors books on CD.



5. I am a big fan of Mr. Baldacci. While I wouldn't call him a "great" writer in a literary sense, I have always found his books to be exciting and believable in terms of dialog and character development. Simple Genius however is so bad in these areas that I can't believe David actually wrote it himself. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that it is actually the work of a ghost writer. Given the volume of work he has released lately I get the impression that Mr. Baldacci is "cashing in."
   
   Simple Genius has an engaging story line, and some unexpected twists that could have made it one of Mr. Baldacci's better books. Cheesy dialog between shallow characters really ruined it for me though. Sorry David. You're one of my top-20 favorite authors, and I will continue buying your books (for now at least), but Simple Genius is a real stinker.

5 comments about The Simple Truth.

1. Quite a good story with interesting characters and a well-paced plot.
   
   I did have a few nits with it, though. (Mainly because I've made the same mistakes in my own writing. ^_^) The main one was the constant subject-verb, subject-verb, subject-verb sentences. Quite a few times I noticed over half the sentences in any one paragraph beginning with "he," "she," and the like. And, of course, once I saw that, I couldn't un-see it, so it bothered me for the remainder of the book. In general, the writing is good, but a little more variety in sentence structure would have been wonderful.
   
   And I felt bad for John for losing his brother before being able to become friends with him again. There's quite a gulf between me and my own brother that I doubt will ever be bridged, but seeing it from an outsider's perspective is sad.
   
   I would definitely read this author again.



2. 
   David Baldacci attended law school at the University of Virginia, and went on to work as a trial lawyer, and later as a corporate lawyer, in Washington, D.C. He is now a full-time writer whose best selling novels include Absolute Power, Total Control, The Winner and Saving Faith. He lives in Virginia with his wife and two children.
   
   First published in 1998 this is yet another winner for the author, whose books are consistently good and have well thought out plots and believable and well-rounded characters. Baldacci has established himself as one of the best suspense thriller writers around at the moment.
   
   Rufus Harms is an old hand at prison, he should be, he has been rotting there for the last 25 years for the brutal killing of a young girl. The he receives a letter smuggled into the jail by his brother. It reveals that a possible massive miscarriage of justice has occurred, something that threatens to blow the justice of the Supreme Court wide open . . .



3. Book arrived in excellent condition. I have not had the time to read it but it is next.
   
   thank you



4. My first Baldacci book and I enjoyed it. It is a fast paced and easy read. Good for the beach, airplane or bedtime. The truncated chapters and simple sentences are appropriate for the impatient attention span of the Internet generation! I hope his marriage is better than the cold, calculating interaction between the sexes, though! I will try other Baldacci "brainbusters".



5. Rufus Harms has been in a military prison for 25 years of a life sentence for killing a young girl. But he's been having flashbacks, and remembers now what really happened. So he sends an appeal to the Supreme Court.
   
   Michael Fiske, a Supreme Court clerk, finds the appeal, which doesn't follow the proper procedures and should be turned down, but something about it interests him, so he takes it with him to check it out. One of the calls he makes is to his semi-estranged brother John, who's an ex-cop turned defense lawyer.
   
   Before John returns the call, though, Michael is killed, and Sarah Evans, the Supreme Court clerk Michael had proposed to shortly before his death, contacts him, and they begin an investigation that brings them closer together and deeper in danger.
   
   I really enjoyed the conspiracy plot, but the backstory and the Supreme Court tutorial went on too long and interrupted the story too much. It was interesting, but it really wasn't part of the story.
   
   The romance plot, too, bugged me in spots. I had a very hard time understanding why Michael would propose to Sarah, when they'd only dated casually and hadn't even slept together. I also had trouble believing that Sarah fell in love with John at first glance.
   
   But overall, the complex conspiracy and John's complex character saved the story for me.

5 comments about Stone Cold (The Camel Club).

1. Fete of Death "Stone Cold" is a fast-paced conspiracy thriller starring the shadowy CIA hit man Oliver Stone, not to be confused with the eponymous conspiracy-minded movie director of "JFK." Men involved in Stone's unsavory and violent past are being picked off by a ruthless assassin.
   
   Stone, with good reason, begins to fear for his own life. It is obvious to him that someone out there, most likely a member of Washington's powerful elite who has a dark secret to hide, wants Stone and his former operatives dead. The only certain way to protect this secret is by eliminating Stone and his cronies who are in the loop.
   
   The story moves at a brisk pace and hurtles forward courtesy of plot twists and a plethora of action. I myself haven't read Baldacci's Oliver Stone prequel "The Camel Club," but I found reading it isn't necessary to enjoying or understanding "Stone Cold." I did read "Hour Game," an earlier thriller sans Oliver Stone by Baldacci, and, for my money, "Stone Cold" is an improvement, both in its pacing and story line.



2. Author Jan Dynes who wrote Refraction, suggested that I read this author and she was right, I really enjoy David Balducci. His style is very similar to my other favorite novelists. He builds the characters and involves me as a reader, in his plot. It is what I loved about Refraction. I think that they are both at the top of their field. Must reads!



3. Stone Cold surpassed the first two books in this Baldacci Series ... The Camel Club (1st) and The Collectors (2nd). The author completed the development of his lead character Oliver Stone and firmly knotted the loose threads of his former CIA career. The political espionage was pausible; the pace relentless. Baldacci carried the storyline of his apolitical characters from The Collectors giving us more twists in the sub-plot between the ruthless Casino boss and the lovely con artist. I finished the book in two readings within 24 hours and enjoyed every page. I highly recommend reading this series in the correct sequence, otherwise important details about the characters' background will detract from the appreciaton of the story.



4. This is the 3rd book in a trilogy and it's very exciting and fun to read. The Collectors and The Camel Club are the first two books in the series and I enjoyed them both very much. David Baldacci is a good writer who moves the story along very ably. He brings his characters to life and makes you care about them.



5. This is by far the best of the Camel Club series. It's a fun, fast paced action thriller. I love the building up of the different story until the final climax. I would highly recommended this book and hope Mr. Baldacci churns out more of Mr. Oliver Stone.

5 comments about The Winner.

1. I read The Camel Club at the end of last year, and I thought that this book was a little slower (especially in the middle). Also, I'm not sure why Baldacci always has a character whose super-strong (as evidenced by his/her handshake), but it was a little distracting when he kept describing LuAnn's strength in this book. Overall, though, this book's movie-like plot made it a good read.



2. Wow, what a thrill ride this book was! I couln't put it down! It is so well written, and fun to read from the very first chapter. Baldacci is an amazing story teller!!!



3. I think a lot of the one and two star review for this book are a bit silly. If anyone read this book thinking they were going to be reading anything at all realistic, they were thinking silly thoughts to begin with. When you know the premise is that someone fixes the lottery of $100 million and a few other select details, one should quickly come to realize this is mass market fiction, not literature. This is a very good book for what it is: mass market fiction. I found it to be a great page-turner even though nothing about it was believable. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these reviewers would knock science fiction books for being unrealistic. People like me love these books because they're fun to read and I don't have to think at all to enjoy them.



4. If your wondering which of the many excellent Baldacci books to read first. The winner is his best.
   
   1)The Winner
   2)Absolute Power
   3)Camel Club trilogy
   4)Total Control
   5)Last man standing
   6)Simple Truth
   7)Saving Faith
   
   Read em in that order.



5. It's one of those books you get hooked on right away. My sister won't read anything unless it reaches out and holds her captive right from the beginning. This did.

5 comments about The Whole Truth.

1. Likely one of the worst fiction books ever written. Premise, characters, sub plots simply contrived and unbelievable. I have read all of his previous works and this one is simply horrible. If it wasn't for the fact that I was on a trans-Atlantic flight with few options this book would have never been read. Much like Tom Clancy, Baldacci seems to be ridding on the crest of previous success and puts little or no work into this book.



2. The book had a good start with double plots and things being unclear where the story would run to. Very psychological. At the end action without any rest or reflection. I could recommend it for the first 3/4 of the book.



3. This book gets several five stars ratings though I have to only give it four stars in the international aspect. I never really felt like I was Dublin or London or on the Mediterranean. It gets ten stars for timing, and five stars for importance and entertainment.
   It is usually hard to be highly entertaining and important at the same time. Clive Cussler is the master of entertainment but he hardly tries to educate or sound alarms. "House of War" and "The Creature from Jekyll Island" are extremely important but hardly entertaining.
   This book is easily worth several hundred dollars but I can't hardly do it justice right now because the Bushbarians and the perception managers drove me to drink.
   While the author laments on the fact that bloggers often don't double check facts, he overlooks the fact that the Pentagon did the same thing until Reagan gave them the desired budget. The USSR had four ICBMs during the 50's 'missile gap'. There was a missile gap alright. Kennedy went on the air encouraging Americans to dig a nuclear bomb shelter in their back yards. Administrations running with unconfirmed information is hardly new.



4. David Baldacci's fast plots and intriguing story lines have made him a favorite author of my friends. I've enjoyed his novels - but this one stepped outside the usual "good, quick read" and captured the same sense of innovation and excitement I experienced when reading his first novel, Aboslute Power. The Whole Truth is very relevant to our instant information age, with spin doctors manipulating perception and blogs carrying news to us faster than old fashioned print media. A very topical and frightening thriller.



5. I always enjoy reading Baldacci as I find it very hard to put the book down. I say to myself, I will close with the next chapter and then go to bed, but I find myself keeping right on reading until the wee hours of the morning.