These small but memorable-indeed, almost cinematic-details give his books another layer that distinguishes them from the average potboiler.Īlthough the author has occasionally departed from his usual fare (examples include the tenderhearted coming-of-age tale Wish You Well and the holiday-themed adventure The Christmas Train), it is high-octane thrillers that are his true stock in trade. Absolute Power-in which a thief finds himself accidentally connected to a murder involving the president and the ensuing coverup-was hardly Irvingesque but it did begin Baldacci's friendly relationship with the bestseller lists, which has continued over his writing career.īaldacci's style is brief and plot-driven, but he's not afraid to linger on macabre and vivid details, such as a rosary clenched in a plane crash victim's hand, or hard-learned lessons from a sniper's life (pack your food so you can find it at night, by touch). Semi-innocents, at least: small players who often don't realize they're players at all end up hunting down answers, and their hunt becomes the reader's.Īccording to Baldacci, reading John Irving's The World According to Garp convinced him that he wanted to be a novelist. While his stories hinge on the complex machinations behind the presidency, the FBI, the Supreme Court and other spheres of influence, Baldacci (a former Washington, D.C.-based attorney) finds his way into a mystery through the eyes of the innocents.

Education-B.A., Virginia Commonwealth University J.D.,ĭavid Baldacci's authoritative legal thrillers operate on the irresistible notion that a sinister undercurrent threads through the country's most powerful institutions.

The allure of the story resides in how they do it. Fortunately, the informal Camel Club of crime sleuths reconvenes to stop these dangerous shenanigans. Meanwhile, Seagraves has set his sights on high-echelon federal officials. One thread follows Annabelle, a who is skillfully planning the casino heist of the century.

The two plots intertwine in this Camel Club thriller. As the killings on both fronts mount, the Camel Club fights the most deadly foes they've ever faced.

On a local level, Annabelle Conroy, the most gifted con artist of her generation, is becoming a bit of a Robin Hood as she plots a monumental scam against one of the most ruthless businessmen on earth. Oliver Stone and his Camel Club are in a race to stop a man who is determined to auction off America to the highest bidder: Roger Seagraves is selling America to her enemies, one devastating secret at a time.

The collectors by david baldacci