Book Review of the Collectors by David Baldacci

The Camel Club was a group of four middle aged crime stoppers headed by ex-CIA killer Oliver Stone. David Baldacci has produced quite a group here. Milton Farb was a computer expert with a photographic memory and Caleb was a literary scholar who worked at the Library of Congress. Reubin Rhodes was a blue collar laborer with a West Point background. With an occasional assist from secret service agent Alex Ford, they were capable of solving any mystery.

In opening scenes, Caleb’s boss is found dead. First the Speaker of the House is assassinated and then the head of the rare books division at the Library of Congress is found dead. Caleb’s boss is found in a book vault. Initially, it was thought to be a possible heart attack. Caleb and the Camel Club hope to find out what happened.

Meanwhile, Annabelle Conroy is attempting to pull off the con of a century in New Jersey. Annabelle is building a team of long con players. She has constructed a super scam to target Jerry Bagger at his casino there. First they would do a couple of short cons elsewhere to produce the money needed to get in on the ultimate long con. The great planner was at work. She will probably succeed as she has before. It was all a plan to get her revenge. Bagger had murdered or had someone else kill her mother. She knew he was responsible. Bagger was a mean guy and she was going to punish him.

When she hears about her former husband, her plans are on hold. He is dead and she goes to his funeral in Washington. She had been married once to Caleb Shaw’s boss. She knew her former spouse had been a collector of rare books. She cared about him and didn’t expect to share in any inheritance. She was shocked at his sudden death and thought it odd that he died so suddenly since he was in good physical shape.

At the funeral, she met Caleb and the club members for the first time. The members didn’t exactly trust her but they become amazed by her skills and the tricks she knew. She was talented and she was able to help them with their search for clues to his untimely death. She’s now genuinely interested in how the outcome unfolds.

Once they have suspected poisoning by a gas leak, they wonder why only inside the enclosed area. The more they check the circumstances, the more suspicious they become. They soon discover that they’re being followed by agents from some arm of the federal service. Things are starting to get hairy. It may be dangerous.

The assassination of the U.S. Speaker of the House has caused quite a stir. The Camel Club has found a connection with their mystery death. Then Oliver discovers that someone may be selling government secrets. It is soon attributed to a man by the name Seagraves. He had been selling to terrorists in the Mideast. Soon it was discovered that certain rare books had code written in them.
Seagraves gets wind of their investigation and takes action. He grabs Oliver and tries to torture him. Roger Seagraves is no match for the older Oliver. He kills Seagraves with the throw of a knife. With the help of friend and secret service agent Alex Ford, the killer’s assistants are brought to justice. They were also collectors of documents and secrets to be sold for money. Getting Souvenirs from victims is yet another kind of collection.

Book Review of the Collectors by David Baldacci