Full of action and the person who did it you would never imagine. ( )

I found this thriller very entertaining. I had got rather out of the habit of reading books like this, and had forgotten how enjoyable a well-written thriller can be.

Set a few years after the 9/11 attacks, it recounts a plot against the American President hatched by a group featuring radicalised Islamists, and the various countermeasures undertaken by the various (indeed, numerous) intelligence and security agencies. The Camel Club of the title is a group of disaffected citizens living in and around Washington DC who have been reviewing the proliferation of power accumulated by the security agencies in the wake of 9/11, along with all sorts of conspiracy theories abounding within the fringes of life in the capital.

The principal member of the Camel Club now goes by the name of Oliver Stone, in a nod to the film director’s works challenging aspects of the establishment version of history. We gradually learn that he has a dark history in which under his real name he had been an accomplished servant of the agencies on which he now attempts to keep tabs.

The narrative continually moves perspective, at different times following Stone, initiates of the terrorist group, or member sof the various security organisations. This was managed deftly, and enhanced, rather than hampered, the flow of the story. ( )

(2005)A very good political thriller about a group of nerds/down & outs who in their own way bring talents to digging out the facts behind conspiracies. Led by ?Oliver Stone?. (PW) If anyone can make terrorism entertaining and ironically exciting, it's thriller vet Baldacci. Led by a likable chap who calls himself "Oliver Stone" because he and the film director share a supersized fascination with conspiracies, the Camel Club is basically an excuse for its members to feel involved and important. But when they accidentally witness a real high-level conspiracy in action, the four are suddenly at the center of a world class disaster which could lead to an American nuclear attack on Damascus. Baldacci works hard to balance all his many characters and their connecting stories.

Loved it! ( )

Bummer that this audio was abridged - I wasn't paying attention when I grabbed it. I think I would have enjoyed actually reading the book even more, but this was enough to get me interested in finishing the series. I'll go for text on paper next time (which probably means it will be years before I do it.)

Mostly feeling neutral about the characters at this point, but I'm willing to continue since the whole "camel club" set up sounds like a promising conceit for books of intrigue over the long haul. ( )