Stone Cold

Starred review from August 27, 2007
The modern-day paladins of the Camel Club are back in their third exciting adventure (after 2006's The Collectors
). Justice-seekers Milton, Caleb, Reuben and honorary member Alex Ford, a Secret Service agent, are led by feisty Oliver Stone, aka former CIA assassin John Carr. Their associate, Annabelle Conroy, is a slick con artist on the run after stealing $40 million from lunatic casino owner Jerry Bagger, who killed her mother. Oliver's CIA past distracts him from Annabelle's cause: his old unit, Triple 6, was responsible for the death of Raymond Solomon, branded a traitor during the Cold War, and now Solomon's son, DHS security expert Harry Finn, is picking off Triple 6 members. Oliver could be next if Carter Gray, his former boss, reveals that John Carr isn't really dead. Gripping, chilling and full of surprises, Baldacci's latest reveals the anarchy that lurks under the slick facade of corrupted governments.

STONE COLD is the third in Baldacci's well-received Camel Club series. Sadly, it's also the third change in narrator. This can prove distracting when listening to all three, which is a necessity, at least with the second and third books in the series. This installment literally starts in the middle of a story arc that began in THE COLLECTORS with Oliver Stone and his expanding crew trying to reconcile his history and that of their new compatriot, Annabelle Conroy. With numerous characters cluttering the story landscape, Ron McLarty makes a game attempt to keep up. But he sometimes struggles with too many vocal variations. Still, McLarty has an engaging voice that is fun to hear. E.D.H. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

March 1, 2008
Oliver Stone and the members of his justice-seeking Camel Club once again try to expose government corruption. Someone is murdering Oliver's former colleagues in Triple 6, the U.S. government's covert assassination team, and Oliver is next on the killer's list. Harry Finn, the murderer, a seemingly ordinary family man, is the son of an American spy who was "eliminated" by John Carr, a.k.a. Oliver Stone. Harry is obsessed with avenging his father's death; he and his mother, a former Russian spy, confront John with the murder he committed many years ago. Baldacci adds to the suspense by including a subplot involving Annabelle Conroy, an accomplished con artist who has swindled violent casino magnate Jerry Bagger out of $40 million because Jerry murdered her mother. Jerry wants revenge. The plots and characters are intertwined, and the book has a surprise ending. Ron McLarty does an excellent job of capturing the personalities and accents of the various characters. Recommended for the mystery/thriller collection of public libraries, especially those whose patrons are Baldacci fans. [Hachette Audio also has a version of Stone Cold: 9 CDs. unabridged. 10½ hrs. 2007. ISBN Ilka Gordon, Park Synagogue Lib., Pepper Pike, OH

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.