Four men formed The Camel Club, a group devoted to rooting out conspiracies and solving puzzles. This first in the series introduces the main members . It is very well-written and fast-paced- a joy for suspense readers! ( )

I was rather impressed with the Camel Club. It was a fast-paced thriller, The main characters are part of The Camel Club, and all 4 members appear to be at first glance, weird conspiracy nuts. As we get to know them we see there is a lot more than meets the eye. We start off following the Camel Club to a secret meeting on Roosevelt Island, where much to their dismay, they witness a murder, that was to be disguised as a suicide. Worse the murderers discover they had been observed and try to eliminate the problem. This is where things really start to pick up for the Camel Club, as in becoming dangerous. Oliver, Caleb, Milton and Reuben decide to try and find the killers before the killers find them.

Along the way we meet Alex Ford, a secret service agent assigned to look into the death to keep his agency in the loop, since the man found dead was an NIC/Secret Service employee. While we watch the progress of our heroes we also get to watch the 'bad guys' putting their terrorist plot together and we get hints and clues of what is up, but never a clear picture of what they are trying to accomplish until they pull it off.

I really enjoyed this book, it was not just a shoot-em-up but allowed the reader to try and figure out what was going on and pick up clues along the way. I certainly plan on reading more in the series. One of the better books I've read in a while for a conspiracy book. The end even had some great ideas more people need to think about as far as international relations go. ( )

Loved it! ( )

Remes in English? ( )

The first book I read by Baldacci was The Christmas Train a couple years ago. Intrigued by his style I picked up The Collectors at a discount store (3.00 for a hardback!) It introduced me to Oliver Stone and his group, and that led me to this book.
Knowing more know of how Olivers group of friends came together, the group makes much more sense, and a lot more background is in this book than the other. Mostly why Stone is so concentrated on making sure what goes on at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue stays on the up and up.
The Camel Club goes to meet one night on a small island on the Potomac, just outside DC, and witnesses a murder, made to look like a suicide. They are seen briefly, and end up one of the next targets by the men who commited the murder they witnessed. In the meantime, little do they know, an attack on the President is being planned, from inside one of the USA's own intelligence agencies. with the help of a very dedicated secret service agent, and other friends, the Camel Club soon has to save the USA, and the world, from self destruction.
A wonderfully paced book, Baldacci takes you around DC and its suburbs, Western Pennsylvania, and the Middle East turmoil, and multiple groups try to bring about thier own political agendas with no one to stop them, except for The Camel Club. ( )

A bit anti-establishment for me, but entertaining, none-the-less. Baldacci's political views shine through loud and clear. ( )

Oliver Stone - Camel Club 1 ( )

An excellent conspiracy theory thriller. Baldacci takes a non too subtle sideswipe at US foreign policy in this story that builds it's numerous plot threads to a roaring climax. A good read featuring Secret Service agents, the CIA, Muslim terrorists and a mystery who spends his time in a tent out the front of the White House. This is apparently the first in a series of novels featuring the same characters and I look forward to reading these also. ( )

I am a big fan of thrillers and I have been hooked on David Baldacci’s writing ever since I first picked up Absolute Power. In his novel The Camel Club, Baldacci introduces a host of interesting characters from various walks of life who come together in a powerful investigative group. Baldacci did a great job of bringing the characters to life, especially Secret Service agent Alex Ford and conspiracy hunter “Oliver Stone.” The pacing was perfect through the first half of the book and I was truly engaged in the story. Unfortunately, it was at that point that the story snowballed out of control. Global political thrillers will often times take you right to the edge of believability, forcing you to consider that, yes, this really could happen under just the right circumstances. Baldacci, however, took about two steps over that line and I just couldn’t follow him in. Without spoiling the ending, the plot becomes unbelievable Baldacci really doesn’t provide enough to support what happens leaving the reader to buy-in on their own, which is a gamble that didn’t pay off. The story becomes comic-bookish in the end and looses the tension that built up well early in the book.

This book is the beginning of a series by Baldacci with these characters. Given that I really loved the characters, I am hoping that subsequent books have a more believable storyline for them to romp around in. ( )

Good stuff.

I have read other Baldacci books and enjoyed his seminar at the South Carolina Book Festival a few years ago. This one was different and it took me a little time to get into it. I wasn't sure I really liked the main character Oliver Stone but I did like the Secret Service agent Alex so I kept reading. It is based on conspiracy theories and at times it seems far-fetched but I was intrigued and soon couldn't put it down. As the book ends you understand and like Stone and Baldacci sets it up for new stories for The Camel Club which I plan on reading. ( )

Little hard to get into at first with all the unusual names, but quickly becomes intriguing. Great read. ( )

It exists at the fringes of Washington, DC, has no power, and consists solely of four eccentric downtrodden members whom society has forgotten. Their simple goal is to find the "truth" behind their country's actions. One man leads this aging, ragtag crew. He has no known past and has taken the name "Oliver Stone". Day and night, Stone and his friends study wild conspiracy theories, current events, and the machinations of government, hoping to discover some truth that will hold America's leaders accountable to its citizens. Yet never in Stone's wildest nightmares cold he imagine the conspiracy the Camel Club is about to uncover. ( )

Good read. There was enough mystery to keep my interest.

enjoyable

The Camel Club is the first of a series of books relating to a group of people calling themselves The Camel Club. During this story, Oliver Stone and the other members witness a murder and begin searching for the murderers and the reasons behind it. They learn that there are some high ranking political figures involved in the conspiracy. While trying to save lives of others, they are forced to protect their own lives as well.

I actually listened to Divine Justice (book 4 in the series) a week ago. It was the first of Baldacci's books for me. It was then that I decided that I'd like to back up and enjoy this whole series. I received the Camel Club Boxed Set from Anna Balasi of Hachette Book Group and couldn't wait to get started. This book didn't disappoint. I liked having a little bit of an idea about the characters. Oliver Stone, aka John Carr, is the main character and one of the members of the Camel Club. He is an ex-government agent and one of the nations most notorious killers. I have enjoyed learning about the government agencies that run our nation, and find myself wondering how much of this is fiction and how much might be true. The conspiracy isn't all that far fetched. Overall, great book and cannot wait to start book 2--The Collectors. ( )

Just a comment: This was a page turner but too convoluted at the end for me. ( )

Good book, slow at frist. interesting after the first third, story pick up. ( )

This is my 2nd David Baldacci book. A very entertaining read.

The action takes a little bit to come but the intrigue is well written and though out. The topic is spot on with the current events in the post 9/11 area. ( )

This was a good book, although it took me a little while to get into it. Once I did, I was hooked and couldn't put it down.

Some books with the same characters are unabashed sequels in a series – like Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle or John Twelve Hawks’ Fourth Realm Trilogy. Others can be pretty stand-alone, like Lee Childs’ Jack Reacher stories. But others, like Rowling’s Harry Potter books, depend on the characters and backgrounds evolving across the volumes. The Oliver Stone books fall into thins last category. I like any of these approaches, but I do not like picking up a book when I never knew, or have forgotten the back story.

I like Baldacci’s stories and characters well enough that I do not object to his continuing the story line. But that’s largely because I have read them from the beginning. And as I’ve just confirmed with The Camel Club, I still like them on the re-read.

My complete review is on my Blog, Nate's Library, specifically at: http://nates-library.blogspot.com/200... ( )

Competent thriller with what appears to be a bit of inside Washington DC knowledge about the Presidency and the Secret Service.
Dialogue was a bit clunky. It kept my interest enough for me to keep reading it, but I wouldn't call it a page turner. I may read his other 'Camel Club' novels at some point.

The first of three Baldacci novels featuring the Camel Club. Followed by 'The Collectors' and 'Stone Cold.' ( )

The Camel club stumbles onto a plot to kidnap the president and to hold him until our government recognizes the rights of the people of the middle east. Other greedy cuprites are involved and the plot thickens. His points are subtle and logical. ( )

This is the first of David Baldacci's books to feature Oliver Stone and the Camel Club of conspiracy theorists. They are an interesting group of characters, and the plot is really good. Some have criticised it as a bit far-fetched, but if that's the case, most thriller novels are far fetched. A cracking good page turner, maybe not his best, but certainly one of the best. ( )

Love all David Baldacci's books - especially the ones that have Oliver Stone as the main character. ( )