This is the second installment of the Camel Club series of stories by bestselling author David Baldacci. The first - The Camel Club - was previously reviewed. This installment picks up shortly after the conclusion of the first. As with the first, this story really revolves around the core group of four characters that make up the Camel Club, and Baldacci has once again done a wonderful job of drawing the reader into the lives of idiosyncrasies of each of the characters. However, unlike the first book, I don't have a complaint about the story becoming outlandish or unbelievable. Quite the contrary, the story is very timely and a bit frightening in how easy it is for a small number of individuals with the right contacts can put a lot of people's lives in jeopardy. I think it also rings quite authentic when the driving force for it inevitably about money.

The story has a few good plot twist along the way. Of course - as a book collector - I was fascinated by the intricacies of the Rare Book Room of the Library of Congress and the detailed research of the book trade as a whole. While I would not put this book on a par with Baldacci's masterpiece, Absolute Power, I think it is an improvement upon the Camel Club storyline and continues to develop the characters in an interesting way. It is a fast-paced read with very little unnecessary fluff to slow you down. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good thriller and especially for anyone who has enjoyed previous books by David Baldacci.

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At what point do bad characterisation and dialogue outweigh the attraction of a fast-moving crime plot? I guess everyone has their own tolerance limit; this definitely fell below mine. I enjoy crime fiction and wildly silly plots, but here Baldacci's characters were just too paper-thin and the dialogues so obviously 'crafted' that even the fast pace couldn't make up for it. There also seems to be a bit of an imbalance: the whole plot is unravelled in the last few chapters in unnaturally long and explanatory confessions from the characters.

My first Baldaccio book, and probably my last unless he's the only author on the airport bookstand. ( )

A murder at the Library of Congress marks the beginning of the Camel Club's focus on rogue CIA agent Roger Seagraves, who is selling classified political information to the highest bidder. Caleb Shaw, an ex-CIA assassin, and the other members of the Club must stop Seagraves before his deals demolish the foundation of national security for good. ( )

Not bad. I'd not read a Camel Club book before, but I liked it OK. ( )

The four members of the Camel Club are back in the second book of the series. The Collectors focuses on a conspiracy behind the death of a rare book collector. One of the club's members, Caleb, is appointed to value and distribute the books in the deceased man's collection. This endangers Caleb as well as the others who are helping him in the process. Annabelle Conroy, a con, is introduced in this story. She is the ex-wife of the deceased and two plots gradually come together.

I like that there is more information in this story about the pasts of the characters. I got more of that information from this book than I did the first in the series. However, this is my least favorite of the series so far. And I have high hopes for book three, Stone Cold. I did listen to the abridged version, so I'm thinking of going back and listening to the unabridged to see if I would have a better opinion of the story, and to see if I would get even more information about the characters. Overall, I'm addicted to this series much like a drug addict. I cannot stop listening!! ( )