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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
The #1 bestselling author of The Collectors and Simple Genius returns with STONE COLD...an unforgetable novel of revenge, conspiracy, and murder that brings a band of unlikely heroes face-to-face with their greatest threat.

Oliver Stone, the leader of the mysterious group that calls itself the Camel Club, is both feared and respected by those who've crossed his path. Keeping a vigilant watch over our leaders in Washington D.C., the Camel Club has won over some allies,
but it has also earned formidable enemies-including those in power who will do
anything to prevent Stone and his friends from uncovering the hidden, secret
work of the government.

Annabelle Conroy, an honorary member of the Camel Club, is also the greatest con artist of her generation. She has swindled forty million dollars from casino king Jerry Bagger, the man who murdered her mother. Now he's hot on her trail with only one goal in mind: Annabelle's death. But as Stone and the Camel Club circle the wagons to protect Annabelle, a new opponent, who makes Bagger's menace pale by comparison, suddenly arises.

One by one, men from Stone's shadowy past are turning up dead. Behind this slaughter stands one man: Harry Finn. To almost all who know him, Finn is a doting father and loving husband who uses his skills behind the scenes to keep our nation safe. But the other face of Harry Finn is that of an unstoppable killer who inevitably sets his lethal bull's-eye on Oliver Stone. And with Finn, Stone may well have met his match.

As Annabelle and the Camel Club fight for their lives, the twists and turns whipsaw, leading to a finale that is as explosive as it is shattering. And when buried secrets
are at last violently resurrected, the members of the Camel Club left standing
will be changed forever.

With unrelenting pacing, stunning reversals, and two of the most compelling characters in modern fiction, STONE COLD is David Baldacci writing at his breathtaking best.

Customer Reviews: Read 139 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Great Baldacci January 8, 2009
The book was David Baldacci at his best. I am a big fan of "The Camel Club" and this book was no exception. The plot was fast paced...you never knew what was going to be around the next corner. Mr. Baldacci already has his next "Camel Club" teaser at the end of the book, and I am waiting anxiously for it to come out.

5 out of 5 stars

Revenge City January 3, 2009
Author David Baldacci's Camel Club, a key element in the book, excludes dromedaries and his Oliver Stone, a central character, only directs himself to the kitchen. Nevertheless, this book is a very fast read. The story centers on a plot to avenge the murder of a high CIA operative. The avenger is the dead man's son, Harry Finn, the kind of guy who can take out a platoon of hostile gunmen by using his strength and cunning.

Another vengeful (and tough) character is Annabelle Conroy, whose mother was murdered by a vicious casino owner. So, the tale is largely about revenge. How Finn's and Conroy's lust for payback come together is an integral part of the book.

Finn's "day job" is working for the Department of Homeland Security to determine how tough security really is around potential terrorist targets. He repeatedly finds that this security is very flimsy and easily penetrated by someone as clever and resourceful as he. Although this is a work of fantasy, it suggests a real need for increased vigilance.

The book suffers from a couple of bizarre coincidences as the conclusion approaches. One expects this sort of thing in a thrilling spy games yarn, but Baldacci drops some real whoppers here. Not to worry, though. It's still an exciting conclusion.

I can see movie written all over this novel. If it is produced, it will be a challenge for Hollywood to top the book.

4 out of 5 stars

Camel Club, volume three December 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

A couple books ago in The Collectors, David Baldacci did what I consider a cardinal sin in a thriller novel: he left a major storyline unresolved. While multi-book stories may be fine for science fiction or fantasy (and even that's debatable), they aren't appropriate for thrillers, which by definition, are novels of suspense. The payoff for the suspense should be in the same book.

In Stone Cold, the follow-up novel to The Collectors, it looks like Baldacci is about to repeat that sin. As in The Collectors, Stone Cold has two almost separate plots running parallel to each other. Happily, this time, Baldacci resolves both of the plots.

Stone Cold is actually the third novel featuring the Camel Club, a group of four loners who have a knack for uncovering grand conspiracies. The leader of the club is Oliver Stone, the long-held alias of ex-government assassin John Carr. Stone may have faked Carr's death, but the ghosts of the past are coming back to haunt him anyways.

One plot focuses on Harry Finn, a nice family guy who happens to also be a killer. He is murdering individuals linked to the death of his father, a group that included not only Carr, but retired intelligence chief Carter Gray. Finn's father was killed as a government-sanctioned hit, supposedly because he was a traitor; Finn doesn't buy it and is out for revenge. Though Carr/Stone is not on the hit list because he's presumed dead, Gray (who knows what's really going on) intends on changing that, endangering Stone and his friends.

Meanwhile, in the second story (unresolved in The Collectors), the Camel Club is assisting Annabelle Conroy, the beautiful con artist who is on the run from nasty casino owner Jerry Bagger. She had conned Bagger out of a heap of money, principally out of revenge for Bagger's murder of her mother. As Bagger closes in, the Camel Club tries to assist, with the aid of their honorary Club member, Secret Service agent Alex Ford.

With a good deal of twists and rapid-pace suspense, Baldacci atones for his past crime. Nonetheless, I would not recommend reading this book until you've read its predecessors, The Camel Club and The Collectors. Once you have, this book should be a fine addition to the series.

5 out of 5 stars

The best of the Camel Club. December 19, 2008
This is the best book of the Camel Club series in my opinion. It is well written with a good story line that moves along. I was a little skeptical going into it because it just seemed to be a rehash of the previous novel. It turned out very good though. I look forward to more from the Camel Club.

5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Read- December 5, 2008
I thought Stone Cold was a great read. The 3rd in the Camel Club series, the book kept me turning pages to see the next action and adventure. Baldacci gives you characters that you love and characters that you despise. Some action may be what some folks have referred to as unbelievable, but that is why I read fiction. I love a book that is fast paced, suspenseful, and intriguing. This book did not disappoint. I have read all of Baldacci's books and l love his writing style. I highly recommend this book. (Read the first two of the series first.)