Fiction Addict

Genre: Political Thriller, Suspense

Publisher: Grand Central

Publication Date: November 2010

Reviewed by Josh Olds

David Baldacci is a perennial New York Times bestselling author. The Camel Club is the series most beloved by his fans. Now after taking a year away from Camel Club stories, Baldacci has heard his fans clamoring for the return of Oliver Stone and penned a story that puts Stone the Club to their greatest test yet – dealing with Hell’s Corner.

It all begins on a peaceful night that’s way too peaceful. Stone is strolling through Lafayette Park, across from the White House. Something just seems wrong. Gunfire rattles and is quickly followed by an exploding bomb. And then chaos descends. Ostensibly, the attack was meant to take out both the American President and the British PM, and although it failed, everyone wants in on the action of finding out who was behind it.

Oliver Stone gets back in action officially and teams up with MI-6 agent Mary Chapman to get to the bottom of it all. But in this high-stakes game of chess, their opponents are always five steps ahead. Misdirection follows misdirection and people are dying in the wake. Oliver Stone and the Camel Club find themselves in the middle of their most dangerous and difficult journey yet.

In typical fashion, David Baldacci has weaved intense action scenes with great plotting to create a story that keeps you turning pages. In many novels, an abundance of unexpected twists and turns can leave the reader mentally struggling to catch up; but if the reader expects the twist then the suspense fades. Baldacci manages to make the twists completely unexpected but completely plausible. More than once I found myself going, “What the…how the…OF COURSE!”

Hell’s Corner is a rush from beginning to end. Well-written and with a plot that never lets up, it takes you through the red tape involved when the FBI, metro police, NIC, Secret Service, and a host of other agencies are all on the scene. With all the people involved, nothing is as it seems and Stone can trust no one except those he knows to be his friends. And it all comes down to a last-second harrowing conclusion.

Hell’s Corner is sure to enthrall devoted Camel Club fans and new readers alike. There are enough references to the past to sufficiently tie things in, but Baldacci does it well so that new readers won’t feel left out of the loop. Fans have long said that the Camel Club represents Baldacci’s best and – at least until next book – Hell’s Corner proves that.

Review copy provided by publisher.