Review: Will Robie meets the Camel Club
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 31, 2014
David Baldacci has written a clever and frequently laugh-out-loud novella featuring hit-man Will Robie, and Oliver Stone and his famous Camel Club. Many best selling authors write mediocre short stories to promote their next book. This is not the case with this well written complete novella featuring a classic meeting of my favourite Baldacci characters, Will Robie and Oliver Stone with his band of unlikely heroes, the Camel Club.Stone is still working as a low paid cemetery manager and is on his way to personally bank his paycheck (he distrusts the internet). As he waits in line he suspiciously notices Robie in the bank but before he can check if he is being stalked several masked people enter the bank, having slit the throat of the security guard. Stone and Robie are cable-tied and locked in a storeroom with other hostages while the intruders go after what they really want.Stone and Robie quickly recognise each other as "professionals" and work together to get out of their dilemma. Stone finds an easy way to cut the electricity and in the darkness finds his phone and calls in the cavalry - the Camel Club, led this time by first class con artist Annabelle Conroy superbly backed up by fellow members, Reuben Rodes, Caleb Shaw and Harry Finn. Secret Service Agent Alex Ford can't be contacted because he is on duty but gets in the act in the end. The result is a classic Camel Club operation backed up by hit-man Robie.Good novellas are not easy to write. I enjoyed this one because it brought together my favourite Baldacci characters in a tight and sometimes amusing short thriller. The book includes a promo/teaser for Baldacci's next book,The Targetwhere Will Robie and Jessica Reel are assigned to work together on possibly their most dangerous mission. I have no problem with this because the promo only takes up 18 per cent of the book space. I am looking forward to reading that book when it is published just after Easter.