Stone Cold [Hardcover]

David Baldacci (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 6, 2007

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The modern-day paladins of the Camel Club are back in their third exciting adventure (after 2006's The Collectors). Justice-seekers Milton, Caleb, Reuben and honorary member Alex Ford, a Secret Service agent, are led by feisty Oliver Stone, aka former CIA assassin John Carr. Their associate, Annabelle Conroy, is a slick con artist on the run after stealing $40 million from lunatic casino owner Jerry Bagger, who killed her mother. Oliver's CIA past distracts him from Annabelle's cause: his old unit, Triple 6, was responsible for the death of Raymond Solomon, branded a traitor during the Cold War, and now Solomon's son, DHS security expert Harry Finn, is picking off Triple 6 members. Oliver could be next if Carter Gray, his former boss, reveals that John Carr isn't really dead. Gripping, chilling and full of surprises, Baldacci's latest reveals the anarchy that lurks under the slick facade of corrupted governments. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Baldacci may not be a literary stylist, but he really knows how to spin a yarn, and with McLarty he gets a narrator who adds emotional depth to his characters without slowing down the breathless pace of his prose. McLarty uses his distinctive, almost avuncular delivery to excellent purpose in this action-packed thriller that finds the Camel Club members attacked by three tough customers seeking revenge... Aged baritones ofer no great challenge to McLarty's talent, yet his subtle shifts are admirable, from the toughtful, slightly rough-edged Stone to the rougher-edged Bagger to Gray's sneeringly perfect locution. But his art becomes more apparent as he effectively captures the voices of Annabelle, Finn and a gallery of other characters, including a bitter elderly Russan woman and a world-weary Irish-American man, providing them all a dimension not always on the page.

The author brings back Oliver Stone, with his old friends and older enemies. Baldacci's adept character development coupled with deft narration from Ron McLarty makes for an enjoyable listening experience. Once again, Baldacci creates unique parallel stories that evolve and eventually intertwine. The expert McLarty gives clear and recognizable voices to all the characters. In particular, his consistent accents for the old Russian woman and for the acerbic Irish man capture the story's emotions and help bring home the plot. A whiny rare books expert and a bitter gangster round out the colorful cast. Hidden secrets, political espionage, and personal trust all clash in this fast-paced story. M.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]

Baldacci weaves the strands of his plot flawlessly, with an attention to detail and character that set this book above the normal run of Washington thriller. McLarty, the actor-author who grew up in East Providence, assists with a fine set of accents (his Irish brogue for Annabelle's father, Paddy, is particularly good) that let listeners easily distinguish among the many characters. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1st edition (November 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446577391
• ISBN-13: 978-0446577397
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (199 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Baldacci was born in Virginia, in 1960, where he currently resides. He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. Mr. Baldacci practiced law for nine years in Washington, D.C., as both a trial and corporate attorney.
David Baldacci has published seventeen novels: Absolute Power, Total Control, The Winner, The Simple Truth, Saving Faith, Wish You Well, Last Man Standing, The Christmas Train, Split Second, Hour Game, The Camel Club, The Collectors, Simple Genius, Stone Cold, and The Whole Truth; and in his young adult series, Freddy and the French Fries: Fries Alive! and Freddy and the French Fries: The Adventures of Silas Finklebean. He has also published a novella for the Dutch entitled Office Hours, written for Holland's Year 2000 "Month of the Thriller." Baldacci authored a short story, "The Mighty Johns," as part of a mystery anthology published in 2002.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

265 of 297 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced. Great story., October 26, 2007

By 

Monty Rainey (New Braunfels, TX) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stone Cold (Hardcover)

Even though I do a lot of reading, fiction isn't really my thing. In fact, I usually only read a few works of fiction each year. So, when my daughter brought home an advance reading copy of STONE COLD by David Baldacci from the bookstore where she works, I didn't get too excited about it. She told me she had read one of his books before and thought it would be something I might like. The book sat idle on the desk in my library for a couple of weeks. Then one morning, before going to the office, I had a few extra minutes and decided to take a look at it.

If I lacked excitement about the book before, that lack of excitement was multiplied after reading the excruciating first sentence. It was a painful fifty-two words long and contained six commas. I looked at my watch then glanced again at the cover. "Okay Mr. Baldacci, you've got exactly twelve minutes to grab my attention."

Well, guess what. Mr. Baldacci did indeed grab my attention. The first sentence turned out a poor example of Baldacci's writing style. Over the next day and half, every spare minute was spent flipping the pages of this book. Even though this is apparently the third or forth book in a series, the character development was spectacular. The story is non-stop and will have you dying to know what happens next.

I hate it when reviewers give away too much storyline, so I'll limit what I tell you about the plot. Most books of this nature, I find, too much of a stretch to be believable. I only found minor instances of that here. Here's an example; as I said, Baldacci brilliantly constructs his characters. Here we have a ruthless casino owner, feared by all, known to be a dangerous man you never want to cross. Yet he employs a barmaid at the casino who is quite loose-lipped about her employer's dealings. Not likely. The reader is also asked to buy into assassinations of high ranking cold-war officials. But don't let these little trivialities stop you from enjoying a book that is non-stop action. These mistakes are few and far between and are easily overlooked. This is a book you will not want to put down.

Baldacci is a champion at creating the scene on that big screen TV in your mind. In fact, this book has all the makings of a blockbuster movie. You'll see what I mean as the story unfolds. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, some pedantic, self-absorbed producer will get their hands on it and ruin a perfectly good story.

I'm still not a big fiction reader. I just don't have time. But as someone who reads only a handful of fiction books each year, I'm glad this book was one of them.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A literal cliff hanger!, March 8, 2008

By 

Paul Weiss (Dundas, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stone Cold (Hardcover)

"Stone Cold" brings back The Camel Club in a third successful outing with two story lines loosely crossing each other's paths!

In the Camel Club's previous novel, "The Collectors", Annabelle Conroy, the beautiful and resourceful con artist extraordinaire, relieved Jerry Bagger, her mother's murderer and filthy rich casino owner and crime boss, of $40 milliion dollars. Bagger will stop at nothing to exact his revenge and kill Annabelle ... slowly, luxuriously and very, very painfully!

Meanwhile (one might say, back at the ranch!), someone is assassinating past members of Oliver Stone's elite 666 squad, a CIA assassination team. Three down and two to go. John Carr, "officially" dead, killed and buried many years earlier, lives disguised and in deep cover as lowly Oliver Stone. The only remaining "live" members of the team are Senator Roger Simpson, a front-running candidate for the big seat in the Oval Office in the White House, and Carter Gray, director of the CIA. They're so worried that Gray reaches the decision to exhume John Carr's coffin thereby revealing the fact that John Carr is still alive and well. Oliver Stone is being held out as bait for the assassin.

"Stone Cold" is jam-packed with fast paced Hollywood style action and dialogue to be sure but it's completely successful and enjoyable nonetheless! A great reprise of some international cold war style spy vs spy intrigue together with a story revolving around a sleazy, despicable crime boss and his quest to exact revenge on the babe he might have loved but who stole his respect and honour instead.

Friendship, loyalty, love, honour and duty are themes that ripple through both interwoven stories and the ending, in particular, while shocking (in great thriller style) is warm and pleasing. It's certain to bring a lump to the throats of many readers.

That said, some readers will be disturbed by the extent to which a few threads at the end of the story are left untied. But, for me, that just spells sequel and I'll spend the next few months waiting with bated breath.

Highly recommended for lovers of suspense thrillers and fans of David Baldacci and his wonderful creation, The Camel Club.

Paul Weiss

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stone Cold - Great Book!, April 5, 2008

By 

Jay R. Chase (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stone Cold (Hardcover)

Third installment for the Camel Club... I bought this book when it first came out, but did not get to read it until this weekend. Boy, am I glad that I waited until I had the time to enjoy it. The writing was great, the story line was taut and the action flowed from beginning to end. The characters stayed true to their nature, a few of them have grown from first book to now, and... well, I don't want to give any of the story away!!

There are a few intricate parts here that make the whole story more enjoyable, so I would read this when you have the time to actually do so. Skipping over paragraphs could really zap some of the meat out of this story.

I highly recommend - books with heroes like these and such complex villains are hard to come by.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!

All the best,

Jay