Book Review of "The Camel Club" David Baldacci

I always find Baldacci a bit over the top when it comes to writing plot and structure - his books are a lot like throwing noodles at a refrigerator and they all stick. But I liked this book - unbelievable as much of it was - I liked the characters, I liked their fallibility in the face of very big villains. It moved and I didn't get impatient with it as I often do. I thought the bit at the end with Oliver Stone's daughter really weak and stupid. But then I usually fault Baldacci for some unbelievable plotting.

This was a page turner. If he'd ever figure out that he could still tell a good story with half the number of characters and a more straight lined plot he would be a great writer. I think he's a great seller but I don't think he's a great writer.

However this book is worth buying.

Book Review of "The First Family" David Baldacci

Review of First Family – David Baldacci

It starts with a birthday party at Camp David which turns into the kidnapping of the President’s niece. It is a Sean King / Michelle Maxwell mystery. The former Secret Service agents turned private investigators have been featured in Baldacci books before. They track the improbable story to its violent and TOTALLY off the charts unbelievable ending. Its got a few parts that move well. A few character moments that work, but on the whole this is not a well written story.

I didn't like First Family very much, but it moved well enough so that I didn’t put it down in the middle. Baldacci is very spotty for a best selling author, often because he doesn't write structure well and depends on lots and lots of confusion instead of a fluid well constructed track. The plot is definitely convoluted although given some of the strange things that have been happening in America in the last decade or so not totally unbelievable. I like the main characters although they weren't as compelling in this book as they have been in the past. It's something to read if there isn't anything else available. This is definitely not one of his better books.

Book Review of "Gone" by Jonathan Kellerman

This is another Alex Delaware mystery. In this story Hollywood wannabes are showing up dead or missing. Eventually the tracks lead to an acting school and a family trio.

I kept hoping this book would get more interesting - I had started it and put it down before because it wasn't engaging. This time I was determined to finish it, but it was an effort. It's slooooooow.

I can tell you immediately what I disliked most about it. Every time you meet a new character you are subjected ad nausium to physical descriptions. I enjoy picking up one or two interesting points about physicality that crop up time and again to advance the plot, or give us more information about the character or quickly remind us who the character is if he or she hasn't shown up in awhile. Kellerman's use of description is more like name dropping than true characterization. I don't care about name dropped shoes if they aren't essential to the story. In Kellerman’s case it’s shoes, jacket, pants, hair cut….and on and on and on.

Kellerman is a good writer as far as technique is concerned but in this book he doesn't have much to work with. It's a weakly plotted book.... no real surprises, a few twists - I wasn't expecting a torture chamber at the end, the chamber was gratuitous anyway. The major problem with this book is that you don't care enough about anyone to get exercised about their demise other than in a general way, like reading about inconsequential strangers in an obituary. The villains are not very interesting, the missing people aren't all that interesting, Delaware's personal life isn't that interesting - there's some threat to his life but that is an obvious diversion rather than integral to the plot, his relationship with his detective friend is okay. I think the book is 2/3rds fill because there isn't really enough of it to have justified writing it.