Legal Thriller - Yes Legal Plotlets - finding out whether someone is really guilty Crime Thriller - Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) - Yes Main Character Gender - Female David Baldacci is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author and popular writer of twenty-six novels as well as three children’s books. He has sold over a 100 million copies worldwide in print of his novels and over 3 million ebooks. His books have been translated into over forty-five languages and his books are sold worldwide in eighty-eight countries. Baldacci’s novels deal with scandals and compromising situations, cover ups and pursuits, romance and the search for the truth. Baldacci cuts everyone's grass—Grisham's, Ludlum's, even Patricia Cornwell's—and more than gets away with it. She is stunningly beautiful and unbelievably strong. To prove the point she is able to outrun an ex-FBI and cut logs competing with a seasoned farmer/ carpenter?! Why !? What do you want to prove here. In fact, when handing my money to the cashier at the sale, the lady said that this was her favorite David Baldacci book. She had good taste.

While his stories hinge on the complex machinations behind the presidency, the FBI, the Supreme Court and other spheres of influence, Baldacci (a former Washington, D.C.-based attorney) finds his way into a mystery through the eyes of the innocents. Semi-innocents, at least: small players who often don't realize they're players at all end up hunting down answers, and their hunt becomes the reader's.

He then graduated from the University of Virginia with a law degree. He then went to Washington, D.C., where he practiced trial and corporate law for nine years. While living in Alexandria, Baldacci continued to write, penning short stories and screenplays, without much success. It was then that he decided to try his hand at novels. He sat down and wrote his first novel Absolute Power, which was published in 1996. Today he lives in North Virginia with his wife and their two children and two dogs. It was not as strong as being emotionally manipulated and while I appreciate the need for story elements to fit together, here I found the book had merely the presence of suitable elements rather than being worked together into a cohesive whole. I found myself increasingly detached from the story as each part was all too conveniently placed/revealed. I eventually finished the book in frustration, the overly lengthy book only heightening my dislike of the book.

David Baldacci's authoritative legal thrillers operate on the irresistible notion that a sinister undercurrent threads through the country's most powerful institutions. In addition to being a prolific writer, David is a devoted philanthropist, and his greatest efforts are dedicated to his family’s Wish You Well Foundation®. Established by David and his wife, Michelle, the Wish You Well Foundation supports family and adult literacy programs in the United States.How difficult to spot villain? - Story partially from villain's perspective Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999

It begins with Luther Whitney breaking into a home, something he does often and for a living. Baldacci explains that Whitney doesn’t carry a weapon, but rather prefers to rely on his skills to do the job. One night Whitney is witness to an unexpected tryst in the bedroom, trapped in the closet and unable to leave without revealing himself and possibly getting injured. As the lovemaking between the man and woman turns violent, Whitney unintentionally is the sole witness to murder. The group eventually witnesses a murder and decide to go after the party themselves rather than risk not being believed. Joining with Veteran Secret Service Agent Alex Ford, the group gets caught up in a complicated game of intrigue and conspiracy that goes all the way to the top. The books go deeper into the real identity of Oliver Stone and his history as a legendary assassin. In the follow up book The Collectors, the Camel Club once again must go to work when the Speaker of the House is assassinated.This is a plot-driven suspense story. Does it live up to its reputation as a "thriller"? In other words, does the story keep you on the edge of your seat? How so?