I usually research author information before I write an article on a writer’s book. I frequently discover interesting factoids as I do this investigation. This week, I was researching David Baldacci. I noticed that in addition to being a fine writer, David Baldacci is an exceptionally nice looking man. (Now you know how superficial I really am.) In fact, "People" magazine named David Baldacci one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world in 1997. In addition to being one of the most beautiful people in the world, David Baldacci is also a humanitarian. He is the national ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and founded the Wish You Well Foundation for literacy. Finally for you trivia buffs, his cousin John Baldacci is the Governor of Maine.

David Baldacci writes thrillers. They are definitely page-turners. The past few weeks, I’ve been listening to Baldacci’s Camel Club series on my MP3 player. I finished "The Camel Club" and am now listening to "The Collectors". The other two books in this series are "Stone Cold" and "Divine Justice".

The Camel Club consists of an unlikely group of four eccentric men. Oliver Stone (an alias) is the leader. He is a man with a mysterious past that involved government espionage. Stone lives in a cemetery and often can be found across the street from the White House in a tent with a sign above it that says, "I want the truth". Milton Farb is a computer genius who also suffers from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Reuben Rhodes is a decorated Vietnam Vet and a blue-collar laborer. Finally, Caleb Shaw is a reference librarian at the Library of Congress and my personal favorite. The Camel Club’s mission is to uncover government conspiracies and to find the truth behind those conspiracies.

In the first book, "The Camel Club", club members witness an execution, which was meant to look like a suicide. Eventually, they trace this assassination to a government conspiracy—what else—that involves kidnapping the president. Baldacci interweaves various plot threads toward a slam bang conclusion. The Camel Club must rescue the president from his kidnappers in order to save the world from a nuclear holocaust.

"The Collectors" begins with another assassination. This time, it is the Speaker of the House who is the victim. The next victim is the Director of the Library of Congress Rare books and Special Collections. He is discovered on the floor of the Rare Book room’s vault as dead as any rare book author. Camel Club member and librarian Caleb Shaw almost becomes a victim as well. Naturally, club members will discover a connection between the two crimes. A subplot involves a con-artist Annabelle Conroy and her gang, who scam $33 million from a sleazy Atlantic City casino owner. Both plots will intersect as the Camel Club foils another government conspiracy.

David Baldacci’s next book is "First Family", which will be released in April. If you enjoy David Baldacci, you might also try books by Steve Martini, Stuart Woods, Nelson DeMille, James Grippando or Lisa Scottoline to name a few. You can find their books at any public library.

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