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The Camel Club #4
Divine Justice
What's the central theme in "Divine Justice?"
That's easy. It's the implications of Oliver Stone being the most wanted man in America. No, not the maverick filmmaker Oliver Stone but the covert agent whose real name is John Carr. Men in the highest circles of power want him dead, and quickly, because he knows too many of their deepest secrets.
On the other hand, the members of the secretive Camel Club not only want Stone alive, but they are willing to risk their own lives to save their leader and friend. Get ready for a David Baldacci thriller with relentless intensity, a perfect follow-up to his acclaimed "Stone Cold" - Camel Club #3.
We begin with Oliver Stone taking drastic action to deal with individuals who have imposed injustices on him in his past life. He soon resorts to necessary flight and lands accidently in Divine, Virginia with a new young friend, Danny Riker. It's a strange place, fraught with secrets, criminal activities, and so much danger.
Librarian's note: there are five novels and a short story in the author's Camel Club series. They are: #1. The Camel Club (2005), #2. The Collectors (2006), #3. Stone Cold (2007), #4. Divine Justice (2008), and #5. Hell's Corner (2010). The short story is #6. Bullseye (2014), a Will Robie / The Camel Club Short Story.
That's easy. It's the implications of Oliver Stone being the most wanted man in America. No, not the maverick filmmaker Oliver Stone but the covert agent whose real name is John Carr. Men in the highest circles of power want him dead, and quickly, because he knows too many of their deepest secrets.
On the other hand, the members of the secretive Camel Club not only want Stone alive, but they are willing to risk their own lives to save their leader and friend. Get ready for a David Baldacci thriller with relentless intensity, a perfect follow-up to his acclaimed "Stone Cold" - Camel Club #3.
We begin with Oliver Stone taking drastic action to deal with individuals who have imposed injustices on him in his past life. He soon resorts to necessary flight and lands accidently in Divine, Virginia with a new young friend, Danny Riker. It's a strange place, fraught with secrets, criminal activities, and so much danger.
Librarian's note: there are five novels and a short story in the author's Camel Club series. They are: #1. The Camel Club (2005), #2. The Collectors (2006), #3. Stone Cold (2007), #4. Divine Justice (2008), and #5. Hell's Corner (2010). The short story is #6. Bullseye (2014), a Will Robie / The Camel Club Short Story.
326 pages, Hardcover
First published November 4, 2008
3428 people are currently reading
11333 people want to read
About the author
David Baldacci
244 books123k followersDavid Baldacci has been writing since childhood, when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she’d given him the notebook to keep him quiet, "because every mom needs a break now and then.”)
David published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996; the feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 52 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. David has also published seven novels for younger readers. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 200 million copies sold worldwide.
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.
A lifelong Virginian, David is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia School of Law.
David published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996; the feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 52 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. David has also published seven novels for younger readers. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 200 million copies sold worldwide.
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.
A lifelong Virginian, David is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia School of Law.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,927 reviews
April 8, 2025
When considering my favorite series by David Baldacci, I believe The Camel Club is it for me. So, when I was making a recommendation to a fellow Goodreads friend, about which Baldacci series to start with, I was surprised to find that there were more than 3 books in the series. For whatever reason, I must have lost track of the series at some point and had moved on.
So, I was happy to see that my local library at least had this 4th book available for me to read.
Now, having started this 4th book, there were some disadvantages after coming back into the series after such a long absence. My memory was certainly being taxed. I kind of remembered the past characters, but the circumstances of where they were at and why, were somewhat vague to me. Still the tension that Baldacci presented, was very much alive and well and the plot moved at a quick pace which allowed me to be quite invested in this current story.
So regardless of my loss in memory, I was getting a sense of why the tension existed for the characters, and what the purpose was for the original Camel Club. And certainly, why this was my favorite series in the first place. Besides, whatever happened in the past, it all comes out in the end, eventually.
Still, Baldacci always has a way of making a turn up a small-town road into lives unexpected. And as readers, we are uncertain why we are headed here. But we know we are in for something, yet remain curious anyway, waiting for the first ball to drop, because that is typically what is going to happen in a Baldacci story.
And when that ball does eventually drop, suddenly the title of the book becomes clear! And everything we thought initially about the story, really wasn’t what it was all about, and it becomes even something more.
But readers need to always keep in mind what is key to this story…
We have Oliver Stone. And we have Joe Knox. The hunted and the hunter.
And then they can add in…
All sorts of other characters, too. With page-turning, short chapters.
And that is what makes this story relentlessly readable.
So, I was happy to see that my local library at least had this 4th book available for me to read.
Now, having started this 4th book, there were some disadvantages after coming back into the series after such a long absence. My memory was certainly being taxed. I kind of remembered the past characters, but the circumstances of where they were at and why, were somewhat vague to me. Still the tension that Baldacci presented, was very much alive and well and the plot moved at a quick pace which allowed me to be quite invested in this current story.
So regardless of my loss in memory, I was getting a sense of why the tension existed for the characters, and what the purpose was for the original Camel Club. And certainly, why this was my favorite series in the first place. Besides, whatever happened in the past, it all comes out in the end, eventually.
Still, Baldacci always has a way of making a turn up a small-town road into lives unexpected. And as readers, we are uncertain why we are headed here. But we know we are in for something, yet remain curious anyway, waiting for the first ball to drop, because that is typically what is going to happen in a Baldacci story.
And when that ball does eventually drop, suddenly the title of the book becomes clear! And everything we thought initially about the story, really wasn’t what it was all about, and it becomes even something more.
But readers need to always keep in mind what is key to this story…
We have Oliver Stone. And we have Joe Knox. The hunted and the hunter.
And then they can add in…
All sorts of other characters, too. With page-turning, short chapters.
And that is what makes this story relentlessly readable.
September 17, 2025
Last of the Camel Club thrillers?
DIVINE JUSTICE, the fourth in Baldacci's wildly popular Camel Club series, picks up where the quite literal cliff hanger at the conclusion of STONE COLD left us. Oliver Stone, having just assassinated Carter Gray, head of the CIA, and Roger Simpson, who had raised Stone's daughter after his wife's murder, had just made his tenuous escape by leaping headlong off of a cliff into the frigid, storm-tossed waters of Chesepeake Bay. When he breaks the surface and swims to shore, he knows that in order to stay alive and to protect his friends, he's going to have to go into deep hiding without letting anybody know where he's gone, most especially his dear friends in the Camel Club.
As he did with the other entries in the series, Baldacci uses DIVINE JUSTICE to deftly juggle a double intertwined plot. The first, and most obvious plot, is the government's efforts to hunt down Oliver Stone, almost certainly with the intent to forever silence him and ensure that the lid on past CIA black operations is forever slammed shut.
The second plot involves the rather creepy, clearly underhanded goings on in Divine, the sleepy coal-mining town buried so deep in the Virginia backwoods that he couldn't even get a bus ride into town. Stone imagined it to be the perfect shelter below everybody's radar! But the mysterious deaths and suicides, the federal supermax prison and the coal miners' constant trips to the local methadone clinic raised every hair on the back of Oliver Stone's neck. Something was very, very wrong in Divine, Virginia and he just couldn't leave well enough alone and stay hidden for long!
DIVINE JUSTICE, which may well be the closer, continues a fabulous series that thriller fans will eat up with gluttonous gusto. Annabelle Conroy, Alex Ford and the two surviving members of the Camel Club, Reuben Rhodes and Caleb Shaw, are fully developed as characters and fully brought to life as believable heroes. Readers will cheer their little hearts out as Stone's friends work double-time to find him before the government assassins do.
Highly recommended. No loose ends or cliff hangers in this one, I'm afraid. While the characters still have room to grow, Baldacci hasn't left himself with an obvious plot direction for a fifth novel in the series. I'm crossing my fingers. We'll have to wait and see.
Paul Weiss
DIVINE JUSTICE, the fourth in Baldacci's wildly popular Camel Club series, picks up where the quite literal cliff hanger at the conclusion of STONE COLD left us. Oliver Stone, having just assassinated Carter Gray, head of the CIA, and Roger Simpson, who had raised Stone's daughter after his wife's murder, had just made his tenuous escape by leaping headlong off of a cliff into the frigid, storm-tossed waters of Chesepeake Bay. When he breaks the surface and swims to shore, he knows that in order to stay alive and to protect his friends, he's going to have to go into deep hiding without letting anybody know where he's gone, most especially his dear friends in the Camel Club.
As he did with the other entries in the series, Baldacci uses DIVINE JUSTICE to deftly juggle a double intertwined plot. The first, and most obvious plot, is the government's efforts to hunt down Oliver Stone, almost certainly with the intent to forever silence him and ensure that the lid on past CIA black operations is forever slammed shut.
The second plot involves the rather creepy, clearly underhanded goings on in Divine, the sleepy coal-mining town buried so deep in the Virginia backwoods that he couldn't even get a bus ride into town. Stone imagined it to be the perfect shelter below everybody's radar! But the mysterious deaths and suicides, the federal supermax prison and the coal miners' constant trips to the local methadone clinic raised every hair on the back of Oliver Stone's neck. Something was very, very wrong in Divine, Virginia and he just couldn't leave well enough alone and stay hidden for long!
DIVINE JUSTICE, which may well be the closer, continues a fabulous series that thriller fans will eat up with gluttonous gusto. Annabelle Conroy, Alex Ford and the two surviving members of the Camel Club, Reuben Rhodes and Caleb Shaw, are fully developed as characters and fully brought to life as believable heroes. Readers will cheer their little hearts out as Stone's friends work double-time to find him before the government assassins do.
Highly recommended. No loose ends or cliff hangers in this one, I'm afraid. While the characters still have room to grow, Baldacci hasn't left himself with an obvious plot direction for a fifth novel in the series. I'm crossing my fingers. We'll have to wait and see.
Paul Weiss
December 28, 2018
John Carr is back and he's on the run!
If you have been following this series, you know what happened at the end of the last book, Stone Cold. This will trigger a reaction from Oliver Stone which will make him become the most sought-after man in the USA.
Oliver says goodbye to the Camel Club and to D.C. He ends up in the little town of Divine, WV which is nothing but that. Here, he'll realize that something is wrong with the town and some people are into shady businesses. Oliver can't walk away. He stays in Divine to help the people he has come to care for.
While Oliver is in Divine, the rest of the Camel Club won't let him deal with the government on his own. They decide to help Oliver even if he doesn't want their help. On the other hand, some people in the government want to keep Oliver quiet about everything he knows. Ending his life is the best way to do so.
Divine Justice is a great addition to the series. I was with Oliver on this one. He did what he thought was right and despite being on the run, he couldn't walk away from the trouble in Divine.
My favorite part of Divine Justice was to see characters from the other books making an appearance like Harry Finn and Alex Ford and meeting new ones like Joe Knox. Of course, there are some dangerous men like Macklin Hayes who were easy to hate.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
April 28, 2018
John Carr aka Oliver Stone is on the run from everyone.
After killing a very prominent agency heads and a US senator, to be fair they both deserve it. John has left a note for the other Camel Club members not to look for him and forget that he ever existed, he doesn't expect to survive this ordeal. Of course the club are not about to abandon John, no matter what.
John ends up in a small mining town, Divine, in the middle of nowhere. He soon finds out that all is not well in Divine. John is soon up to his neck in dead bodies.
For me,David Baldacci blows hot and cold but this was one of his warmer ones.
Lots of impossible situations with death waiting at the end, a fate John somehow keeps avoiding.
There is the obligatory little lady who needs help, and a bit more besides. And of course there are bad guys and good guys. But some of the bad guys are not really bad and some of the good guys are not really good.
We've all read books like this before but it was still a page turner that I enjoyed.
Recommended light easy and entertaining reading.
After killing a very prominent agency heads and a US senator, to be fair they both deserve it. John has left a note for the other Camel Club members not to look for him and forget that he ever existed, he doesn't expect to survive this ordeal. Of course the club are not about to abandon John, no matter what.
John ends up in a small mining town, Divine, in the middle of nowhere. He soon finds out that all is not well in Divine. John is soon up to his neck in dead bodies.
For me,David Baldacci blows hot and cold but this was one of his warmer ones.
Lots of impossible situations with death waiting at the end, a fate John somehow keeps avoiding.
There is the obligatory little lady who needs help, and a bit more besides. And of course there are bad guys and good guys. But some of the bad guys are not really bad and some of the good guys are not really good.
We've all read books like this before but it was still a page turner that I enjoyed.
Recommended light easy and entertaining reading.
January 20, 2016
While the writing is clear the plot is over convoluted. The protagonist doesn't have a cape, but emerges from most situations on top of the heap. The end was predictable. Nice characters.
March 10, 2010
Ok, this is my first Baldacci, and I know this is part of a series, but stop me if you've heard this one: a former spy/cop/assassin is on the run after getting vengeance on the people who killed his wife/child/parent/partner and finds himself mixed up with a child/woman/town who needs protection from the local drug dealers/gang bangers/corrupt officials. Needless to say, this is definitely a genre piece. However, I can’t really fault it, even with the absurd Appalachian setting. It was an entertaining read and I more than once found that my subway ride passed quicker than expected. I also really liked the component of his friends, the Camel Club, which isn’t normally a part of the loner fiction this usually belongs to. I didn’t feel like I lacked for having not read the rest of the series and even though this isn’t my normal cup of tea, I’d still be interested in reading another.
March 25, 2019
Hayes still held the record, Knox believed, of having the highest casualty count of any field officer in the (Vietnam) war. Yet because those losses often came with victories, at least victories measured in the taking of small hills or even yards of turf, sometimes only for hours, Hayes had moved swiftly up the command chain. Still, Knox did not intend becoming one of the man’s statistics on his way to yet another triumph…
3-star General Hayes assigns Joe Knox the task of finding Oliver Stone (aka John Carr), America’s most-wanted assassin and a fugitive for thirty years, who has pulled off hits on a US senator and an agency head in a matter of hours. At first Knox sets out to interview Carr’s known associates (The Camel Club) who decide that they had better find him first. When Knox pulls Carr’s military record from the archives he begins to suspect that the General is running a personal agenda to get to Carr before the FBI – and silence him.
The narrative switches between Knox's search and Carr's escape. He boards a train to New Orleans (I think), but gets embroiled in a fight saving a 20-something idiot called Danny. They are kicked off the train (more fighting) and Carr/Stone catch a bus and hitch a lift to Danny's home in the coal mining town of Divine, in the Appalachians of West Virginia. Apart from the mine, the other employer is the supermax prison, run by the ruthless Tyree, elder brother of the local police officer. Carr tries to leave a town of secrets, murders, “accidental deaths” and apparent suicides, but is strangely attracted to Danny’s mother.
Eventually, Knox catches up with Carr and the two men find themselves fighting for their own survival.
This was my first David Baldacci novel and I found it pure soap-opera with a whiff of dystopia. Plenty of action, brutal villains meeting their match/maker. Entertaining enough, but nothing here for me to want to read more.
3-star General Hayes assigns Joe Knox the task of finding Oliver Stone (aka John Carr), America’s most-wanted assassin and a fugitive for thirty years, who has pulled off hits on a US senator and an agency head in a matter of hours. At first Knox sets out to interview Carr’s known associates (The Camel Club) who decide that they had better find him first. When Knox pulls Carr’s military record from the archives he begins to suspect that the General is running a personal agenda to get to Carr before the FBI – and silence him.
The narrative switches between Knox's search and Carr's escape. He boards a train to New Orleans (I think), but gets embroiled in a fight saving a 20-something idiot called Danny. They are kicked off the train (more fighting) and Carr/Stone catch a bus and hitch a lift to Danny's home in the coal mining town of Divine, in the Appalachians of West Virginia. Apart from the mine, the other employer is the supermax prison, run by the ruthless Tyree, elder brother of the local police officer. Carr tries to leave a town of secrets, murders, “accidental deaths” and apparent suicides, but is strangely attracted to Danny’s mother.
Eventually, Knox catches up with Carr and the two men find themselves fighting for their own survival.
This was my first David Baldacci novel and I found it pure soap-opera with a whiff of dystopia. Plenty of action, brutal villains meeting their match/maker. Entertaining enough, but nothing here for me to want to read more.
April 10, 2023
3 Stars. Good but a touch slow in the middle. Did it ever pick up at the end. I know it's ridiculous but I felt personal fear, let alone for Oliver Stone! The reason? Claustrophobia, truly bad guys and unknown dangers. Let's explain each. On more than one occasion, Stone finds himself in an abandoned mine shaft. The first time he is trussed up and hanging from the roof in pitch dark with a rattle snake or two somewhere nearby. There's no better definition of claustrophobia. As to bad guys, it would be difficult to top two of them in "Divine Justice." Macklin Hayes and Tyree. The first is a 3-star General with national security atrocities and anger management issues on his resume, and the second, Tyree, works at Blue Spruce Supermax prison, aka Dead Rock, where he shoots a shackled prisoner in the head while several guards watch. Why? Just to demonstrate his power. Lastly, the unknown dangers. Why are people dying in Divine? Why are trailers blowing up? It took some time for the Camel Club and this reader to pin it down. But there's also a reason for you to smile; Stone meets an interesting woman named Abby Riker. Let's all smile in unison! (June 2021)
March 16, 2011
David Baldacci is one of my fave authors and this is on my fave series especially with the addtion of Annabelle.
The story like was good and gripping, hooked you from the start to the end. You wonder what luck Oliver has going into a small town with this mysterious happenings going on.
I like the new friend he made, Joe Knox, and glad to see Harry Finn return also.
Over all, a really good suspsenseful read to the end.
Fans will not be dissapointed.
The story like was good and gripping, hooked you from the start to the end. You wonder what luck Oliver has going into a small town with this mysterious happenings going on.
I like the new friend he made, Joe Knox, and glad to see Harry Finn return also.
Over all, a really good suspsenseful read to the end.
Fans will not be dissapointed.
December 28, 2018
Rating - 9.5/10(Extraordinary) - Divine: Tale of a true American Hero
After reading the Camel Club series as a whole, the order of the books from better to worst is -
#5 > #4 > #2 > #3 >#1
The novels picks up with John Carr popping the head of Carted Gray and the heart of Simpson and being on the run and dead. Oliver Stone is back! I expected this novel to be just a cat and mouse game between Uncle Sam and Oliver. But this novel is entirely flabbergasting and the plot was also well woven.
One would think that the main focus of the novel will be about Oliver running from the government. Well, here is the rub - this is just the part of the plot. Surprise!! The plot mainly focuses on the town called Divine. The town, while outside, looks like a perfect dream town, it gets a lot worse when one looks into it deeply . The town is completely plagued with deaths and Oliver is the hero the town needs and deserves. He quickly became a hero there, but as his past was catching up to him, things got a lot more darker. The cat and mouse game was a lot different here - the hunter had to think like the hunted and hunted the other way round. The Camel Club again saves the day by defending it's leader. The characters just grew on me more. The themes like loyalty, human nature were explored nicely.
After reading the Camel Club series as a whole, the order of the books from better to worst is -
#5 > #4 > #2 > #3 >#1
The novels picks up with John Carr popping the head of Carted Gray and the heart of Simpson and being on the run and dead. Oliver Stone is back! I expected this novel to be just a cat and mouse game between Uncle Sam and Oliver. But this novel is entirely flabbergasting and the plot was also well woven.
One would think that the main focus of the novel will be about Oliver running from the government. Well, here is the rub - this is just the part of the plot. Surprise!! The plot mainly focuses on the town called Divine. The town, while outside, looks like a perfect dream town, it gets a lot worse when one looks into it deeply . The town is completely plagued with deaths and Oliver is the hero the town needs and deserves. He quickly became a hero there, but as his past was catching up to him, things got a lot more darker. The cat and mouse game was a lot different here - the hunter had to think like the hunted and hunted the other way round. The Camel Club again saves the day by defending it's leader. The characters just grew on me more. The themes like loyalty, human nature were explored nicely.
July 17, 2018
Right from the get go this book takes off where #3 left off, very fast paced. "Oliver Stone" is on the run, and run he must! So many bad people out there - who do you trust, better still, can you trust anyone? Really enjoyed this book in "The Camel Club" series.
From the blurb: Known by his alias, "Oliver Stone," John Carr is the most wanted man in America. With two pulls of the trigger, the men who destroyed Stone's life and kept him in the shadows were finally silenced.
But his freedom comes at a steep price: The assassinations he carried out prompt the highest levels of the U.S. government to unleash a massive manhunt. Behind the scenes, master spy Macklin Hayes is playing a very personal game of cat and mouse. He, more than anyone, wants Stone dead.
With their friend and unofficial leader in hiding, the members of the Camel Club risk everything to save him. Now, as the hunters close in, Stone's flight from the demons of his past will take him from the power corridors of Washington, D.C., to the small, isolated coal-mining town of Divine, Virginia-and into a world every bit as lethal as the one he left behind.
From the blurb: Known by his alias, "Oliver Stone," John Carr is the most wanted man in America. With two pulls of the trigger, the men who destroyed Stone's life and kept him in the shadows were finally silenced.
But his freedom comes at a steep price: The assassinations he carried out prompt the highest levels of the U.S. government to unleash a massive manhunt. Behind the scenes, master spy Macklin Hayes is playing a very personal game of cat and mouse. He, more than anyone, wants Stone dead.
With their friend and unofficial leader in hiding, the members of the Camel Club risk everything to save him. Now, as the hunters close in, Stone's flight from the demons of his past will take him from the power corridors of Washington, D.C., to the small, isolated coal-mining town of Divine, Virginia-and into a world every bit as lethal as the one he left behind.
May 8, 2020
The fourth book in The Camel Club series by David Baldacci starts out with Oliver on the run after the events in Stone Cold (which I am still bitter over btw). Oliver is on the train heading out of DC when he sees a fellow passenger, Danny, being beaten. Against his better judgement, Oliver comes to the man's aid and ends up getting thrown off of the train in the middle of nowhere Virginia. Low on funds and no where else to be, Oliver accepts Danny's invitation to stay the night in the town of Divine, VA.
Within days of coming to Divine, Oliver finds himself attacked several times, a witness to murders and in the middle of a huge cover-up. Of course, he can't help himself and begins to investigate the goings-on in the small town. While Oliver is investigating Divine's secrets, the federal government and the Camel Club are each searching for him.
I enjoyed this one. I like the new character that was introduced, Joe Knox, as well as some that we picked up in book 3. One of my favorites, Alex Ford, finds himself in some tight spots as he struggles with his sense of right and fair play when it comes to Oliver vs his role as law enforcement.
Again, read this as an audiobook and the narrator, Ron McLarty, added to the experience with his reading and the character portrayals. I noticed on the next book on audio, they've added a female narrator and I'm not sure how I'm going to like that as it maybe too distracting with two voices in the same conversation. McLarty did fine on his own with all parts - even the female dialogues.
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Within days of coming to Divine, Oliver finds himself attacked several times, a witness to murders and in the middle of a huge cover-up. Of course, he can't help himself and begins to investigate the goings-on in the small town. While Oliver is investigating Divine's secrets, the federal government and the Camel Club are each searching for him.
I enjoyed this one. I like the new character that was introduced, Joe Knox, as well as some that we picked up in book 3. One of my favorites, Alex Ford, finds himself in some tight spots as he struggles with his sense of right and fair play when it comes to Oliver vs his role as law enforcement.
Again, read this as an audiobook and the narrator, Ron McLarty, added to the experience with his reading and the character portrayals. I noticed on the next book on audio, they've added a female narrator and I'm not sure how I'm going to like that as it maybe too distracting with two voices in the same conversation. McLarty did fine on his own with all parts - even the female dialogues.
Rating: 4.25 Stars
June 25, 2013
Follow Oliver Stone in another adventure. This time he is being hunted for the two murders he committed. divine justice is another Camel Club novel, this time set in Divine, a small mining town in Virginia. This book continues the brand but it can be read as a standalone novel as there is loads of back story about Oliver.
You start reading divine justice and you wonder, why has Oliver stumbled across this or that? It is because that detail will be used later in this story. There are a small cast of suspects involved in the darker side of Divine. This novel is light reading and you know that our hero, Oliver, will turn out okay. There is a steady progression with the plot of this book and it is a simple tale of circumstances. The ending is okay and is just what you would expect.
There is nothing radical about this book, it is just like a made-for-tv movie. It is a run of the mill novel, not quite a thriller. It is rather drab. David Baldacci is a best selling author but his writing has become lazy. This tale is sloppy and at one point Reuben has a puncture on his Indian motorcycle. Not having a spare wheel with his sidecar, he wheels his outfit into Caleb's van. Later on Reuben takes his motorcyle out of the van and rides happily away. No puncture repair or tyre change had been done!
divine justice has 534 pages and was written in 2008. I took nothing away from this novel. It was a disappointment. This book is a poor read and I vote it only 2 stars. I suggest you give it a MISS as divine justice is not one of David's best. This was the last of David's paperbacks that I purchased a while ago and I will not be buying another. David Baldacci seems to ride on his best selling status and does not bring anything new to the game.
You start reading divine justice and you wonder, why has Oliver stumbled across this or that? It is because that detail will be used later in this story. There are a small cast of suspects involved in the darker side of Divine. This novel is light reading and you know that our hero, Oliver, will turn out okay. There is a steady progression with the plot of this book and it is a simple tale of circumstances. The ending is okay and is just what you would expect.
There is nothing radical about this book, it is just like a made-for-tv movie. It is a run of the mill novel, not quite a thriller. It is rather drab. David Baldacci is a best selling author but his writing has become lazy. This tale is sloppy and at one point Reuben has a puncture on his Indian motorcycle. Not having a spare wheel with his sidecar, he wheels his outfit into Caleb's van. Later on Reuben takes his motorcyle out of the van and rides happily away. No puncture repair or tyre change had been done!
divine justice has 534 pages and was written in 2008. I took nothing away from this novel. It was a disappointment. This book is a poor read and I vote it only 2 stars. I suggest you give it a MISS as divine justice is not one of David's best. This was the last of David's paperbacks that I purchased a while ago and I will not be buying another. David Baldacci seems to ride on his best selling status and does not bring anything new to the game.
February 20, 2013
I really enjoyed this book! Starts off kind of slow but ends up where you keep reading until 2 am because you have to know what happens.
June 12, 2016
EXCELLENT. VERY INTERESTING.
November 10, 2016
This was an adventure between misery and death. Since Oliver chose to take the law into his own hands, he's been sought after by non other than Macklin Hayes, a general Stone served under and he's still holding a grudge against Stone and his actions many years ago.
Stone's on the run and ends up in a town called Divine, West Virgina. Trying to hide here will be the toughest thing to do since there are strange activities going on in the small community. Saving himself from Hayes's grips will be easy compared to what he endures in Divine.
Exciting to read and another page turner. The story pulls you into it with the simple descriptions and narrative writing skills the author uses. The story is very believable.
Stone's on the run and ends up in a town called Divine, West Virgina. Trying to hide here will be the toughest thing to do since there are strange activities going on in the small community. Saving himself from Hayes's grips will be easy compared to what he endures in Divine.
Exciting to read and another page turner. The story pulls you into it with the simple descriptions and narrative writing skills the author uses. The story is very believable.
January 4, 2015
A betrayed American hero earns 8 of 10 stars for this Baldacci novel.
May 12, 2024
UPDATED REVIEW. IN THE CAMEL CLUB SERIES
WOW! If you’ve missed this series, run and get it. You’d be in for a heck of a thrill ride! Better than Will Robie and John Puller!
LOVE OLIVER STONE! I LOVE THE CAMEL CLUB!
UPDATED: the aforementioned review was written YEARS ago. This is my second reading, and I must say David Baldacci’s ’ Camel Club Series is timeless; it’s not outdated at all. The intrigue of all the Camel Club books is phenomenal . The mystery of what will happen to the beloved former CIA black ops protagonist, Oliver Stone, keeps one furiously flipping pages and trying to calm one’s racing heart. There are two mysteries running on parallel tracks and satisfactorily merging at the end. Baldacci’s execution of both mysteries is perfectly seamless and both build high tension.
As always, start at the beginning of the series. One can read DIVINE JUSTICE as a stand alone, but the backstory is so rich and has been extensively developed over the three previous installments.
Recommended for readers who like to read about the corruption of powerful Washington D.C. agencies, governmental conspiracies and black ops within the USA. I’m a fan of espionage and this series is a thrilling and suspenseful ride into political machinations. It does keep up the suspense until the very end. One does have to stretch the suspension of disbelief to great lengths and I should take off a star because it really became far fetch toward the end. However,it is such a fun and fast read, I did not.
WOW! If you’ve missed this series, run and get it. You’d be in for a heck of a thrill ride! Better than Will Robie and John Puller!
LOVE OLIVER STONE! I LOVE THE CAMEL CLUB!
UPDATED: the aforementioned review was written YEARS ago. This is my second reading, and I must say David Baldacci’s ’ Camel Club Series is timeless; it’s not outdated at all. The intrigue of all the Camel Club books is phenomenal . The mystery of what will happen to the beloved former CIA black ops protagonist, Oliver Stone, keeps one furiously flipping pages and trying to calm one’s racing heart. There are two mysteries running on parallel tracks and satisfactorily merging at the end. Baldacci’s execution of both mysteries is perfectly seamless and both build high tension.
As always, start at the beginning of the series. One can read DIVINE JUSTICE as a stand alone, but the backstory is so rich and has been extensively developed over the three previous installments.
Recommended for readers who like to read about the corruption of powerful Washington D.C. agencies, governmental conspiracies and black ops within the USA. I’m a fan of espionage and this series is a thrilling and suspenseful ride into political machinations. It does keep up the suspense until the very end. One does have to stretch the suspension of disbelief to great lengths and I should take off a star because it really became far fetch toward the end. However,it is such a fun and fast read, I did not.
August 6, 2016
This series has been nothing short of brilliant till now but I half wish that Divine Justice had been the last. The reason for that is that there is such a happy ending, a perfect way to finish Oliver Stone's story. But I know there's a fifth book. And I do know that Oliver is going to suffer in all manners of imaginative ways. The author is going to make sure that is on the cards. But this book was a roller coaster in terms of storytelling. It was good to see the new members of the Camel Club in action. The pain of young Danny and Debbie and Willie was very real, and I always gasp at the loss of potential and the unlucky hand dealt to these types of characters. It all could have been shown grotesquely or with the wrong touches. But kudos go to Baldacci for never putting a foot wrong. I'm going to read the fifth book, and then I'm going to proceed and read every single book of his that I have. Is he that good? I'd say hell yeah.
May 27, 2019
I thought the Camel Club series had ended with Stone Cold so I was happy when I saw Divine Justice. The fourth book in the series picks right up where Stone Cold left off. John Carr (a.k.a Oliver Stone) makes his escape after assassinating Intel Chief Carter Gray and US Senator from Alabama Roger Simpson (seriously bad guys). He takes an Amtrak train to New Orleans but doesn't get far. After coming to the aid of a passenger who is being beaten up Oliver finds himself left on a train platform in rural Virginia with the passenger he helped. They make their way to the mining town of Divine. In the meantime back in Washington CIA tracker Joe Knox is tasked with hunting down Oliver. The remaining members of the Camel Club want to find him too so they can help their friend. They will all meet in Divine where the town does not live up to it's name. I was a little dissatisfied with how Stone Cold ended but Divine Justice was more satisfying.
March 24, 2012
I was lent this by a friend who hadn't read it yet, and when I got started felt strongly that I was missing out by not knowing all the characters from the previous 3 books, but persisted, in part to decide whether it's worth tracking the earlier Camel Club books down. It wasn't what I expected - I thought it was going to be a spy novel but it turned into a straight-forward action adventure, much like the Reacher novels - so I really enjoyed it. Stone is a great character, and I will definitely look out for the earlier books - even though now I know what's going to happpen in them...
July 28, 2018
The 4th entry in the Camel Club series finds our everyman hero, Oliver Stone, resurrected from his dive off a cliff after assassinating a senator and a high level intelligence officer. If he wanted to staff off the radar, this is a bad choice.
Oliver takes a train, and ends up befriending a young man and following him to his hometown, a haven of nastiness.
Yes, this is fiction, and the characters are likable, but the coincidences are multiple and exasperating.
Oliver takes a train, and ends up befriending a young man and following him to his hometown, a haven of nastiness.
Yes, this is fiction, and the characters are likable, but the coincidences are multiple and exasperating.
June 8, 2015
Baldacci continues to amaze me with all these plots complemented by his superb writing. A chase for Carr, a super-max prison, a prison break...this book came pretty loaded. Like always, all the characters had depth in their back stories and were not merely cardboard caricatures.
February 10, 2018
This is the conclusion to Stone Cold and is a better tale, I think. Or, at least it’s told better. Trouble just comes to Stone, and this story is a good example of this.
September 24, 2020
It was okay but I wish I had read this review first which commenced:
“If you haven't read the earlier books in this series (The Camel Club, The Collectors, and Stone Cold), stop right here. You will like all of those books much more than this one . . . and you will like this one less than you otherwise would if you start with The Camel Club.”
I will give this series another go owing to what I hope is an accurate assessment of this book, ‘Divine Justice,’ as articulated above.
I must say I quickly realised I was starting somewhere in the middle of the series but that wasn’t a big problem as the author neatly recapped on the essentials that had preceded the events of this book.
I enjoyed the book a lot as far as a certain stage and was engrossed with the character of Oliver Stone aka John Carr. He’s a bit like Reacher on steroids and more likeable.
The reason I can’t award more than 3 stars is the plot sometime after Stone finds “refuge” in the town of Divine, Virginia, soon becomes a tad far fetched and for me, stretches the bounds of credibility. The Dead Rock Super Max penal facility events, for example, were farcical and not worthy of a bad B-movie.
“If you haven't read the earlier books in this series (The Camel Club, The Collectors, and Stone Cold), stop right here. You will like all of those books much more than this one . . . and you will like this one less than you otherwise would if you start with The Camel Club.”
I will give this series another go owing to what I hope is an accurate assessment of this book, ‘Divine Justice,’ as articulated above.
I must say I quickly realised I was starting somewhere in the middle of the series but that wasn’t a big problem as the author neatly recapped on the essentials that had preceded the events of this book.
I enjoyed the book a lot as far as a certain stage and was engrossed with the character of Oliver Stone aka John Carr. He’s a bit like Reacher on steroids and more likeable.
The reason I can’t award more than 3 stars is the plot sometime after Stone finds “refuge” in the town of Divine, Virginia, soon becomes a tad far fetched and for me, stretches the bounds of credibility. The Dead Rock Super Max penal facility events, for example, were farcical and not worthy of a bad B-movie.
January 2, 2009
As payback for their dirty deeds, Camel Club member "Oliver Stone", murders a US Senator and an Intelligence Chief and has no choice but to flee Washington DC. On the train ride out of town he intervenes in a 3-on-1 fight and saves Danny Riker from getting pummeled. Now kicked off the train and no where near his destination Oliver has no alternative but to join Danny on his return trip to the tiny town of Divine, Virginia.
Oliver only intends to see Danny home, earn a few traveling dollars and hightail it out of Divine to safety in the crowded city of New Orleans but he quickly gets himself in the middle of Divine's troubles. On his way out of town Oliver saves another one of Divine's young men and now the whole town knows his face when he seeks nothing more than anonymity. But the trouble doesn't stop there and Oliver is targeted by a group of men who are covering up Divine's biggest secret. With help from the rest of the Camel Club and unlikely assistance from the government agent hired to track him down Oliver just might make it out of the mess he's found himself in.
Oliver reminds of me an older Jason Bourne. He can make 3 separate groups of punks run with fright and he gets himself out of the stickiest situations sometimes with just his belt as a weapon or his monkey bar skills. The story has multiple surprises and intersecting plot lines that are neatly tied together in the end.
This is the fourth book from Baldacci featuring the Camel Club and I highly recommend reading the other three books first. My review is based on the unabridged audio book that was narrated by Ron McLarty. McLarty's voice characterizations are a little too similar for my liking but he does a great job with setting the scene by tone and infliction. As a huge Baldacci fan I wasn't disappointed and I recommend this book to all thriller lovers.
Oliver only intends to see Danny home, earn a few traveling dollars and hightail it out of Divine to safety in the crowded city of New Orleans but he quickly gets himself in the middle of Divine's troubles. On his way out of town Oliver saves another one of Divine's young men and now the whole town knows his face when he seeks nothing more than anonymity. But the trouble doesn't stop there and Oliver is targeted by a group of men who are covering up Divine's biggest secret. With help from the rest of the Camel Club and unlikely assistance from the government agent hired to track him down Oliver just might make it out of the mess he's found himself in.
Oliver reminds of me an older Jason Bourne. He can make 3 separate groups of punks run with fright and he gets himself out of the stickiest situations sometimes with just his belt as a weapon or his monkey bar skills. The story has multiple surprises and intersecting plot lines that are neatly tied together in the end.
This is the fourth book from Baldacci featuring the Camel Club and I highly recommend reading the other three books first. My review is based on the unabridged audio book that was narrated by Ron McLarty. McLarty's voice characterizations are a little too similar for my liking but he does a great job with setting the scene by tone and infliction. As a huge Baldacci fan I wasn't disappointed and I recommend this book to all thriller lovers.
February 16, 2021
Oliver Stone isn’t the kind of guy you’d want to mess with. Oh, don’t misunderstand. He’d give you everything he had, including his life, if he counted you as a friend. But cross him in some way, and it’s you who will inevitably get the short end. Stone is on the run after killing two men in the previous book in this series. They were men who deserved the deaths they got, but that doesn’t make Stone’s life easier. That government that once employed Stone now seeks his death, and it looks like it will succeed.
To run, Stone makes a dramatic exit that involves some deep swimming in the Chesapeake Bay. Trust me, it’s a memorable way to begin a book! He ultimately settles on a small town in southwest Virginia, where, he assumes, he can lie low and regroup. But things aren’t as bucolic and paradisical as they appear to be on the surface. The town is coal country, and the extremely high addiction rate to Oxycodone is one of the things Stone notices immediately. He grieves, too, for the loss of his friends and fellow members of the Camel Club. With his forced departure, it looks like the group will disband. But not so fast. When word gets out that a ruthless government employee is after Stone to kill him, the surviving members of the group come back together to protect their old friend.
This is a high-stakes high-stress book that will demand your involvement, and you’ll eagerly and freely get involved. So talented is Baldacci that he can gleefully guide you into the pit of hopelessness almost to the point where you’re inclined to shake your book player and exclaim out loud “this better not turn out like it looks like it will!” He then skillfully guides you in satisfying directions you hadn’t planned on at all.
To run, Stone makes a dramatic exit that involves some deep swimming in the Chesapeake Bay. Trust me, it’s a memorable way to begin a book! He ultimately settles on a small town in southwest Virginia, where, he assumes, he can lie low and regroup. But things aren’t as bucolic and paradisical as they appear to be on the surface. The town is coal country, and the extremely high addiction rate to Oxycodone is one of the things Stone notices immediately. He grieves, too, for the loss of his friends and fellow members of the Camel Club. With his forced departure, it looks like the group will disband. But not so fast. When word gets out that a ruthless government employee is after Stone to kill him, the surviving members of the group come back together to protect their old friend.
This is a high-stakes high-stress book that will demand your involvement, and you’ll eagerly and freely get involved. So talented is Baldacci that he can gleefully guide you into the pit of hopelessness almost to the point where you’re inclined to shake your book player and exclaim out loud “this better not turn out like it looks like it will!” He then skillfully guides you in satisfying directions you hadn’t planned on at all.
November 14, 2008
Baldacci really pulls out all the stops in this superb 4th book in his Camel Club series. I liked this book a lot more than the last book in the series. In this novel, JOhn Carr, a super killer, but now much older, has just assassinated two government officials who were directly involved in killing his wife and daughter, and is on the run. JOhn Knox is called in by Macklin Hayes, a brigadier general to try to find out who killed the two government officials.
So we have the hunt on for Carr as one part of the story. Meanwhile, the Camel Club is also hunting for Carr to help him.
Carr, however, has ended up in a small mining town which seems to be very affluent -- too affluent, with a series of murders of local townspeople. Carr, trying to help some people finds himself in the middle of a big mess down there, while he is being hunted by Knox.
Great fast read -- all nighter.
So we have the hunt on for Carr as one part of the story. Meanwhile, the Camel Club is also hunting for Carr to help him.
Carr, however, has ended up in a small mining town which seems to be very affluent -- too affluent, with a series of murders of local townspeople. Carr, trying to help some people finds himself in the middle of a big mess down there, while he is being hunted by Knox.
Great fast read -- all nighter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2025
Third installment of the Camel Club series with Oliver Stone. Good book with a fast pace. It helps to have read the previous two to understand some of the history and comments but this could also do well as a stand-alone.
November 30, 2022
We get a bit more background on the characters of the Camel Club. We also get to go to a corrupt small town in the middle of nowhere. John Knox is on the hunt for John Carr/Oliver Stone and the Camel Club go to help. The other books have built to this and the series continues.
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