Hell's Corner - David Baldacci - 4 Stars

[Olivermagnus]

Oliver Stone is back in David Baldacci's final Camel Club novel, Hell's Corner. Oliver is asked back into service by the President, but on the way there he is nearly killed in a bombing very close to the White House. Since he was almost one of the casualties, Oliver decides to find out who was nearly able to kill both the President and the British prime minister in this presumed terrorist attack.

The next day, he gets a new partner from Britian’s MI6 named Mary Chapman. What follows is a very complex plot line involving Mexican druglords, Russian cartels, spies, and a traitor.

Despite the solid pacing and interesting angle, I missed the rest of the Camel Club members. They eventually join the hunt, but very minimally. There's a ton of new characters, none of them quite as interesting. What makes the series so wonderful is the eclectic mix of characters in the Camel Club who are so loyal to one another.

The story was not mesmerizing, especially the first half. Stone, the most revered assassin in U.S. history, made lots of errors. He doesn't ever make tactical mistakes so I found this a bit unbelievable.

The Camel Club is a great series and, while this had a convoluted ending, it was still very good. This isn't a series that can be read out of order but it's filled with great moments. I definitely recommend starting with The Camel Club and enjoy these fabulous characters.