The Collectors - Book Review

The Collectors
By David Baldacci
Hachette Books
2006


This is an action and adventure novel, and I read it because it involves a very rare book and the Library of Congress. Well in the end I got plenty of action inside the Library of Congress, but I was somewhat disappointed with the lack of details about the rare book.

The Camel Club is a group of friends, regarded as misfits by society. They live in Washington DC. The leader of this club is Oliver Stone (not his real name) who used to be an agency man and a trained assassin.

This club has a friend - Jonathan deHaven - who owns an original Bay Psalm book. Jonathan works at the Library of Congress in the reading room. It is his job to collect books requested by the public (who can read them but not remove them) and then to refile them on the shelves again.

Jonathan is murdered and his friends have no idea why. He died in the Library of Congress and the club decide to find out why and how he was killed.

The bulk of the story is of the club chasing down killers, neighbors, spies and swindlers. Eventually the club uncover a spy group that the FBI have not been able to locate.

As for the Psalm Bay Book, well that involves another small twist as well.

I actually enjoyed this book, but would have loved to have learnt more about the Bay Psalm Book.