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In our nation's capital, a motley band of four men, highly intelligent and decidedly un-mainstream, hold regular meetings of what they affectionately call The Camel Club. They have no clubhouse, no regular agenda, and no real organization. Their discussions range far and wide, most politically focused, all well-considered and thoroughly provocative. "[America] needs to recognize that there are many ways to be free. I fear that we still see the only way to resolve things is our way."
One night, they watch in silent horror as a pair of men dump a body and pump a bullet into it. Believing that their word would be given little credence, the quartet avoids going to the authorities, opting instead to track down the gunmen themselves. But the trail they follow leads them to a whole lot more than a mere homicide.
Oliver Stone, the de facto head of the Club, leads a simple life as cemetery caretaker and government protester. Oliver is a man who shed his name decades ago in favor of one whose most famous holder espouses views this Oliver aligns himself with. An official permit gives him the right to a tent space across from the White House, where he can champion his causes on placards. Oliver is an observer. He knows much of the comings and goings of the leaders of the greatest nation in the free world. But what he is seeing now is disturbing him more than ever.
Fortunately, Oliver has an unlikely ally in Secret Service Agent Alex Ford. While the Secret Service turns a blind eye to the import of this murder and a couple of other seemingly unconnected deaths, Alex jumps in with both eyes wide open. Joining forces with the Camel Club takes a while to work out, but once he does, a bold plan is smoothly choreographed. If they don't work to stop who's behind this plot, they know the consequences could be cataclysmic.
Consider this: if you believed that the world was heading in a direction that could bring about humanity's complete destruction, what would you do? A good place to begin would seem to lie with the President of the United States, arguably the most powerful person on Earth.
One man believes so passionately in the need for immediate radical change that he sets in motion a plot against President Brennan. But this isn't just the same trite assassination plot. Much more is involved. Much, much more. So, are the reasons behind the plot altruistic, personal or something more devious? As the story unfolds, betrayal at some very high levels is uncovered and heroes are found in some surprising areas.
The members of the Camel Club will charm you as much as they will challenge your opinions. "...what happens when you have a country that was artificially created by a colonial power, jamming three distinct and incompatible groups into one boundary. A one-size-fits-all democracy is not an effective foreign policy when you're dealing with such different cultures." Or, "Did you really think you would waltz in and save the Iraqis and everything would be peaceful? ...One cannot bomb people into a democracy. That comes from the ground up, not the sky down."
In the midst of the characters' debates about right and wrong, Agent Ford fights to save his job, his new love, and ultimately his life, just as Oliver Stone and the Camel Club fight to puzzle out the answer to what happened to President Brennan.
With an utterly relentless pace, David Baldacci maps out a course with more twists and turns than a good autocross circuit. This is one scary book.
--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers
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