Review: Hell’s Corner (By David Baldacci)

     Hell’s Corner
Source: Goodreads

Length: 448 pages

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Camel Club is back in part five of David Baldacci’s gripping series. Oliver Stone is a man whose past is little known, a past that he wants to put behind him too. But when the President of the country he once served personally calls on him for a mission, Stone has little choice but to accept. But his responsibility is drastically altered before the mission even begins.

An attack on Lafayette Park, aimed at the British Prime Minister, leaves Stone in the middle of it all as he gets caught in the unexpected bombing. And Stone is given a new mission – to find the men responsible for an attack on one of the most secure places in the world. Partnered with Mary Chapman, an agent of the MI 6, Stone learns that things are very different than they seem… and no one is playing clean. So Stone turns to the Camel Club – the only people he can trust.

But the attack at Lafayette Park was just the beginning. And the Camel Club find themselves fighting against an enemy more powerful than they’d ever expected… and one that they are unable to recognize.

My take:

The fifth part of the Camel Club series, Hell’s Corner is a good, engaging read, but one that was just short of four stars.

David Baldacci spins out another smooth tale with Oliver Stone, the assassin you have to love. True to his character, Oliver is flawed yet just, and looking for his own redemption. This book shows him to be just that.

The story was engaging, one that kept you guessing till the very end. Unfortunately, the guessing did get a bit cumbersome at times. With so many things happening, you tend to feel a little lost. You do catch up  with everything eventually, but it does require some effort to continue reading when you are that lost. David Baldacci has proved that he can spin an extremely unpredictable tale. But at the same time, he fails to maintain the unpredictability throughout the plot. There were instances that were too obvious, leaving me a little bored with the amount of time it took the characters to figure it out.

Action-wise, the book is great. It has great dialogue, great narration and some pretty interesting action sequences – all aspects of a Baldacci novel that will keep you turning the pages. The story revolves entirely around Oliver Stone, even when he’s not in the picture, who carries the story along really well.

Given the amount of tacit knowledge implied, this book is definitely written as one of a series, and not one that you can start the series with. But if you have followed the Camel Club, then Hell’s Corner is not one that you want to miss. All in all, Hell’s Corner was a read that cannot be described as unputdownable, but one that is definitely unmissable. This book is a great read for anyone who likes political thrillers or suspense novels and anyone who likes Baldacci but hasn’t had a chance to turn to the series. And if you are yet to discover the Camel Club series, then you should hurry. This is not a series, or an author, you want to miss! Only point to remember – you need to begin the series right at the start!

– Rishika

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