Stone Cold ~ David Baldacci

Funk Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Once you set aside the general silliness of the plotline, this is a well written book. Good characters (although I suspect you'd want to know them from the prior stories) and some page-turning action. For me, it was the last 50 pages that brought it all together and made it an 8.5. There is real emotion and storytelling in this story, and while it's a little trumped up, it's much better than I originally feared.

Oliver Stone and his band of misfits are back together again. But this time there are some real wrongs to be righted and some bad, terrible history that needs to get re-written. I'm not sure how long Baldacci can (or should) keep these characters around, but he made this one work for me. With a decidely wicked and oh-so-justified conclusion of revenge. That said, the price paid prior to that conclusion was pretty high. Oh, did I mention there are two major plotlines that fulfill the comments of this paragraph? And yet a 3rd plotline deftly woven in that is a little light on the conclusion but still well done?

If you've liked the prior Camel Club series, this does not disappoint. It has earned its #1 spot on NYT Hardcover Bestsellers...