The Camel Club

Four Washington D.C. outsiders — a man with a buried past, a congressional librarian, a computer savant, and a dockworker — accidentally witness a murder and are pulled into a real conspiracy threatening nuclear war. David Baldacci's real strength here is his ensemble: the Camel Club's misfit warmth gives a political thriller more heart than the genre usually delivers, and his command of the D.C. setting and post-9/11 atmosphere is convincing. Secret Service agent Alex Ford makes a capable official counterpart. The honest caveat is that experienced thriller readers may see the major twists coming, and the nuclear-war stakes push credibility in places. Still, for adult fans of political thrillers, this is a strong series opener. Contains action violence, assassinations, and adult themes; not appropriate for children.