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Oliver Stone has been trying to leave his military career behind for the past 30 years, but his former alias, John Carr, keeps popping up where it shouldn’t. He’s on the bad side of a government that wants him dead—that is, until they need him to pull off an impossible op.
The president calls Stone in, assuring him that all will be forgiven if he goes on one last mission. A Russian drug cartel is growing in strength, and the United States wants it stopped. Stone’s mission is to find the top guy, bring him down, and stay Russia’s rise to power. But Stone probably won’t survive this time out.
The night before he’s supposed to leave, a bomb explodes in front of the White House, and Stone is right there in the middle of it. Pulled off the Russian case, he begins to investigate an apparent attack on the president and possibly Britain’s prime minister. But the deeper he digs into the case, the more confused he becomes. The FBI, CIA, NIC, ATF, and MI6 all seem to be jerking him around—and he feels as if he’s losing his edge. The only people he can trust are his friends in the Camel Club—but he’d rather not drag them into a mission that might be the end of them, too.
How on Earth David Baldacci managed to keep from getting confused with his own plot twists while writing Hell’s Corner, I’ll never know. I thought I was going to go crazy trying to unravel this tangled knot of clues. But, man, what a way to entertain a reader! Each time I picked the book up, it was like returning to a complex puzzle that I was determined to solve. I even managed to put some things about the plot together, which totally satisfied me.
The clues and puzzles all build up to a climax that’s gripping and tense. It races up and leaves your heart frozen in fear and concern for the characters you’ve grown to love—and don’t want to part with.
Hell’s Corner is not for those who want a light, fluffy read or an easy-to-solve crime. You’ll need to put on your thinking cap and keep it plugged in as you read, or you’ll grow hopelessly lost. I, for one, found it an intriguing challenge.
With its many schemes, red herrings, and puzzling clues, Hell’s Corner is sure to keep you alert and interested right up to the volatile and unanticipated finish. David Baldacci plays a mean game of suspense, and Hell’s Corner is one of his best.
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