12 Best David Baldacci Books: Must-Read Classics

Crime and legal thriller author David Baldacci is known for his suspense-ridden novels. Here, we’ll take a book as some of his best David Baldacci books.

American writer David Baldacci is an attorney-turned-writer who uses his legal knowledge well. While he started writing as a young boy, he didn’t become a professional writer until he began practicing as a lawyer. In 1996, Baldacci published his bestseller Absolute Power, and today, the former lawyer is known for publishing 40 bestselling novels. So if you’re into can’t-put-it-down crime thrillers, you’ll want to add the best David Baldacci books to your Amazon wish list. Here, we’ll look at a few of the author’s most well-known novels from his most beloved series. It pairs nicely with this article about authors like David Baldacci.

Sean King & Michelle Maxwell Series

This New York Times bestselling series follows the work of Sean King & Michelle Maxwell, former Secret Service agents who decided to go into business for themselves as private investigators. Readers love following the pair as they work through solving rough mysteries and keeping the world safe from bad guys, whether they’re out-in-the-open enemies of the state or CIA and FBI agents turned against the U.S. government.

1. Split Second

Split Second

“A politician and his entourage on the campaign trail were like a herd of elephants: they could travel nowhere lightly. They stomped the earth until it hurt with the weight of the guards, chiefs of staff, spokespersons, speechwriters, publicity folks, gofers and others. It was a spectacle that if it didn’t make you laugh would at least cause you considerable worry about the future of the country.”

In the series’ first novel, readers are introduced to King and Maxwell as they work in Washington, D.C., as service agents protecting a presidential candidate. They both swear they’re not going to look away, but things happened so fast–as crime tends to do. Readers love this fast-paced introduction to their soon-to-be-favorite characters.

You might be interested in our guide on the best Dean Kootz books.

Split Second (King & Maxwell Series, 1)
  • Used Book in Good Condition
  • Baldacci, David (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 528 Pages - 05/28/2013 (Publication Date) - Grand Central Publishing (Publisher)

2. Hour Game

Hour Game

“Technically, I’m right up there, I think. But the really great artists have something—I don’t think anyone can really quantify it—that I don’t. But that’s okay. I’m happy with”

King and Maxwell are working to defend a client’s innocence and find themselves roped into a hunt for a serial killer on the loose. As you follow their adventures, you’ll find yourself on a wild trail that leads to one crime after another.

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Hour Game (King & Maxwell Series, 2)
  • Baldacci, David (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 512 Pages - 03/25/2014 (Publication Date) - Grand Central Publishing (Publisher)

3. Simple Genius

Simple Genius

“People who attempted to end their lives, no matter how amateurishly they might do so at first, often got better at it, with the result that on the third, fourth or sixth try, they ended up on a slab with a coroner poking around their remains.”

At home in Washington again, Maxwell and King are working together to investigate a murder in the third installment in the series. Then, they begin an FBI agent-esque quest to decode a world full of secrets, violence, and spies as they work together to keep the country safe from a threat to national security.

Check out our round-up of the best Sidney Shelton books.

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Simple Genius (King & Maxwell Series, 3)
  • Baldacci, David (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 448 Pages - 03/25/2014 (Publication Date) - Grand Central Publishing (Publisher)

4. First Family

First Family

“I guess it comes down to greed. You don’t pay folks, you make more money. That and thinking one race wasn’t as good as another.”

There’s nothing more terrifying to a parent than the idea of a child getting kidnapped, and that’s exactly what King and Maxwell are up against in this part of the series. The pair are called to a Camp David kidnapping where they work to help return a child to their parents, despite nefarious attacks on their good deeds from all angles.

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5. The Sixth Man

The Sixth Man

“Life is not fair any way you cut it, Michelle. You know that and I know that. We’ve lived that stuff too often to recognize it any other way.”

In the fifth book of the King and Maxwell series, the pair are hired to defend Edgar Roy, an alleged serial killer. As they work to uncover the truth, they’re met with problems from all angles, including frustrating dead ends, lies from those they thought they could trust, and people in the government who misuse their power.

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The Sixth Man (King & Maxwell Series, 5)
  • Baldacci, David (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 432 Pages - 09/06/2011 (Publication Date) - Grand Central Publishing (Publisher)

6. King And Maxwell

King And Maxwell (1)

“We’ve apparently come a long way since the 1966 Mustang,” added Michelle. “I drove my brother’s hand-me-down in college. It had something called an eight-track player.”

In the final installment in the King and Maxwell series, the pair work together to learn more about a soldier killed while serving in Afghanistan. While the case seems straightforward, they find more to the story than they initially thought. King and Maxwell work to discover family secrets and find their own lives in danger as they begin to discover the truth about the patriot’s untimely death.

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King and Maxwell (King & Maxwell Series, 6)
  • Baldacci, David (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 448 Pages - 03/25/2014 (Publication Date) - Grand Central Publishing (Publisher)

Camel Club Series

This series offers readers the chance to follow the adventures of four friends who work to uncover the deep secrets of the United States government. Readers love reading about Oliver Stone, Milton Farb, Caleb Shaw, and Reuben Rhodes work with con artists, government agents, and other unlikely helpers to discover what’s happening behind the scenes of the nation’s capital.

1. The Camel Club

The Camel Club

“My God, the whole world is collapsing. Why can’t people just sit and read books and be nice to each other?”

In the first installment of the Camel Club series, the group witnesses a murder that has the potential to change their lives forever. Together, the foursome becomes enthralled with solving the mystery around the murder, leading them to a previously unthinkable conspiracy theory. Readers watch as the Camel Club works to make peace prevail–if they fail, a world war is likely.

The Camel Club (Camel Club Series)
  • Baldacci, David (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 624 Pages - 09/01/2006 (Publication Date) - Vision (Publisher)

2. The Collectors

The Collectors

“Everything should collect something…it just made you feel more alive and connected to the world.”

In the second book in the Camel Club series, readers watch the quartet discover that someone in the government is selling secrets to the enemy. The group calls on the help of Annabelle Conroy, a renowned con artist, to help them get to the bottom of the mystery. Together, the Camel Club and Conroy uncover one secret after another, leading them into a world of spies, murder, and international secrets.

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The Collectors (Camel Club Series)
  • Baldacci, David (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 544 Pages - 09/01/2007 (Publication Date) - Grand Central Publishing (Publisher)

3. Stone Cold

Stone Cold

“Find something to believe in, Carter, other than your work. Because when you leave this life, you leave work behind. If that’s all you have, then you have nothing. And eternity is a long time for nothing.”

In this mystery novel, readers get to spend more time learning about Annabelle Conroy as she’s hunted by someone she conned. The Camel Club works to protect Conroy but worries that they may not have what it takes to keep her safe from the person she wronged. Readers toy with the ideas of good and evil throughout this novel and may wonder if they’d have what it takes to save a friend in a challenging situation.

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Stone Cold
  • Audible Audiobook
  • David Baldacci (Author) - Ron McLarty (Narrator)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 02/07/2017 (Publication Date) - Hachette Audio (Publisher)

4. Divine Justice

Divine Justice

“Important man, they say. Lot of important men in this world. But they die just like the rest of us. God’s way of making life fair.”

In previous Camel Club novels, readers only knew him by Oliver Stone–but in this installment in the series, they get to know his truth. His actual name is John Carr, and finally, he’s gotten rid of two of the men who made him stay hidden for years. Unfortunately, Carr’s shots at justice make the government go haywire, searching for the person responsible.

Thankfully, the members of the Club have a friend behind the scenes who works to keep Carr safe. But, as the quartet moves from Washington to the hills of Divine, Virginia, they’re constantly concerned about who may be on their tail.

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Divine Justice
  • Audible Audiobook
  • David Baldacci (Author) - Ron McLarty (Narrator)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 11/04/2008 (Publication Date) - Hachette Audio (Publisher)

5. Hell’s Corner

Hell's Corner

“There was a time when Stone would have rated a platoon of crackerjack killers coming for him by land, sea and air. Those days apparently were over. A quartet of suits in a Cadillac on steroids was enough.”

This novel opens with Carr (formerly known as Oliver Stone) standing in front of the White House, as the president has requested his help on a secret mission. While Carr no longer wanted to be involved in government espionage, he had no choice but to come to the president’s aid. As Carr stands in Lafayette Park in front of the White House, he watches the motorcade of another foreign leader fade into the distance–and then, a bomb goes off.

Government leaders are frantic, working to discover who was behind the unfortunate attack. British agent begins to work with Carr to determine who is responsible for the bombing, and they find that their mission is far more dangerous than they initially imagined.

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Hell's Corner
  • Audible Audiobook
  • David Baldacci (Author) - Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy (Narrators)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 11/09/2010 (Publication Date) - Hachette Audio (Publisher)

6. Bullseye

Bullseye

“Money is just a means to an end. It shouldn’t be the goal.”

Readers love that this fast-paced final installment in the Camel Club series still provides plenty of time to learn everything they need about the characters, with questions answered one after another. However, this short story is different from the novels in the series. It provides readers with a short tale about how Oliver Stone and the rest of the Camel Club get stuck trying to save themselves from Will Robie (from the Will Robie series), a talented government assassin. In the story, Stone and Robie are taken hostage together during a bank robbery gone wrong. They’re both left wondering whether they were taken by accident–or if there’s a plan far more complicated than a bank robbery at work.

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Bullseye: An Original Will Robie/Camel Club Short Story
  • Audible Audiobook
  • David Baldacci (Author) - Ron McLarty (Narrator)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 02/04/2014 (Publication Date) - Hachette Audio (Publisher)

Interested in learning more? Check out our round-up of the best Agatha Christie books!

What is considered David Baldacci’s best book?

Goodreads readers rank Memory Man, the first book in the Amos Decker series, as the top book by the author. Absolute Power is also ranked high, as are The Innocent and The Camel Club.

Author

  • Amanda has an M.S.Ed degree from the University of Pennsylvania in School and Mental Health Counseling and is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer. She has experience writing magazine articles, newspaper articles, SEO-friendly web copy, and blog posts.

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