The Camel Club
Reading Order.
Start The Camel Club by David Baldacci with "The Camel Club", then follow the publication sequence. This order preserves the intended narrative twists and world-building progression.
The Camel Club is a group of four diverse individuals—a former CIA assassin, an intelligence analyst, a rare book expert, and a savant—who act as political watchdogs, constantly searching for and investigating conspiracies within the U.S. government.
Reader's Guide
This series spans 5 main titles released between 2005 and 2010. For the best experience, we recommend following the Publication Order below to preserve key plot reveals.
Short Answer:
Start with "The Camel Club"
To experience the narrative as intended, read the main sequence in Publication Order.Ignore novellas and side stories until you finish the first 3 core novels. This resolves all timeline confusion and preserves every major twist.
Community Consensus
"The provided comments are overwhelmingly focused on systemic downvoting, hostility, and bigotry toward queer/progressive posts on a subreddit, and do not discuss 'The Camel Club' series or its reading order. The primary literary discussion, unrelated to 'The Camel Club,' focuses on the character FitzChivalry Farseer from Robin Hobb's series (Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies). Therefore, no consensus or advice on the reading order for 'The Camel Club' can be extracted."
No reading order advice for 'The Camel Club' is present in these comments.
At a Glance
- First Book:The Camel Club
- Latest Book:Hell's Corner
- Timeline:2005 - 2010
Why This Order Is Confusing
Many reading lists for The Camel Club conflict because early publishers often labeled short story collections as standalone novels, or rearranged internal chronologies for marketing. This guide follows original author intent and narrative continuity to settle the debate for good.
Can I skip the short stories?
Technically yes, but we strongly advise against it for The Camel Club. The shorter volumes often establish the core character motivations and world-building that the main saga assumes you already know.
I watched the show/movie first — where should I start?
Ignore the screen adaptations' timeline. Start with "The Camel Club" to see the original depth of the world. The books offer a significantly different (and usually more complete) experience than the on-screen versions.
Why do people disagree on the order?
Disagreement usually stems from the conflict between purely chronological order and publication order. Most long-term fans recommend publication order to preserve the emotional arc and mystery reveals.
Recommended Reading Order Strategy
The authoritative way to read the "The Camel Club" series is in Publication Order. Start with the first published book. It's the way the author intended the world to be revealed.This ensures you experience character reveals and plot twists exactly as the author intended.
Complete Series Reading Order
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Is it okay to skip books in the The Camel Club series?
We recommend ignoring novellas and short stories until you finish the core sequence. However, main sequence novels should never be skipped as they contain critical character development and plot progression.
What is the best order to read The Camel Club?
The final answer for the best experience is to start with "The Camel Club" and proceed in publication order. This sequence preserves character developments and plot reveals exactly as David Baldacci intended.
Can I read The Camel Club books in any order?
No. The main narrative is strictly sequential. Skipping volumes or reading out of order will lead to significant plot spoilers and confusion regarding character arcs.
Are there spin-offs or companion books?
Yes, the The Camel Club universe includes several companion works. These are marked as 'Optional' in our guide and can be read at any time without disrupting the main storyline.