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Editorial Reviews
Four United States presidents have been assassinated—in 1865, 1881, 1901, and 1963—each murder seemingly unrelated and separated by time.
But what if those presidents were all killed for the same reason: a clause in the United States Constitution—contained within Article 1, Section 8—that would shock Americans?
This question is what faces former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone in his latest adventure. When a bold assassination attempt is made against President Danny Daniels in the heart of Manhattan, Malone risks his life to foil the killing—only to find himself at dangerous odds with the Commonwealth, a secret society of pirates first assembled during the American Revolution. In their most perilous exploit yet, Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt race across the nation and take to the high seas. Along the way they break a secret cipher originally possessed by Thomas Jefferson, unravel a mystery concocted by Andrew Jackson, and unearth a centuries-old document forged by the Founding Fathers themselves, one powerful enough—thanks to that clause in the Constitution—to make the Commonwealth unstoppable.
From the Hardcover edition.
But what if those presidents were all killed for the same reason: a clause in the United States Constitution—contained within Article 1, Section 8—that would shock Americans?
This question is what faces former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone in his latest adventure. When a bold assassination attempt is made against President Danny Daniels in the heart of Manhattan, Malone risks his life to foil the killing—only to find himself at dangerous odds with the Commonwealth, a secret society of pirates first assembled during the American Revolution. In their most perilous exploit yet, Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt race across the nation and take to the high seas. Along the way they break a secret cipher originally possessed by Thomas Jefferson, unravel a mystery concocted by Andrew Jackson, and unearth a centuries-old document forged by the Founding Fathers themselves, one powerful enough—thanks to that clause in the Constitution—to make the Commonwealth unstoppable.
From the Hardcover edition.
Related Reviews
I have always loved Steve Berry's novels. I was disappointed after the last one, afraid that he had "sold out" to the popular practice of ramping up the publishing schedule and turning out mediocre, poorly conceived novels. "The Jefferson Key" does not disappoint. Berry is back with a fast paced, well constructed story that keeps the reader turning pages well into the night. Berry weaves a fascinationg story of modern day pirates into the American history of presidential assasinations. He does an excellent job of incorporating actual historical fact into his imaginative process and it is great to have Cotton Malone back on Americal soil. Full of action, suspense and intrigue - this is a great book to take to the beach this summer.
I was excited to receive and review this book. The cover was a hook and I was interested as I have read another book by Mr. Berry and it was great.
1) My advanced edition had three blurbs from authors David Baldacci, Vince Flynn and Brad Meltzer. I have read everything they have written and they raved about this book so I was ready to start.
2) The opening was interesting and hooked me. It had everything you would need. Two assassination attempts on President's, letters of Marque, and a cipher. The first few pages were good.
3) As the novel continues the backstory is explained both in past and present tense. I thought this was good as well. It helps give depth to the story. However, it was here that my attention started to wander. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I wasn't riveted.
4) About midway through the book I lost interest. I struggled to keep going. If this book hadn't been free, except for a requirement for this review, I would have moved on to the latest Dan Brown book I just got. As I continued, I attempted to figure out what was causing the problem.
5) With about 100 pages to go I figured it out. Too many quick cuts in the story. The story be in one location and then cut to another character somewhere else, and then cut to another, and then another. Now I realize every book does this, but this work did it faster then any book I have read in awhile. Sometimes there were only a few sentences and then we were off to another location.
6) The hook was great, the backstory was solid, the characters were reasonable. Quick cuts killed this book for me.
1) My advanced edition had three blurbs from authors David Baldacci, Vince Flynn and Brad Meltzer. I have read everything they have written and they raved about this book so I was ready to start.
2) The opening was interesting and hooked me. It had everything you would need. Two assassination attempts on President's, letters of Marque, and a cipher. The first few pages were good.
3) As the novel continues the backstory is explained both in past and present tense. I thought this was good as well. It helps give depth to the story. However, it was here that my attention started to wander. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I wasn't riveted.
4) About midway through the book I lost interest. I struggled to keep going. If this book hadn't been free, except for a requirement for this review, I would have moved on to the latest Dan Brown book I just got. As I continued, I attempted to figure out what was causing the problem.
5) With about 100 pages to go I figured it out. Too many quick cuts in the story. The story be in one location and then cut to another character somewhere else, and then cut to another, and then another. Now I realize every book does this, but this work did it faster then any book I have read in awhile. Sometimes there were only a few sentences and then we were off to another location.
6) The hook was great, the backstory was solid, the characters were reasonable. Quick cuts killed this book for me.
I want to like it but it is really hard. Just doesn't flow and so improbable (I know all of these type books are improbable but this is really a stretch IMHO.) I WILL finish it but at the 25% point I will have to be really bored to do so.
I am going to make a cautious prediction here and say that THE JEFFERSON KEY may well be the Thriller of the Year. I know we're not even halfway through 2011, and many of the usual stalwarts have yet to be heard from. But Steve Berry's latest novel will be the standard by which those will be judged. This book has, in a word, everything.
Berry performs a bit of a change-up here, bringing his Cotton Malone franchise back to the United States from Amsterdam and, in the process, keeping him within the borders of the U.S. for almost the entire length of the book. Accordingly, there is none of the usual globe-trotting that is part-and-parcel to a Cotton Malone adventure, and, for that matter, not much continent-trotting either. Malone is pretty much confined to three or four cities and...well, I won't tell, but odds are you have visited at least one or two of the spots where Malone gets things going, even if you aren't particularly well-traveled.
Bibliophiles will be glad to hear that Malone's Amsterdam bookstore does not get blown up or set afire even once during THE JEFFERSON KEY. Instead, Malone gets suckered --- twice --- within the space of the first several pages, all in the course of what has the potential to be a history-altering event. This event is put into place by a shadowy group known as the Commonwealth: a gang of four who have existed since the early days of the United States and are, to some extent, responsible for the fact that there even is a United States. The U.S., in turn, has enabled the Commonwealth to operate with impunity --- first as privateers, then as pirates --- thanks to a letter, or "marque," issued by the Founding Fathers. This letter was derived from a provision in the Constitution, in spite of the efforts of a number of presidents whose terms of office were suddenly and violently terminated.
Several entities --- some with government approval, others without --- are now seeking the original document. They include the President of the United States and the Commonwealth itself, as well as the head of a U.S. intelligence organization that wants more power. However, finding the authorizing document will not be easy. President Andrew Jackson, seeking to terminate the authority of the Commonwealth, hid the original document and went to his grave with the knowledge of its whereabouts. The only clue to its location is a cipher originally owned by Thomas Jefferson, which has never been broken. Until now.
Malone is caught in the middle of the hunt, racing against time and a powerful organization that has changed the history of not only the United States, but also the world --- more than once --- and is now seeking to bring the current President to his knees.
THE JEFFERSON KEY consists of one of those all-too-rare narratives that is full of substance, yet picks you up and carries you along so quickly that you are almost disappointed when the party --- full of explosions, karate and revelations --- is over. Berry very skillfully makes this happen by way of rapid-fire shifts of scene and point of view, with something important, exciting and/or dangerous happening in each one. There is quite simply no good place to stop reading once you've started.
Berry also provides the best "Writer's Note" that one is likely to encounter in a thriller, taking a step-by-step tour through the novel in order to distinguish historical fantasy from reality. Throw in an ending line that will have those with fertile minds howling, and you have a book that's impossible not to love from first page to last.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Berry performs a bit of a change-up here, bringing his Cotton Malone franchise back to the United States from Amsterdam and, in the process, keeping him within the borders of the U.S. for almost the entire length of the book. Accordingly, there is none of the usual globe-trotting that is part-and-parcel to a Cotton Malone adventure, and, for that matter, not much continent-trotting either. Malone is pretty much confined to three or four cities and...well, I won't tell, but odds are you have visited at least one or two of the spots where Malone gets things going, even if you aren't particularly well-traveled.
Bibliophiles will be glad to hear that Malone's Amsterdam bookstore does not get blown up or set afire even once during THE JEFFERSON KEY. Instead, Malone gets suckered --- twice --- within the space of the first several pages, all in the course of what has the potential to be a history-altering event. This event is put into place by a shadowy group known as the Commonwealth: a gang of four who have existed since the early days of the United States and are, to some extent, responsible for the fact that there even is a United States. The U.S., in turn, has enabled the Commonwealth to operate with impunity --- first as privateers, then as pirates --- thanks to a letter, or "marque," issued by the Founding Fathers. This letter was derived from a provision in the Constitution, in spite of the efforts of a number of presidents whose terms of office were suddenly and violently terminated.
Several entities --- some with government approval, others without --- are now seeking the original document. They include the President of the United States and the Commonwealth itself, as well as the head of a U.S. intelligence organization that wants more power. However, finding the authorizing document will not be easy. President Andrew Jackson, seeking to terminate the authority of the Commonwealth, hid the original document and went to his grave with the knowledge of its whereabouts. The only clue to its location is a cipher originally owned by Thomas Jefferson, which has never been broken. Until now.
Malone is caught in the middle of the hunt, racing against time and a powerful organization that has changed the history of not only the United States, but also the world --- more than once --- and is now seeking to bring the current President to his knees.
THE JEFFERSON KEY consists of one of those all-too-rare narratives that is full of substance, yet picks you up and carries you along so quickly that you are almost disappointed when the party --- full of explosions, karate and revelations --- is over. Berry very skillfully makes this happen by way of rapid-fire shifts of scene and point of view, with something important, exciting and/or dangerous happening in each one. There is quite simply no good place to stop reading once you've started.
Berry also provides the best "Writer's Note" that one is likely to encounter in a thriller, taking a step-by-step tour through the novel in order to distinguish historical fantasy from reality. Throw in an ending line that will have those with fertile minds howling, and you have a book that's impossible not to love from first page to last.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
I loved this book as I have all of Steve Berry's previous books. Yes, it was a little different from the others but it had what I like about his stories-Just enough historical truth to make it possible.
I really like the main character, Cotton Malone, and the recurring characters are wonderful as well.
My favorite Steve Berry book is still the first one I read-The Amber Room. If you haven't read this one, give it a try.
I really like the main character, Cotton Malone, and the recurring characters are wonderful as well.
My favorite Steve Berry book is still the first one I read-The Amber Room. If you haven't read this one, give it a try.
Bought book on first day. as usual when I saw it was Steve Berry. Alas, I was disappointed. Choppy and confusing.
History and fiction make this a fun read.
Steve Berry does a great job of combining fact and fiction to create Cotton Malone's most exciting adventure yet. Anyone who has read Berry's other books will love this one, I could not put my Kindle down once I started to read.
In my opinion, this is Steve's best yet. My attention was grabbed from the first four pages. Once again Mr. Berry you fail to disappoint. Thank you and keep 'em comin!
brilliant exhilarating thriller
Stephanie Nelle leaves a mysterious message for former Justice Department field operative Cotton Malone to meet her in New York immediately. Not one to ignore a summons from his former boss, Malone and his beloved Cassiopeia Vitt shut down their Copenhagen book store to fly to the States.
In Manhattan, Malone observes an assassination attempt on President Danny Daniels, but intercedes this saving the life of POTUS. However, the Secret Service assumes he is the assassin and attacks him. He soon finds himself in further danger from the Commonwealth Society who has enforced Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution several times with four of them successful in 1865, 1881, 1901 and 1963. Malone learns of a Jeffersonian cipher deployed by Jackson after a failed assault but unused since. Meanwhile he and Vitt struggle to survive as Commonwealth Quartermaster Clifford Knox stalks them. The fugitive pair finds historical evidence of the intent of the Founding Fathers in ratifying that particular clause as the runaways are considered the traitors and the Commonwealth has the highest law in the land behind them.
This is a brilliant exhilarating thriller that uses the Constitution and American history to frame a great tale that will have readers hooked throughout. After spending time overseas (see The Paris Vendetta and The Emperor's Tomb), Malone comes home only to be caught in the crosshairs of a secret powerful group applying Article 1 Section 8: "The Congress shall have the Power to ... grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules on concerning Captures on Land and Water". Filled with stunning spins to American history, fast-paced from the opening 1835 Jackson assassination attempt to the final denouement, The Jefferson Key will be on the short list for best thriller of the year.
Harriet Klausner
In Manhattan, Malone observes an assassination attempt on President Danny Daniels, but intercedes this saving the life of POTUS. However, the Secret Service assumes he is the assassin and attacks him. He soon finds himself in further danger from the Commonwealth Society who has enforced Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution several times with four of them successful in 1865, 1881, 1901 and 1963. Malone learns of a Jeffersonian cipher deployed by Jackson after a failed assault but unused since. Meanwhile he and Vitt struggle to survive as Commonwealth Quartermaster Clifford Knox stalks them. The fugitive pair finds historical evidence of the intent of the Founding Fathers in ratifying that particular clause as the runaways are considered the traitors and the Commonwealth has the highest law in the land behind them.
This is a brilliant exhilarating thriller that uses the Constitution and American history to frame a great tale that will have readers hooked throughout. After spending time overseas (see The Paris Vendetta and The Emperor's Tomb), Malone comes home only to be caught in the crosshairs of a secret powerful group applying Article 1 Section 8: "The Congress shall have the Power to ... grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules on concerning Captures on Land and Water". Filled with stunning spins to American history, fast-paced from the opening 1835 Jackson assassination attempt to the final denouement, The Jefferson Key will be on the short list for best thriller of the year.
Harriet Klausner
Here we have a book filled with secret agents, pirates, beautiful women, heros, sort of heros and a few idiots. The scenes are those of comic books, without drawimngs to identify the characters. The pace is fast, thriller level stuff, but reality substance is lacking. There's not a single level of reality or probability, despite the history involved...contrived to make history fit a very bare plot...more spinning of unreal action and unreal decisions within an unreal story.
A disappointment. I have come to expect better of Steve Berry. This book is a waste, the plot quite dim, and the writing is terrible.
I read 3 or more books a week by many different authors. I have read other Steve Berry novels but I must say that this is the worst book I have ever read. The plots are not only not believable, they are impossible. You have 3 government agencies that are running amog and the president, congress, every other authority in the US is powerless to affect their actions. Come on. This is just plain nonsense. I have never written a review before but I could not let this go by without comment. Save your money. A comic book would have a better story line then this trash.
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