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The Book of Lies [Hardcover]

Brad Meltzer (Author)
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)


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Book Description

September 2, 2008



Brad Meltzer--author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Book of Fate--returns with his most thrilling and emotionally powerful novel to date.


In Chapter Four of the Bible, Cain kills Abel. It is the world's most famous murder. But the Bible is silent about one key detail: the weapon Cain used to kill his brother. That weapon is still lost to history.

In 1932, Mitchell Siegel was killed by three gunshots to his chest. While mourning, his son dreamed of a bulletproof man and created the world's greatest hero: Superman. And like Cain's murder weapon, the gun used in this unsolved murder has never been found.

Until now.

Today in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Cal Harper comes face-to-face with his family's greatest secret: his long-lost father, who's been shot with a gun that traces back to Mitchell Siegel's 1932 murder. But before Cal can ask a single question, he and his father are attacked by a ruthless killer tattooed with the anicent markings of Cain. And so begins the chase for the world's first murder weapon.

What does Cain, history's greatest villain, have to do with Superman, the world's greatest hero? And what do two murders, committed thousands of years apart, have in common? This is the mystery at the heart of Brad Meltzer's riveting and utterly intriguing new thriller

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Meltzer (The Book of Fate) deserves credit for an audacious conceit—wedding the biblical fratricide of Abel by his brother Cain with the unsolved 1932 homicide of the father of Jerry Siegel, the creator of iconic comic book hero Superman—but the results are less than convincing. A highly tenuous link between the two murders revolves around the mysterious weapon Cain (the world's greatest villain) used to kill his brother. One of numerous theories is that the weapon was a divine book containing the secrets of immortality. After coming to the aid of a shooting victim, Calvin Harper, a homeless volunteer working in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., soon finds himself hopelessly caught up in a life-and-death quest for the ancient artifact that includes the obligatory secret societies, Nazi conspiracies, enigmatic villains and cryptographic riddles à la The Da Vinci Code. A glut of two-dimensional characters and a plot riddled with coincidences don't help. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Meltzer builds suspenseful fiction on a previously little-explored historical nugget: Jerry Siegel, the teenage creator of Superman, lost his father in an unsolved murder in 1932. The author offers a compelling theoretical solution by way of an adult protagonist who is dealing with his conflicted feelings about his own father. Cal works for a rescue mission, picking up vagrants in need of shelter, when he stumbles across a man who turns out to be the father who abandoned him in childhood. The two men join forces in pursuit of what they believe is the lost Book of Cain, the weapon used in the Bibles original murder scene. Meltzer invokes multiple viewpoints as Cal, his father, a mysterious young woman who seems to have befriended the father, a rogue ex-cop, and a hot Federal agent converge on Cleveland in search of the biblical treasure. Teens with a taste for international conspiracies, religion-spouting bad guys, and identity-switching will enjoy this fast ride that leaves some solid and intriguing questions in the wake of its driving plot. Suggest this one to kids who enjoy the likes of Dan Brown, as well as superhero comics.–Francisca Goldsmith, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (September 2, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 044657788X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0446577885
  • Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #297,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Questions from Readers for Brad Meltzer

Q
Brad I first was introduced to your work through your History Channel show. Being a college student who loves mysteries and comic books I was surprised to see your work with my DC Comics (my favorite comics)...Anyways I just finished reading Infinite...
JW Hamilton asked Jan 22, 2012
Author Answered

First, just marry me. I love all the people who have been trying out the books after watching the show. I will say, you can read the books in any order you want. Try The Inner Circle. And most important, thanks.

Brad Meltzer answered Jan 26, 2012

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
50 of 55 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I've been reading Brad Meltzer's books since the beginning and this was my least favorite by far. I'm not sure how he decided to combine the murder of the father of Superman's creator with the Biblical account of Cain and Abel, much less toss in a secret society that believes God gave Cain a powerful "book" that still exists. But he apparently got so excited he forgot to write a story that makes sense.

The characters are so busy running after each other, the clues and the Book that they don't stop to wonder if what they are doing makes sense. I think the author hoped his readers would do the same. But the more I read, the more things didn't make sense to me. Why would someone who should know better and has access to other guns shoot someone with a gun from a previous murder? And why did Ellis and his secret society need the clues they were chasing when they led to places they should have searched long before. There are more irritating things that didn't make sense but I don't want to give away the plot for those readers who are more willing to suspend skepticism to enjoy the book.

I enjoyed the book until it veered too far into woo-woo land and then I just wanted it to be done. Ultimately, it didn't work for me. At least the ending wasn't as ridiculous as I thought it might be. That's why I gave it 3 stars rather than 2.

I hope the author will go back to writing thrillers about "normal" things like greed, lust for power, corruption, revenge, etc. and forget the mystical stuff.

I recommend that fans of Brad Meltzer skip this book and re-read one of his earlier books.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Meltzer has a bad habit of giving his characters ungainly speeches and diatribes when they're in situations that would normally require immediacy. A parade of shallow, trite persons amble through the narrative: the estranged father, the angry abandoned son, the spunky single-mom cop, the emotionless assassin, etc., etc. The central plot concept could have been interesting, but here it's executed more like the novelization of a mediocre summer movie screenplay. Verdict - meh. Didn't throw it against the wall in frustration.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Maui H.S.
I didn't think Brad Meltzer could top my favorite novel of his, "The Zero Game". Brad Meltzer did. The Book of Lies kept me attached to the story, the plot, trying to figure out who is who, and the characters became real to me. I still think I will meet Cal on the street.
You will be hooked on the story from the beginning. Who is Ellis? What is Thule? Don't forget the Jewish hating Russians and Nazis. Figure out who is the Prophet. On your seat and trying to figure out the plot right to the end.
The Finish is EXCELLENT. It is the best ending any author could achieve. The treasure is treasure, but not what you believe it to be. It is the greatest prize and the greatest power on earth, but I doubt anyone could guess it. Way to go, Brad. You beat my favorite Zero Game down to second place. The Book of Lies is now my favorite Brad Meltzer novel.
If I could give this a six star instead of the limit five star, I would.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer
I just loved reading this book written by Brad Meltzer. This is my second book that I have read of his, it keeps you guesting all the time, I could not put this book down. Read more
Published 27 days ago by Frederick
Can Metzer write like Brown?
Here is how I think it went. Mr. Meltzer was pondering the success of the Da Vinci Code and said "I could write that book easily." And then he did. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Book Him Danno
Catch your breath
A gripping read from the beginning as the whole first half of the book is a chase as we wonder what is going on! Read more
Published 3 months ago by ellison
Great Book
Great story. I love conspiracy type stories and this one was amazing. Brad is my new favorite author. I've also come to love his DeCoded show on History Channel.
Published 3 months ago by Troy Stephens
Quick, Fun, like a Superman Comic
What a great concept. Linking the murderous story of Cain and Abel to the death of Mitchell Siegel during a robbery, and whose son then almost immediately created the most famous... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Dash Manchette
Excellent book
This is a great book, in perfect shape. Recieved in plenty of time for Christmas.
Thanks for the wonderful service.
Published 4 months ago by Charles Naud
Great Book in great condition!!! Delivery took too long
My husband LOVED the book! It was in great condition.It practically looked like it came off the shelf of any bookstore. The problem was delivery. Read more
Published 4 months ago by JPTeacher
The Book of Lies
Perhaps my view of this book was different because I was listening to the audio version while on a long road trip. Read more
Published 6 months ago by jac-bo-bac
Ho hum
Maybe my expectations were too high, but a NY Times Bestseller should deliver more than this. I know it's fantasy, but at every new plot twist, I could not help but think that... Read more
Published 7 months ago by T. C. Pile
Intriguing ideas - well researched
I ran across this book in a discounted book bin and picked it up for some evening reading. I was a bit concerned, because of all of the "anti-Christian" books purporting to have... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Roberta Karchner
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
missing child, dad blurts, crimson triangle, attic copy, lemme guess
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Jerry Siegel, Mitchell Siegel, Ann Maura, King Street, Alligator Alley, Thick Glasses, Book of Truth, Mark of Cain, Lloyd Harper, Clark Kent, Fort Lauderdale, Burger King, Action Comics, Naomi Molina, Cal Harper, Miss Deirdre, Social Security, Lois Lane, Michigan State Police, Joanne Siegel, Benny Ocala, White House, World War, Hong Kong, Ohio State Penitentiary
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