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The President's Shadow (The Culper Ring Series, 2) Hardcover – June 16, 2015
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A lethal message with terrible consequences for the Presidency.
And a hidden secret in one family's past that will have repercussions for the entire nation.
Following The Inner Circle and The Fifth Assassin, #1 bestselling author Brad Meltzer returns with . . .
The President's Shadow
There are stories no one knows. Hidden stories. I find those stories for a living.
To most, it looks like Beecher White has an ordinary job. A young staffer with the National Archives in Washington, D.C., he's responsible for safekeeping the government's most important documents . . . and, sometimes, its most closely held secrets.
But there are a powerful few who know his other role. Beecher is a member of the Culper Ring, a 200-year-old secret society founded by George Washington and charged with protecting the Presidency. Now the current occupant of the White House needs the Culper Ring's help. The alarming discovery of the buried arm has the President's team in a rightful panic. Who buried the arm? How did they get past White House security? And most important: What's the message hidden in the arm's closed fist? Indeed, the puzzle inside has a clear intended recipient, and it isn't the President. It's Beecher, himself.
Beecher's investigation will take him back to one of our country's greatest secrets and point him toward the long, carefully hidden truth about the most shocking history of all: family history.
- Print length416 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherGrand Central Publishing
- Publication dateJune 16, 2015
- Dimensions6.5 x 1.5 x 9.38 inches
- ISBN-109780446553933
- ISBN-13978-0446553933
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Numerous plot strands, multiple narrative perspectives, divided loyalties, a Devil's Island labor-camp nightmare from the past, and a psychotic killer add up to another chilling adventure from plotmaster Meltzer. A strong addition to the genre and a sure bet for the David Baldacci and James Grippando set, this is a high-energy page-turner, full of shocking violence and unrelenting peril: a stay-up-all-night nail-biter." ―Booklist
"Meltzer's masterful storytelling skills...keep his readers wondering until the last word."―Fort Worth Star Telegram (4 stars)
"His energetic storytelling...always keeps readers engaged." ―Detroit Free Press
"Electrifying...Meltzer's character development is particularly superb in this book." ―The Dallas News
"A taut political conspiracy thriller... Readers will find it difficult to put this quick-paced page-turner down as they get pulled into the maze of deceit, intrigue, and conspiracy."―Library Journal
"The author of DC's best thrillers." ―Washingtonian
"Energetic storytelling...keeps the reader's interest. Meltzer sprinkles little-known tidbits about U.S. and presidential history throughout. Nothing seems too farfetched...because even the most outlandish detail is based on fact....THE PRESIDENT'S SHADOW is a welcome return to Meltzer's thriller roots." ―Sun-Sentinel (FL)
"Fans of historical conspiracy fiction will find a lot to like."―Publishers Weekly
"All of Brad's books are a fascinating read. He is a great storyteller who keeps all of us on the edge of our seats."―President George H.W. Bush
"[Meltzer] is an architect. His structures are towering , intricate, elegant, and surprising -- but always grounded in humanity and logic."―Joss Whedon
About the Author
He is also the host of Brad Meltzer's Decoded on the History Channel, and Brad Meltzer's Lost History on H2. He currently lives in Florida. You can find much more about him at BradMeltzer.com. You can also see what he's doing right now at Facebook.com/BradMeltzer and on Twitter @bradmeltzer.
Product details
- ASIN : 044655393X
- Publisher : Grand Central Publishing; 1st Edition (June 16, 2015)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 416 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780446553933
- ISBN-13 : 978-0446553933
- Item Weight : 1.3 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.38 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #664,237 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,280 in Conspiracy Thrillers (Books)
- #3,426 in Political Thrillers (Books)
- #14,346 in Murder Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inner Circle, The Book of Fate, and nine other bestselling thrillers including The Tenth Justice, The First Counsel, The Millionaires, and The President’s Shadow. His most recent book, The Escape Artist, debuted at #1 on the bestseller list. His non-fiction book, The First Conspiracy, is about a real life secret plot to kill George Washington and is out now. And his upcoming book is The Lincoln Conspiracy, about a FIRST secret plot to kill Abraham Lincoln.
In addition to his fiction, Brad is one of the only authors to ever have books on the bestseller list for Non-Fiction (History Decoded), Advice (Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter), Children’s Books (I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln) and even comic books (Justice League of America), for which he won the prestigious Eisner Award.
He is also the host of Brad Meltzer’s Lost History on H2 and Brad Meltzer’s Decoded on the History Channel. The Hollywood Reporter recently put him on their list of Hollywood’s 25 Most Powerful Authors.
Brad is also responsible for helping find the missing 9/11 flag that the firefighters raised at Ground Zero, making national news on the 15th anniversary of 9/11. Using his TV show, Brad Meltzer's Lost History, he told the story of the missing flag and asked Americans for their help in returning it. Four days later, a former Marine walked into a fire station in Everett, Washington, said he saw Meltzer's TV show, and now wanted to return the flag. Meltzer recently unveiled the flag at the 9/11 Museum in New York, where it is now on display. See the video here.
For sure, it’s tough to find anyone being so successful in so many different mediums of the popular culture. But why does Brad thrive in all these different professions? His belief that ordinary people change the world. It is that core belief that runs through every one of his projects.
His newest thriller, The Escape Artist, introduces Nola and Zig, brand new characters in a setting that will blow your mind (you won't believe where the government let Brad go). For now, we'll say this: Nola is dead. Everyone says she's dead. But Jim "Zig" Zigarowski just found out the truth: Nola is alive. And on the run. Together, Nola and Zig will reveal a centuries old secret that traces back the greatest escape artist of all: Harry Houdini. The Escape Artist arrives in March 2018.
His illustrated children’s books I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln were written for his own children, to give them better heroes to look up to. Try them. You won’t believe how inspired you and your family will be. The next in the series will be I am Leonardo da Vinci (April). A TV show based on the series just debuted on PBS: Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum.
His other non-fiction books, Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter, are collections of heroes – from Jim Henson to Sally Ride — that he’s been working on since the day his kids were born and is on sale now, as well as History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time.
He’s also one of the co-creators of the TV show, Jack & Bobby.
Raised in Brooklyn and Miami, Brad is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School. The Tenth Justice was his first published work and became an instant New York Times bestseller. Dead Even followed a year later and also hit the New York Times bestseller list, as have all eight of his novels. The First Counsel came next, which was about a White House lawyer dating the President’s daughter, then The Millionaires, which was about two brothers who steal money and go on the run. The Zero Game is about two Congressional staffers who are – literally – gambling on Congress. The Book of Fate, is about a young presidential aide, a crazed assassin, and the 200 year-old code created by Thomas Jefferson that ties them together. For authenticity, The Book of Fate, was researched with the help of former Presidents Clinton and Bush. The Book of Lies, is about the missing murder weapon that Cain used to kill Abel, as well as the unsolved murder of Superman creator Jerry Siegel’s father. Brad is one of the only people to interview Jerry Siegel’s family about the murder and, with his charitable site www.OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.com, has been the driving force behind the movement to repair the house where Superman was created.
His book The Inner Circle (and its sequels, The Fifth Assassin and The President’s Shadow) is based the idea that George Washington’s personal spy ring still exists today. A young archivist in the National Archives finds out the spy ring is still around. He doesn’t know who they work for — but the greatest secret of the Presidency is about to be revealed. While researching the book, former President George HW Bush also gave Brad, for the very first time, the secret letter he left for Bill Clinton in the Oval Office desk. Oh, and yes, Brad was recruited by the Department of Homeland Security to brainstorm different ways that terrorists might attack the US.
His books have spent over a year on the bestseller lists, and have been translated into over 25 languages, from Hebrew to Bulgarian. In The Tenth Justice, the opening lines are: “Ben Addison was sweating. Like a pig.” In the Hebrew translation, it became: “Ben Addison was sweating. Like a horse.” We’re not sure if it’s a kosher thing or what!
Brad has played himself as an extra in Woody Allen’s Celebrity, co-wrote the swearing in oath for AmeriCorps, the national service program, and earned credit from Columbia Law School for writing his first book, which became The Tenth Justice. Before all of that, he got 24 rejection letters for his true first novel, which still sits on his shelf, published by Kinko’s.
Brad currently lives in Florida with his wife, who’s also an attorney.
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This staple plot completely sums up The President's Shadow, as indeed it does all the books of the Culper Ring series; and if that is all the books had to offer, they would still be pretty good books. Four stars, I'd say.
But Brad Meltzer adds another layer to the mix here: history. No, not the history of presidents and espionage and secret organizations, although these are also to be found in the Culper Ring books in great abundance. I'm referring to personal history. As protagonist Beecher White says, when you're looking for your family, what you're really searching for is yourself.
After all, let's suppose that you or I stumbled across some kind of evidence of an incredible plot by or against the government. What would you do? Most of us, I'm sure, would be happy to turn the evidence over to the police or FBI and wash our hands of the whole thing. Hardly any of us would decide to quit our jobs, fly around the country chasing clues, and endure being shot at by Secret Service agents gone rogue -- yet this is what most thrillers on the market would have us believe.
On the other hand, we might do a lot, if it meant learning more about the father who died when we were 4, or if the girl who gave us our first kiss in 8th grade suddenly reappears, asking us for a favor. Brad Meltzer knows this. It seems that every one of his characters has some kind of motivation like that, and it turns a genre thriller into something more emotionally complex. It also blurs the lines of good and bad: as one of the characters in the book, one of the "bad guys" says, we are all many people inhabiting a single body. Or as another one says, near the end, we are not who we are on our worst days.
The book is fast-pace and very readable; in fact for the first time in I-don't-remember-when I read the whole book in a single day.
Finally, I have to share this experience: when I received the book in the mail and opened the package eagerly, and, seeing Meltzer's portrait on the back, fondly recalled the occasion when I met Brad Meltzer personally . . . only to remember that, actually, I've never met him. We've never even exchanged emails. So why did I, for a brief moment, think that Meltzer was an old acquaintance of mine? It's not like it happens to me all the time.
The only thing that I can think of was that I had read an essay that Meltzer wrote once on some blog, talking about his days reading The New Teen Titans comic back in the early 1980s. It was a good comic, one of the best ever, and a year or so into its run the introduced a mysterious character named Terra -- streetwise, young, yet vulnerable. She was accepted as a member of the Titans, then it was revealed that she was actually working as a spy for the Titans' worst enemy, Deathstroke. For more than a year you could see the confrontation coming, according to all the accepted staple plots of the comics genre: the Titans and Deathstroke would battle, and the Titans would be losing until Terra shows her inherent goodness and rescues the Titans.
Except it didn't happen that way. Terra betrayed the Titans, and died in the attempt. I was devastated. I didn't read comics again for 20 years, until Brad Meltzer started writing them. And I read in this essay of his, that Terra's betrayal hit him every bit as hard as it hit me. He merely put in words all the emotions I had been feeling 20 years earlier. And in that moment, Brad Meltzer became the childhood friend I never knew.
So that is the Culper Ring series. Thrillers, set in history: America's history. And the childhood traumas that none of us ever completely gets over.
Five stars.








