The Book of Lies

by Brad Meltzer

2009

Status

Available

Publication

Grand Central Publishing (2009), Edition: Reprint, 464 pages

Description

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. 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 ancient markings of Cain.--From publisher description.

User reviews

LibraryThing member NovelBookworm
When Cain murders his brother Abel in the Bible, it becomes histories first homicide. When Mitchell Siegel was murdered in 1932, his grieving teenaged son, Jerry conceived of the world’s first bulletproof superhero. Jerry Siegel and his friend Joe Schuster had created Superman. What do these
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crimes; committed centuries apart have in common?

The answer to that is complicated, involving a secret society, good hearted homeless outreach worker who is also a disgraced federal agent, a renegade cop, a relentless federal agent, convicted felon, disgraced minister, and comic books. If I had just read that sentence, I’d be thinking, “that sounds too far fetched to be imaginable”. And yet, Brad Meltzer has done just that. Meltzer manages to take the fascinating story of the beginnings of Superman, add mystery, murder and intrigue to form the perfect suspense thriller. Not satisfied with that though, then the author mixes in family, friendship, deceit, love and our own quests for immortality.

I found the end of this book to be absolutely perfect. It is all summed up with three little words, and these words give a power to the story, they make us stop and realize exactly what it takes for us all to be remembered. (I can’t tell you the words…I’d ruin the ending.)

Brad Meltzer is a good author, and he’s done a great thing in this book. I highly recommend it.
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LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
If you like books that feature chases, then you'll really enjoy this one. From the moment Cal Harper, former federal agent now working with homeless people, picks up his long-estranged father who he thinks is another homeless guy who's been a victim of crime, the book is pretty much nonstop action.
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It seems that Cal's dad Lloyd is desperate to get his hands on something that others are also looking for, but from the very beginning with an encounter on a freeway that causes the death of another federal agent, Cal and Lloyd are in trouble. Cal does everything he can to remain ahead of the law, while helping Lloyd and trying to save his own skin from both bad guys and good.

I really enjoyed Meltzer's Book of Fate but I wasn't so thrilled with this one. I guessed one of the main elements of the mystery (a mysterious figure known only as "the prophet") pretty much early on. The whole mystery of the Book of Lies didn't really do it for me...it was the central focus of the story but seemed to lack substance, and didn't really seem worth all of the trouble the characters went to to find it. But as I said, it is a page turner and you'll want to keep reading just to find out what happens.

I'd still recommend it to readers of mainstream suspense fiction.
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LibraryThing member pstotts
So what does the creator of the Superman comics and the sons of Adam and Eve have in common? Could it be rescuing strays from the pound, or long walks on the beach? Or maybe collecting hand-painted Russian nesting dolls? Can’t come up with anything? Well neither could I. At first glance, I’d
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have to laugh and say that they have absolutely nothing in common. Upon further investigation conducted through Brad Meltzer’s The Book of Lies, apparently they have a slightly more significant connection.

The story of Cain and Abel is one of the most famous or infamous stories in the Bible. It’s the first murder. And a betrayal of staggering proportions. If it was a biblical crime television series, it’d be Homicide B.C. It’s the reason people know the word fratricide. (How many folk know the word for killing one’s sister? It’s sororicide, by the way. Great factoid to work into dinner party conversations. Especially a dinner party where people are looking to off their sisters.) There is one great mystery about the story, though: what was used as the murder weapon for this heinous crime?

Thousands of years later, Jerry Siegel—the creator of Superman—is a young boy, naïve and innocent. Jerry’s father is murdered in cold blood, an event that spurs Jerry’s creation of the Superman mythos. What no one knows though is that the first renderings of Superman hold more than just nostalgic and emotional appeal—they hold the secret to the biggest murder in history. About what weapon Cain used to kill Abel.

When it’s discovered that the real truth behind the world’s most famous fratricide is in Siegel’s comic, an unlikely pair set off on a whirlwind race to find it.

Admittedly, I was hesitant about The Book of Lies, almost dismissive at first. I didn’t think author Brad Meltzer was going to be able to write a convincing story with two—seemingly—vastly unrelated topics. And still have it make sense, and not seem forced or outlandish. After reading the book, I must say he was able to do just that, write a convincing and cohesive story which is incredibly exciting, entertaining and unique.

Meltzer seamlessly infused the two stories into one compelling and action-filled mystery adventure. He succeeded in combining fictional elements with historic and factual real life tidbits. This gave the story enough realism to make it seem believable, bringing elements as familiar as the Superman comics and the story of Cain and Abel to life.

Last Word:
The Book of Lies turned out to be a very engaging and entertaining read, despite my initial concerns. This book will keep you on pins and needle through the whole adventure, always wondering what’s lurking around the next corner. I look forward to seeing what Brad Meltzer has in store next, with his unique plot lines and convincing combinations of fact and fiction. The Book of Lies was a big ball of fun.
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LibraryThing member BooksOn23rd
A thriller and a history lesson in one, THE BOOK OF LIES satisfied my lust for all things Superhero. Written by Brad Meltzer, the story is a fictional treasure hunt wrapped around the true tale of how the comic book hero Superman was created by Jerry Siegel in 1932.
Leaping across the country,
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trying to outwit each other, three sets of people race to find the Book of Lies, which may contain the secret of immortality. Most of them will not stop at murder to get what they want.
Metzer really packs in the thrills and keeps you guessing as to who is Cain and who is Abel in this modern story.
I recommend this book!
~Stephanie
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LibraryThing member iubookgirl
Brad Meltzer's The Book of Lies is a Dan Brown-esque religion-based mystery but with a pop culture twist. How he ever came up with the pairing of Superman and Cain, I'll never understand...but it works. While only loosely based in reality, Meltzer manages to weave a believable narrative from these
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two disparate stories. At the same time, the reader grows fond of the main character, Cal Harper, as he embarks on this odyssey with his long-lost father. This brings an emotional element to the story that only enhances their quest to discover the truth.

I am typically able to develop a pretty strong idea of how a mystery will end, but The Book of Lies kept me guessing to the very end. I rarely read an entire book in one day anymore, but this is an engaging novel that kept me going until I finished. I'm loathe to say more for fear of ruining it for you, so just go get this book and read it for yourself.
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LibraryThing member wispywillow
I was very impressed with this book. The plot was exquisitely clever, the characters interesting, and did I mention the plot was clever?

Though 95% of the story is fiction, the few factual tidbits of the past of Superman's creator give marrow to the plot and leave the reader wonder, What really did
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happen, and why?
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LibraryThing member kgedin
The Book of Lies

The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer is about an introvert name Calvin who on his job picking up homeless people runs into a man enduring a gun shot wound and realizes it is his father that stepped out of his life when he was nine. Calvin eager to reconnect with his father is attacked
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by a killer looking for an ancient weapon called the book of lies used by Cain to kill Abel in the bible story. Calvin accused for the murders of the killer sets out to find the ancient weapon to prove his innocents. On his quest for the book of lies, he struggles to know who he can trust questioning his own father.
The Book of Lies is an exquisite book because it written in such well detail. Certain parts of the book I felt I was in the story, feeling the anxiety and the suspense first hand. When Calvin was running from the killer, I had to keep reminding myself it wasn’t real. Also Meltzer did a good job using descriptive words and metaphors. One of the metaphors I enjoyed was when Calvin and his father were hovering over a clue to the book of lies and Meltzer described them as “Macbeth witches creating mischief”.
Brad Meltzer did a nice job of creating the characters and having them develop throughout the story. Calvin starting off as an introvert, developed as an outspoken person fighting for things he believed. Also Calvin’s father who developed through out the story started off as a person who did what he wanted and not thinking off the ramifications. As Calvin’s father reunites with his son, he starts to think about his actions and prioritizes differently. It was fun to watch these characters develop and made me think about how people change in real life.
This was a good book because it tackles the importance of symbols. After watching the Da Vinci Code made this an excellent book for me to read. On Calvin’s journey to find the book of lies, he encounters a superman comic that is a map to the book. He uses the symbols on each page of the comic book to rearrange the pages to create a map. Also when they find the book of lies they notice symbol of a moon and a man. The symbol represents a herdsman, which is unique because Cain was a herdsman.
The Book of Lies is a cryptic mystery unraveling each page that is turn. I would say to many pages need to be turn for the story to unravel but would give it a 4 out of 5 stars for the complexity of the plot which provided the reader with a significant amount of entertainment.
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LibraryThing member Sakmyster
August 06, 2009: I recently had the opportunity to hear Brad Meltzer speak at a conference, and he mentioned how at a book signing he learned a previously unknown fact regarding Superman's creator. And then to read this book and see how he wove in that information, creating a fantastic story behind
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it, blending his love of comics into a great thriller, was a wonderful experience.
The characters are well-rounded, the dialogue perfect, and the conflict between father and son plays out perfectly at the end. I was a little worried at first about the revelation of what the Book really was, and in less-skilled hands this could have been really corny, but Brad not only made it work, he made it believable and emotionally-resonant.
Highly enjoyable.
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LibraryThing member bigorangemichael
Give Brad Metlzer props for his ambition. Some writers would be content to merely create a conspiracy laden story about the first murder in history, that of Abel by his brother Cain. Others would be intrigued to explore the alleged murder of Mitchell Seigel and how that lead to the creation of the
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most-recognized superhero in the world, Superman.

"The Book of Lies" focues on the mysteries surrounding both deaths and the impact they have on the life of our hero, Cal Harper. Years ago, Cal's mother was killed in a fight with his father. Dad went to jail and Cal was orphaned, losing all contact with his father until one fateful night. While out on a round for the homeless shelter he works at, Cal finds his father, shot and bleeding. Cal takes him to the hospital and before long is caught up in a vast conspiracy involving the original creators of Superman and the question of just what exactly was "the mark of Cain."

Meltzer keeps the pace of "The Book of Lies" fast enough that despite some absurd and crazy plot twists, that it's easy to go with the flow and not say, "Oh come on now." This is the book-equivalent of a pop-corn movie--just sit back and enjoy the fun and don't overthink it. (I know..that's hard for me, but I did it). If you do that, you'll probably enjoy this a great deal. I did and while it may not be the best book I've ever read and stick with me years from now, I had a lot of fun reading it. Meltzer has a great writing style that is fun and the momentum of the story kept the plot moving.

About the only detail that really took me out of the book was the revelation of who is behind the plot. But it wasn't enough to ruin this one for me
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LibraryThing member kysmom02
I finished this audio book weeks ago. I decided to let it sink in before I wrote a review of it. But I don't think that putting on the back burner to simmer helped. I just don't know where to begin with this review.

The story is centered around Cal Harper and his relationship or lack thereof with
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his father Lloyd. Cal and his friend Roosevelt rescue homeless people in Florida. One night, they stubble upon Cal's father who hasn't been a part of his life for many years. Soon, Cal is wrapped up in a sinister scheme to find the Book of Lies. Cal doesn't even know what this is all about, but he's wrapped up in trying to figure out what's going on with his father. The Book of Lies is supposed to reveal the secret of the biblical story of Cain and Abel, the world's first murder.

The book was so deep in places that I found myself falling asleep, or letting my mind travel. Their were so many underlying plots within that I had a hard time keeping up with where it was going, and then at the end it just didn't come together for me. The most positive thing that I can say about the book is that I liked Cal and his smart ass attitude. I could even describe it as short or flip in places. But overall, this book just wasn't worth the time that I put into listening to it. However, I couldn't make myself stop either. I just forced myself through it, but I don't know that I got everything out of it that the author may have intended.
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LibraryThing member Natalie220
Why did I start reading this book? I know because the plot is good, but man is this a horrible read. I've never heard of Brad Meltzer, so I figured he was an amateur. His characters are not believable at all. When Cal talks to his father Lloyd, it sounds like it's a teenage girl speaking to her
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mother. So now I'm thinking either Cal is gay or Brad Meltzer is and it's rubbing of on his characters, the result of a bad writer. And what's worst the writer keeps bringing up movies like Shawshank Redemption and Don Juan, come on really?
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LibraryThing member miriamparker
I was a bit skeptical about this one at the beginning: I wondered how can he POSSIBLY connect Cain & Abel to Superman and how can it POSSIBLY be reasonable?And yet, by the end, with a tear in my eye, I was reminded that Brad Meltzer is the thinking (wo)man's thriller writer and he can probably do
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anything and make me believe it and want more of it! If you love smart thrillers, comic book heroes, biblical interpretation or any of the above, you will die for this book.
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LibraryThing member littleflwers
Basically the book was about Cain and Able (the murder) and if there was any link to the death of Jerry Siegel's dad. Jerry Siegel is the creator of Superman. I know it sounds like a long shot - and believe me it is. Mr. Meltzer tries to weave a mysterious story connecting Ables death by Cain to
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the Senior Mr. Siegel. Because of the way Mr. Siegel came to America and how he lived, a lot of questions have been raised. Then we also have the story of Jerry writing his Superman comics in an effort to make his dad bullet proof in his mind. I did struggle through this book at times. You have the mystery of what weapon Cain used to kill Able, both Senior and Jerry Siegel and the character Cal who is trying to adjust to meeting his father after many years of being apart without communication. I think there was just to much going on in this book. It almost seemed like it was a relationship story between fathers and sons, but then you have this so called mystery and Superman thrown in for good measure. As you can tell, I didn't enjoy the book. I can't give it more than two stars for effort. Very disappointing.
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LibraryThing member meags222
I found this book to be fast paced and suspenseful and it took almost no time at all to finish. The book blends the biblical story of Cain and Abel with the modern story of Superman and takes the reader on a journey to find the Book of Lies which actually turns out to be a book of truth. I really
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enjoyed reading this book. I found that in some parts the plot line was a little predictable but overall I was excited to see what would happen next. Like many plot driven books, the characters are not as fully developed as I usually like but you come to expect that when reading books like this. I give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars
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LibraryThing member unrequitedlibrarian
Is the language captivating? Occasional use of the present tense brings an immediacy to the language. 4.5
Are the characters unusually interesting? They are mysterious. We don't know what motivates them, or when they are lying. They all are coping with recovering from old emotional hurts. 4.5
Are the
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plot twists intriguing? Complex biblical symbolism and history yields a wealth of plot twists. 5.0
Does the pace pull you along? Each discovery leads to new possible explanations of the events leading up to the search for the lost book. 5.0
What values underlie the story? The human urge for immortality can cause suffering or, if properly respected, it can be a blessing. 5.0
Is sexuality used appropriately? There is very little sexuality, only an unnecessary kiss. 4.0
What background research is evident? The Biblical story of Cain and Abel; the comic book Superman; libraries; immigration enforcement
Is the meaning of the ending worth the trip? Stories are all we have. Tell your stories and pass on your experience and knowledge. 4.0
Offensive to any group? No.
Are there flaws? Perhaps there are too many revelations that turn out to be inconclusive.
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LibraryThing member ladycato
This New York Times Bestseller offers a compelling premise--a close tie between the creation of Superman and Cain's murder of his brother Abel--that in the end suffered due to a predictable ending and strained tension.

In modern day Fort Lauderdale, Cal Harper is forced to confront his past when he
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finds his estranged father bleeding out in a park. The former ICE agent is curious that his father holds a shipping manifest, and seems all too tight-lipped about the past decade of his life since leaving prison. When a sinister man named Ellis arrives and manipulates the father and son like chess pieces, it's all they can do to survive--and run. To Cleveland. Because Superman's creator is somehow connected to his father's shooting and this man named Ellis, and the race is on to find the Book of Lies.

I will say one big thing in favor of this book: it's a fast read. The chapters are short, and the action pushes along quickly. Much of the tension feels contrived because of a lack of information. The viewpoint switches between characters, including the villainous Ellis, and yet everyone seems to learn the same information at the exact same times. Convenient for the story, and grating on the intellect. None of the characters feels fully realized, not even Cal with his first-person narrative. The behind-the-scenes villain is frustratingly obvious from the very beginning.

I admit, I had higher expectations for this book. Rather silly of me, I know. It does raise some interesting questions about the murder of Mitchell Siegel in 1932, and how that likely inspired his son to create a bullet-proof superhero. I enjoyed that background information when the genuine facts came into play. But how everything pieces together? Meh. This one will be traded in as soon as possible.
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LibraryThing member Talbin
In The Book of Lies, by Brad Meltzer, nine-year-old Calvin Harper watches his mother die. His father, Lloyd, goes to prison, and Calvin is alone. Fast-forward 18 years, and Cal works in Fort Lauderdale, picking up homeless people from the street and delivering them to shelters. He and his partner,
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Roosevelt, respond to a call and find Cal's father, shot it the abdomen with the same gun that killed Jerry Siegel's father in 1932. Jerry Siegel isn't just anyone - he's the boy who created Superman after his father was killed. The mystery deepens when Cal and his father are followed and attacked by a policeman named Ellis, who has a tattoo depicting the ancient markings of Cain - the Cain that killed Abel in the book of Genesis. As Cal and Lloyd follow clues to find a mysterious package that Lloyd was supposed to deliver, they are followed by several people after the same thing - learning the mystery that connects Cain and Superman.

Yep, it's far-fetched. But it's a fun story that reads quickly. Much of the book is written in the first person, from Cal's perspective. I'm often not a fan of first-person narratives, but Meltzer does a pretty good job with it, interspersing third-person narrative when he needs to set the background or get in a bit of history. Meltzer writes pretty well, the plot keeps moving, and the reader is drawn into the story regardless of its believability.
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LibraryThing member losloper
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
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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 thrille
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LibraryThing member kashicat
One advantage of now following several publishers on Twitter and getting their newsletters is that I’m discovering authors I hadn’t read before, one of them being Brad Meltzer. I just happened to notice "The Book of Lies" in the library recently, and because I’d seen his name on some recent
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dispatch or other, I picked it up.

But really — could I have resisted this book anyway? A suspense novel that links the creation of Superman with the biblical Cain and Abel story? I think not.

The big theme in this book is actually fathers-and-sons rather than brother-and-brother. Almost every character in the book has or has had an issue with their father in one way or another. Even Jerry Siegel, the creator of Superman, had a murdered father. And 75 years later, Cal Harper, the book’s main character, has unresolved issues with his own father, whom he hasn’t seen since he was nine, when Lloyd Harper went to prison for causing the death of his wife, Cal’s mother.

It’s Cal and Lloyd who get drawn into a long-standing quest to find the ancient weapon with which Cain killed his brother Abel. And it’s Ellis Belasco, the ruthless killer, who pursues them, thinking they’ve got the clues to help him find it himself. And yes, Ellis too has father issues, but he has recently resolved them with a rather chilling finality.

Then there is Naomi, not a father but a much more positive mother-son role model (there had to be a positive parent model in here somewhere). She’s an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who chases first Cal and Lloyd, and then also Ellis, from Miami to Cleveland, to Jerry Siegel’s old house, to a Superman museum, and onward. In fact, the chase is quite entertaining, as each separate entity (counting Cal and Lloyd and Sabrina their companion as one) figures out various clues at different times, and you wait to see who will next ambush whom.

The ancient weapon, it turns out, either was or was not a book or a document, and Cain either was or was not punished for killing Abel. And the "Book of Lies" itself has an intimate connection with some old comic book pages, which of course tickles and delights the geek in me.

The only unfortunate thing in the book (well, aside from wondering if Sabrina was really a necessary character) is not the book’s fault. It’s just that any story written by a finite human being, yet wanting to deal with what I call the Eternal Verities, is going to fall short. The revelation of the great, long-sought truth at the end of the book, while it’s profound and all, just doesn’t live up to the hype. And that’s because the highest truths in the universe are transcendent, and therefore by definition out of our reach. No human being will be able to describe them.

So that’s not Brad Meltzer’s fault — except insofar as he was born human.

I quite enjoyed this book, finding it entertaining and fast-paced, and not too heavy. I’ll definitely be looking for more of Meltzer’s work.
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LibraryThing member GretchenCraig
I’ve just finished reading Brad Meltzer’s Book of Lies. The plot intricacies and hints of the occult and the cult remind me of The DaVinci Code. Though many readers loved loved loved, the DaVinci Code, I did not. Yeah, it was a cool premise and lots of plotting going on, but it had no depth and
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little character development. Kinda flat. Anyway, The Book of Lies is well written and the characters do have three dimensions, always better than flat cut-outs.
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LibraryThing member wvlibrarydude
A decent thriller that looks at father/son relationships that have been damaged. The thriller is rotating around the search for a lost book of lies/truth that God gave to Cain after killing Abel. Overlap this with the unsolved murder of Jerry Siegel's (creator of Superman) dad. I would have liked a
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little more development on the characters, and the action left a lot to be desired.
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LibraryThing member imjustmea
Interesting, fast-paced read that deals with the hunt of a religious artifact, father-son relationships, and the mystery surrounding the death of the father of one of the creators of Superman.
LibraryThing member Bookshop_Lady
Try this on for size: The unsolved murder of Mitchell Siegel in Cleveland, Ohio in 1932 is related to the search for the weapon that Cain used to kill his brother Abel. Yes, the Biblical Cain and Abel, tied to Superman.

As I've been cataloging my books here at LibraryThing, the ones I haven't read
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have been returned to bookshelves and the clerks are Borders are calling to ask if I've died, because they haven't seen me in 3 months. With 1200+ books catalogued and 200+ on my to-be-read stack, I shouldn't buy anything new. Until I saw this Brad Meltzer book and read the jacket copy.

Superman and Cain and Abel? That's too big a stretch to NOT pick up.

Overall, the book is enjoyable. Cal is young - only 28 - but there are flashes of the man he's going to be 10 or 15 years from now. He'll be an interesting protagonist in a follow-up novel once he grows up some more. Roosevelt was funny and I wished we had had more of him. Serena felt like she was borrowed from some other manuscript. Ellis - there was much more to his story and for "the bad guy," he really was someone you could almost feel sorry for. I had someone else picked out to be "The Prophet" and changed my mind in the parking lot of the penitentiary, and both my guesses were wrong.

But the book and characters didn't quite have the depth they needed to pull off this kind of story. The mysteries of fathers and sons, and the many secret societies who had guarded tales of this "weapon" that Cain used, needed a bigger canvas but also a much deeper well. The religious and political and societal and even individual implications of this "weapon" weren't enough of a focus; it was much more a contemporary mystery.

It's an enjoyable book and if you've liked Brad's earlier books, you will enjoy this. I read the whole thing in one sitting. And who knows? The Judge isn't exactly young, and he knows the search isn't over. In another 10 or 15 years, perhaps someone will take up the search in the Judge's place and we'll see a Cal who has come to terms with his dad and grown up.
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LibraryThing member RGazala
Author Brad Meltzer's effort to wrench a thriller from interpolating the Biblical tale of Cain and Abel with the death of the father of Superman's creator is strained, at best. The story plods slowly, stuffed with highly unlikely coincidences in an attempt to justify the plot's unsatisfying
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resolution. It's rendered jagged by too much clumsy dialogue, a gaggle of flat and unnecessary stock characters, a painfully obvious villain, and constant switches in narrative mode from first to third person for no readily apparent reason. The premise of this inept novel is interesting, and in spots Meltzer writes with breezy ease and commendable fluidity, though far from frequently enough to raise this book to the level of his better work.
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LibraryThing member kdenissen
Comic Book themes seem to be the latest rage. From Heroes on TV, to a slew of comic book related films (Sin City to Batman) and novels from Cavalier and Clay to Jodi Picoult's The Tenth Circle. Why not combine the genre with the themes that worked best for Dan Brown - Cults and biblical mysteries.
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That's a pretty far fetched idea but Brad Meltzer's latest mystery was pretty engaging despite the stretch.
Since the death of his mother, Cal Harper has been estranged from his father. With a short history in law enforcement, the young Cal now devotes his life to helping the homeless. Making his rounds on the streets of Fort Lauderdale, Cal re-connects with his father under surprising circumstances that lead him on a chase to find to discover the weapon Cain used to kill Abel.....will Superman the comic book lead them to the answer?
The mystery itself was entertaining and kept my interest. I never did figure out the twist. Meltzer attempted to connect with the reader using other themes, such as the bond between father and son- but I'm not sure he was as successful in that arena. It's better if just read for the fun of the chase.
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Language

Original language

English

Physical description

464 p.; 4 inches

ISBN

9780446616140

Barcode

1602007

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