The
House Of Secrets by Brad Meltzer with Tod Goldberg is
the first book in a riveting new thriller series. Most authors
are well known for their writing style and Meltzer is no different,
as he has become the king of the conspiracy mystery. Not only
does this plot hold the reader’s attention, but it also
keeps them off balance and navigating through the twists and
turns.
Meltzer became intrigued “Eight years ago at the National
Archives I was shown the Oath of Allegiance. Those who signed
it agreed not to betray the US. One of those names was Benedict
Arnold, who was a distinguished military man. Before he became
a traitor he had put his life on the line for our country.
In that moment when I saw his signature the story all came
together for me. I could not get out of my head the story
of the last moments between Benedict Arnold and George Washington.
It has been said that the portrayal was one of the few times
Washington actually cried in public. It is unbelievable that
Arnold asked for his baggage and clothes with Washington delivering
them immediately. The conspiracy presents itself because no
one knows what was in the baggage.”
Espionage, government corruption, family secrets, blackmail,
betrayal, murder, and a historical conspiracy are all incorporated
into the plot. The main protagonist is Hazel Nash. Meltzer
has done with her what he previously did with another main
character Beecher White, who makes a cameo appearance in this
novel. Both characters are realistic, believable, likeable,
complex, and intelligent; although Hazel is more of a “badass.”
The mystery begins on page one when the Nash family gets into
a car accident. The father, Jack Nash, host of a conspiracy
investigation TV show is killed and his daughter Hazel has
a traumatic brain injury. She is intent on regaining her memory
and discovering the real reason behind her father’s
death. Remembering her father’s words, that mysteries
need to be solved, she wonders if the tale he told her about
Benedict Arnold could be true. Conspiracy theorists believe
that Arnold was a not a traitor, but a double agent.
The theme of the book is sacrificing for family and friends.
He noted, “People fight like a mad dog for each other
and bring out the best and the worst self. Hazel will do anything
to protect those close to her. I put in the book a true story
told to me by an intelligence military officer. It explains
how far we will go for our family and the basic theme of the
book. A dictator’s top lieutenant had a child who was
very ill. To heal him, they needed to give this child the
kind of medical care only the United States could provide.
In exchange for treating the child, the U.S. gained an incredible
new asset who reported directly to us. This reluctant spy,
whose name I can’t divulge because he’s still
alive, helped the U.S. keep arsenals out of the hands of extremists,
without anyone knowing. With his lieutenant acting as a middleman,
he also assisted in a covert financial investigation. And
all the while, he still hated us.”
Hazel is spurred on with her investigation when FBI agent
Trevor Rabkin, aka known as Rabbit, reports that her father
was poisoned to death along with Darren Nixon and Arthur Kennedy,
the latter found dead wearing a Continental Army outfit. Working
as a team they must combat an assassin know as The Bear as
they search for answers.
He also hope parents will be interested in his children’s
book series. Out in September is his next children’s
book I am George Washington. He noted, “We started the
children’s series because I was tired about hearing
of loud-mouthed athletes and TV stars considered heroes. My
goal is to teach children about their own power and to look
up to real heroes of history. The age group is for 5 to 10
years. I am proud that it is the number one illustrated children’s
series of the last decade. I think that is because people
are tired of searching for American heroes for their children.”
House Of Secrets is an engrossing story with intrigue,
mystery, history, and suspense. All these ingredients are
mixed together to form a fascinating conspiracy theory. This
fast paced narrative has well developed characters and a plot
that will make readers question everything they were taught
in the history books.
Reviews
of other titles by Brad Meltzer
Tenth
Justice [book]
The Millionaires [book]
The
Zero Game [book]
[audio]
Inner Circle (Culper Ring #1) [book]
[audio]
The Fifth Assassin (Culper Ring #2) [book]
The President's Shadow (Culper Ring #3) [audio]
[book]
The House Of Secrets [book]
The President’s Shadow [book]
[audio]
The Escape Artist [audio]
2004
Author
of the Month
|