The Hellfire Club

Well done, Mr. Jake Tapper! An excellent political thriller! A pretty sharp look at Washington politics of 1950s - yes, in a fiction format, but substantiated by numerous facts. I am really impressed - I respect Jake Tapper as a journalist and newsman; he now surprised me as a good fiction writer as well. Quite witty, even with dark humor - describing McCarthy era ("you go through more bestsellers than a McCarthy bonfire"), and depicting "social chameleons" of Washington who often fear "bad ink" from reporters; nice cameos of real life characters - like LBJ, President Eisenhower, the Kennedy brothers, and some others. The idea and history of the actual Hellfire Club was an eyeopener for me. I thought denouement of the novel was a little show more weaker than the acceleration of events leading to it, but all in all - a top notch political thriller. show less

Charlie Marder is comfortable in his academic life; he and his zoologist wife are expecting their first child. Appointed to fill the term the late congressman Martin Van Waganan, he finds himself immersed in the political machinations of Washington, D.C.

Set in 1954, there is plenty of name-dropping and even more history intertwined in the fictional story. The narrative is rife with power-grabbers seeking control, shadowy secret societies, and those who will stop at nothing to get what they want. But the story suffers from far too much exposition at the expense of character involvement. In addition, virtually ignoring the events of the opening chapter until late in the narrative dilutes its effectiveness in the story.

Charlie and show more Margaret seem more modern than the time in which they exist and, at times, the historical figures included in the story seem to be present for name value alone rather than actually having something to contribute to the telling of the tale. show less

This book was authentic to the era even when the authenticity was painful--no excuses, no "maybe this isn't a good idea." I am so glad Jake Trapper wrote this way. The intrigue was believable and scary as hell. I think Jake's book will become a must read if you want to explain to Millenials how researching was done before the internet.

My only complaint was that Jake was narrating the book and he isn't a narrator. He only speaks in one "voice," which distracts from the excellent story.

Charlie Marder is an unlikely Congressman. Thrust into office by his family ties after his predecessor died mysteriously, Charlie is struggling to navigate the dangerous waters of 1950s Washington, DC, alongside his young wife Margaret, a zoologist with ambitions of her own. Amid the swirl of glamorous and powerful political leaders and deal makers, a mysterious fatal car accident thrusts Charlie and Margaret into an underworld of backroom deals, secret societies, and a plot that could change the course of history. When Charlie discovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of governance, he has to fight not only for his principles and his newfound political career...but for his life.

If the author wasn't well-known, I don't think this book would have found a publisher. The setting and historical facts are quite interesting, but it lacks in the story quality. If you are a big fan of political thrillers or the McCarthy era, give it a go. If not, you'll probably want to read something else.

a fun read, a little clumsy at the start, but once it decided to ape Dan Brown, off to the races!

Intense! Extremely thought provoking, and made me interested in the history of the 1950's. This title had me looking up stuff as I read it, which is why it took a while to read, but it was definitely worth the time. I won this book through Goodreads Giveaway and got one heck of a hard to put down and memorable title. I hope there might be plans for a film adaption at some point. It might actually be a title worth turning into a graphic novel at some point. I highly recommend this title.