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Did J. Edgar die a natural death'...or was he murdered? Inver Brass-- a group of high-minded and high-placed intellectuals who see a monstrous threat to the country in Hoover's unethical use of his scandal-ridden private files. They decide to do away with him-- quietly, efficiently, with no hint of impropriety. Until best-selling thriller writer Peter Chancellor stumbles onto information that makes his precious books like harmless fairy tales. Now Chancellor and Inver Brass are on a deadly show more collision course, spiraling across the globe in an ever-widening arc of violence and terror. Hurtling toward a showdown that will rip Washington's intelligence community apart-- leaving only one damning document to survive . . . show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Despite it is quite a big & heavy edition, I read this before going to sleep (and in the many sleepless hours I had this werk).
I liked the book. It's interesting, well written, fast paced and it contains quite a plausible story. I also happen to love (non-)fiction about espionage/intelligence and the agencies that are behind that, so the story about Hoover's personal archive rung a bell.
Too bad it's finished, this was a good one!
I liked the book. It's interesting, well written, fast paced and it contains quite a plausible story. I also happen to love (non-)fiction about espionage/intelligence and the agencies that are behind that, so the story about Hoover's personal archive rung a bell.
Too bad it's finished, this was a good one!
Pretty good. Not all of Ludlum's stuff has aged very well, but this story of J. Edgar Hoover's secret files is better than many. I probably read this in the late 70's when it first came out and didn't remember a thing about it. A writer of well-researched and very plausible fiction is approached to write a fictional book about Hoover's files of Kompromat being stolen and used to blackmail the powerful and run a shadow government. Honestly, that premise sounds less far-fetched than it did a few decades ago. Entertaining but formulaic. Not exactly the great American novel, but a decent read.
Along with The Bourne Identity, my favorite Ludlum novel. I have a 20 year old paperback, sans cover, yellowed, pages missing. A favorite vacation re-read. Exciting, suspenseful, deliciously convoluted, and, as always with Ludlum, written passionately from a sense of anger at injustice and abuse of power.
The book was fascinating; every time you thought the plot was figured out, it changed. The story was well written, with more twists and turns than a back country road. [Russ - Patron]
I enjoyed this book, but that's not to say I didn't have a few issues with it. First of all, I felt as if Mr. Ludlum was a little long winded in places that he didn't really need to be. I prefer the dialogue in books to be short and to the point. There were a lot of descriptions and long drawn out paragraphs that I found a little tedious. Also, the ending could have been easily wrapped up in about 10 pages, and yet, it was a good 30-40 pages to wrap everything up. Overall, I enjoyed the storyline and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good conspiracy, but I don't think it would be for everyone.
Find my full review on: http://talesofabookaddict.wordpress.com
Find my full review on: http://talesofabookaddict.wordpress.com
A wonderful conspiracy tale with an interesting twist or two. A difficult book to review without spoiling some of the fun.
Left it after some few pages. I never, hence, developed a taste for Mr. Ludlum.
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Author Information
193+ Works 76,803 Members
Robert Ludlum was born May 25, 1927 in New York City. He enlisted in the Marines at the age of eighteen and received a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1951. He began acting professionally at the age of sixteen in the 1943 Broadway production of Junior Miss. He also had roles in summer stock and appeared in over 200 television dramas for such live show more programs as Studio One and Kraft Television Theater. He then tried producing with the 1956 Broadway production of The Owl and the Pussycat. He took the play, four years later, to his creation of Shopping-Center Theater at Playhouse-on-the-Mall in Paramus, New Jersey. His first novel, The Scarlatti Inheritance, was published in 1971. His other works include The Matlock Paper, The Chancellor Manuscript, The Bourne Identity, The Scorpio Illusion, The Matarese Countdown, and The Bancroft Strategy. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd. He died on March 12, 2001 at the age of 74. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards and Honors
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Le manuscrit Chancellor
- Original title
- The Chancellor Manuscript
- Original publication date
- 1977
- People/Characters
- Peter Chancellor; Lt. General Bruce MacAndrew; Alison MacAndrew; Munro St. Claire; Daniel Sutherland; Varak
- Important places
- Washington, D.C., USA; Georgetown, Washington, D.C., USA; Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Dedication
- Pour Mary
Chaque jour apporte de nouvelles raisons. Mais avant tout il y a Mary.
........ FOR MARY : The reasons increase each day. Above all, there is Mary. - First words
- June 3, 1968
The dark-haired man stared at the wall in front of him. His chair, like the rest of the furniture, was pleasing to the eye but not made for comfort. The style was Early American, the theme Spartan, as if those... (show all) about to be granted an audience with the occupant of the inner office should reflect on their awesome opportunity in stern surroundings. - Last words*
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Il approchait de la trentaine.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Suspense & Thriller
- DDC/MDS
- 813.54 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1945-1999
- LCC
- PZ4 .L9455 .C — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction in English
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 1,644
- Popularity
- 13,507
- Reviews
- 18
- Rating
- (3.51)
- Languages
- 18 — Czech, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 76
- ASINs
- 23