THE BOOK OF LIES
Brad Meltzer
Grand Central Publishing
Thriller
Hardcover: 9780446577885
Paperback: 9780446616140
Brad Meltzer is brilliant. And versatile. How many people can you name who have been both a presidential speechwriter and a phenomenally successful thriller writer? Meltzer’s talents, however, are not limited to speeches and novels. He is also a popular writer of comic books; his stories draw on his encyclopedic knowledge of some 60 years of graphic stories, and not just icons like Superman and Batman. But what is especially impressive about Meltzer is his familiarity with the stories behind those four-color tales.
The backstory knowledge that Meltzer possesses forms the basis for his latest work of fiction, THE BOOK OF LIES. This is what I call a “chase” book, with the protagonist on the trail of a prize and racing the bad guys who are also pursuing the good guys, and the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Sure, it sounds like a job for Superman. But what Meltzer gives us is a hero who is more Clark Kent than Kal-El. And, as we soon see, there is nothing wrong with that.
Calvin Harper is doing noble work on the streets of Miami, performing rescue missions for a homeless shelter. Coming to the aid of a homeless man who is the gunshot victim of an apparent street crime, Cal is astounded to discover that the street person is his own father. Lloyd Harper has been out of his life for over 19 years, ever since he was sent to prison for the apparently accidental death of Cal’s mother. Lloyd’s sudden re-entry into Cal’s life is an extremely dramatic one. He has been hired to transport a mysterious, enigmatic cargo that, it turns out, is supposed to be the weapon used in the first homicide in recorded history: the slaying of Abel by his brother Cain. But it holds something that is both more and less than that: an “attic” copy of Action Comics Number 1, which features the first public appearance of Superman.
What is even more fascinating, though, is that the bullet responsible for Lloyd’s gunshot wound was fired from a gun used in one other crime: the unsolved 1932 slaying of Mitchell Siegel, father of Superman creator Jerry Siegel. Following an address contained in the comic book, the uncomfortably united father and son travel to the former Siegel house in Cleveland, where a series of clues put them on the trail of an ancient Bible that may contain either a powerful gift from God or the world’s first murder weapon. Or both. Or neither. For even as Lloyd and Cal search for what is arguably the oldest of all treasures, they are themselves pursued by a coldly homicidal madman who sees the artifact as his birthright and will stop at nothing to claim it for his own and for the shadowy organization with which he has become associated.
Brad Meltzer pulls off a brilliant move here. His fans in the comic book community who don’t know much about his novels will find THE BOOK OF LIES a fascinating read, given the way that it slices in and out of the life of Jerry Siegel, a story known to but a fraction of those who are familiar, either in passing or intimately, with one of the most famous icons in America. Meanwhile, his legion of thriller fans will find the basis for THE BOOK OF LIES --- the first homicide, coupled with the story of the creation of Superman, our most enduring modern-day icon --- to be an unforgettable and riveting journey on a par with his previous work.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.
© Copyright 1996-2009, Bookreporter.com. All rights reserved.
