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The Book of Lies
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The Book of Lies
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The Book of Lies
Audiobook11 hours

The Book of Lies

Written by Brad Meltzer

Narrated by Scott Brick

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Cain kills Abel in Chapter Four of the Bible. It is the world's most famous murder. But the Bible is silent about one key detail: the weapon Cain used 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 Michell 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. 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 thriller.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 2, 2008
ISBN9781600243813
Unavailable
The Book of Lies
Author

Brad Meltzer

Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twelve thrillers including The Escape Artist, and nonfiction books such as The Lincoln Conspiracy and the Ordinary People Change the World series. He is also the host of the TV show Brad Meltzer’s Decoded on the History Channel. He lives in Florida with his wife and three children.

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Reviews for The Book of Lies

Rating: 3.3080940825065275 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I went on a Brad Meltzer kick for a little while and binge read through his books. That being said, I can't remember the exact details of this one! I remember enjoying it well enough, but it won't be one that I reread again.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A thriller and a history lesson in one. The tie in of the Cain and Abel story and the creation of superman was not a good connection. But, boring, boring. At the same time, fast paced action with plenty of narrative twists. And then, there's Cal, abused son who finds his long lost dad and they go treasure hunting. Huh?
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Meltzer writes unashamed action-adventure stories that are genuine popular hits and how! Fast paced action with plenty of narrative twists and turns to keep the reader off-balance; a McGuffin that is just this side of unbelievable and driven by good research; stock characters, but still people you identify with as someone you want to be. The dialogue creaks a little, especially when trying to tackle (gulp!) emotions. A great summer holiday on-the-beach read, and none the worse for that.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I couldn't help but be reminded of The DaVinci Code while reading this novel, but in all honestly, of the two, I prefer "The Book of Lies".
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I started reading this book on the recommendation of a co-worker. He said, "It's like Da Vinci Code meets National Treasure", to which I thought, "So it's like a gremlin riding on a giant's coat tails?" But I didn't say anything. Understand, I didn't LIKE Da Vinci Code OR National Treasure. Even then, I only saw the Da Vinci Code film, never read the book. But there's something about characters rubbing their chins and throwing me hooks about "how clever they are" that just leaves me rolling my eyes.

    I digress. I'm supposed to be talking about The Book of Lies. Be prepared, my comments will be much the same:

    I didn't like this book at all. The exposition is like a man hitting you with a giant metal mallet--a mallet that's like a stamp, so that when it comes away, what's left on your poor skull are the characters roles in the story, as well as their motivations. Serena--sometime comedy relief (if you call her naive, new age nonsense funny) sometime love interest. Naomi--contagonist and apparently the writer's idea of a badass woman. Ellis--antagonist filled with an obsession for his dog and a contrived sense of holy destiny that doesn't create awe, but annoyance. Calvin--protagonist, and nauseatingly good, despite the writer's attempt at creating inner conflict about his father. This story is so unbelievably predictable, I marveled at how it could call itself a thriller. The dialogue tried to be witty, and failed miserably. It isn't so much stupid lines, but just weak ones. Like the character Roosevelt, a former pastor, who resorts to Yo Momma jokes for no reason other than a situation is becoming awkward. Unrealistic. Lame. There is one that stands out for me, though. This one comes from Naomi, talking about her seven-year-old(?) son.

    "No, Ma....why would you--? I don't care what he says, don't buy him any more Hot Wheels cars, okay? He's lying. Treat him like a little junkie stripper on blow: He'll say anything to get more."

    So charming. I don't care if she's a struggling mother with a rough past and a tough attitude. This was a mother talking about her KID. Ew.

    The constant scene changes and the withholding of information is an attempt by Meltzer to create suspense. It doesn't work. Especially since the characters make great and stupid leaps of logic, discovering things that apparently are just up on the internet for EVERYONE to find, and with no real explanation how certain feats are managed given their constraints of time and environment. There was one instance where Calvin manages to swipe someone's keys, though I can't imagine how he could've seeing as how neither he, nor Serena, nor his dad are master pickpockets. Or how Naomi knew what Calvin was looking for when she first arrived in Cleveland, despite not knowing that the rental car they were using was rented in Serena's name, and not knowing any of the nonsense with Superman they were looking up.

    And the ending...well. Let's just say it was a silly blockbuster ending, all smiles and accomplishment. I don't care if they didn't EXACTLY say that Calvin and his dad patch things up, it's easy enough to see that Meltzer wants us to infer that. The sappy nonsense with the Book of Truth just kills me. Clearly, Meltzer wanted this to be made into a film. The maddening fact that this nightmarish story even got published leaves me despairing over the possibility that it COULD happen, if only they could just work out the details with DC over their use of Superman.

    Till that terrible day, I'm just going to try and forget I ever read something this bad.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    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, 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
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    With such a title and rather enticing synopsis, this book had me expecting something along the lines of the search for the Spear of Destiny: with hidden, cryptic and intriguing clues -- well, there was some of that, but even so, not very compelling ones. Mostly, it referenced 'Superman' and its creator, and how this 'Book of Lies' was supposedly tied up in all that. Even the little action that there was seemed contrived and stilted. In addition, the conclusion was anti-climatic and quite disappointing. The title held so much promise, but it just didn't pan out for me.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Boring, boring, boring.

    Did I say boring? No? Well, it was boring.

    (Make that very boring)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I wish they would have gone more into depth about how answers came about and how things were happening in the book. It was good, but sort of like finding out how many licks it takes to get to the center of the Tootsie Pop without doing any tasting.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Yet another quasi-religious, action-adventure conspiracy book. I'm a sucker for these things. But unlike a lot of others I've read this one is a little different.

    Firstly there were no exotic locations. No tramping around cathedrals and crypts. No catacombs or canals. All the action was limited to Florida and Ohio with one brief flashback to Sweden.

    Secondly there was no history lessons, only a little bit of Bible lore. This was both good and bad. Good in that it was a nice break from the ones I normally read, bad in that I like those history lessons :P

    The action was good and I liked the villain (both seen and unseen) but would have preferred to see a bit more. The link with Jerry Siegel and the creation of Superman was great.

    For me the biggest letdown was the ending. It was just too quick and too... nice. Just needed a bit more too it.

    In all though it was a good book and I would like to read more from the author.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Generally speaking I find Brad Meltzer to be a fine writer, and his skill is evident in this novel. Although I liked the big concepts in this story like the tie-in to Cain and Abel as well as to the creator of Superman, this novel veers off the path of what I have enjoyed in some of Meltzer's other work. Certain aspects of the novel were a bit too hard to swallow. Reading a Meltzer novel, one has to be ready to accept grand conspiracies and wild plot lines, but even within that context, The Book of Lies was a bit much. Many of the actions from the characters didn't make sense within the context of the story, and it also failed to deliver much of the high drama that I have come from his other stories. In addition, the big reveal at the end of the story was a bit of a letdown. Despite all of these shortcomings, there was enough going to hold my interest throughout, and the book is worth reading, just not very high up on one's reading list.Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It was doubtless an enjoyable reading. I got quickly familiar with all the protagonists and there wasn't anyone who has got my preference. It's a typical mystery, starting off with the search of a so called biblical 'truth'. Of cause the quest couldn't go straight ahead. There are subjects like father and son relationship, professional failings, fiction of the early 20th century and a link to 'Superman'. As a matter of cause there is also a misterious figure who calls himself the Prophet and it took me a long time to identify him.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Exciting, fast paced, and hard to put down. Clever Davinci Code type of thriller. Meltzer really hit The Book of Lies out of the ball park!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This is a great beach read, but that's about it. All of the pieces are there: government agents, an ancient Biblical society, the origins of Superman, Nazis and the search for the world's first murder weapon - the one that Cain used to kill Abel. This is a very fast read and there's not much to think about.The book follows some wrongfully-accused folks as they try and track down the weapon and unlock the secret to immortality. The race ends with the same "gosh wow" you got when watching cartoons about the "greatest treasure in the desert" and it turns out to be water. Or the "search of the greatest Ancient Aztec treasure" and it's silos of corn. Um, whooopee.Anyway, I really like the way Meltzer grabs pieces to build his stories with and the plots always sound intriguing, but they always seem to fall flat. But I guess I'll always be a sucker and pick up the next one. Not sure why I can't quit! If you're looking for a fast easy read that skirts some really cool ideas, you might like this.This one gets two out of five stars.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I first read Brad Meltzer's books in high school. He was like a younger John Grisham then and I enjoyed it. Now he's trying to be the next Dan Brown and frankly it's not working. The plot did keep me interested but the characters were flat. The addition of a Biblical basis for the plot seemed contrived. I think he was a better writer when he came up with his own story lines. I would recommend his earlier work, such as Dead Even or The Tenth Justice. Still, this is not bad if you're looking for a quick vacation read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was a fast read and an okay mystery but not as good as I wanted it to be. I have not read any of his other books so I can't compare. It is a DaVinci Code type of plot but it certainly did not set off a mania as the other did. I think if there was more about the chase and less psychology of what was happening between the characters it would have been more compelling.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In my opinion, I thought The Book of Lies was a average story. The story kept me a bit confused with all the biblical references. Some just didn't make sense or they seemed out of place. However, overall, the book had a interesting plot so I chugged my way through to the end.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    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 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.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    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 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.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    An interesting twist on the DaVinciesque style of mystery. Not heavy handed at all on the religious aspects of the story, which was greatly appreciated. Somehow he pulled off all the crazy aspects that were incorporated. Loved the fact that the hero was a former ICE officer and that CBP played a substantial part in the story. It's nice not to have just another FBI/CIA/PI story. Overall, it's fiction and far-fetched, but it asks a couple of interesting questions while still being an easy, quick and fun read. My biggest complaint was the acknowledgements at the front. Three plus pages of acknowledgements, would be better served at the end, and the publisher should have stood their ground on that one.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    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.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    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 little more development on the characters, and the action left a lot to be desired.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Is the language captivating? Occasional use of the present tense brings an immediacy to the language. 4.5Are 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. 4.5Are the plot twists intriguing? Complex biblical symbolism and history yields a wealth of plot twists. 5.0Does the pace pull you along? Each discovery leads to new possible explanations of the events leading up to the search for the lost book. 5.0What values underlie the story? The human urge for immortality can cause suffering or, if properly respected, it can be a blessing. 5.0Is sexuality used appropriately? There is very little sexuality, only an unnecessary kiss. 4.0What background research is evident? The Biblical story of Cain and Abel; the comic book Superman; libraries; immigration enforcementIs the meaning of the ending worth the trip? Stories are all we have. Tell your stories and pass on your experience and knowledge. 4.0Offensive to any group? No.Are there flaws? Perhaps there are too many revelations that turn out to be inconclusive.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    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 happen, and why?
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    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, 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.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    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 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.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    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 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
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    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 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.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    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 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?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    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 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.