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Summary
Summary
Brad Meltzer--author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Book of Fate --returns with his most thrilling and emotionally powerful novel to date.
In Chapter Four of the Bible, Cain kills Abel. 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 Mitchell 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 anicent 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
Author Notes
Brad Meltzer was born on April 1, 1970 and grew up in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School. His first published title was called The Tenth Justice. His other works include Dead Even, The First Counsel, The Millionaires, The Book of Fate, The Zero Game, The Inner Circle and The Fifth Assassin. He is the Eisner Award-winning author of the critically acclaimed comic book, Justice League of America. He also wrote the non-fiction books, Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter. He has written speeches for former President Clinton's National Service Program and played himself as an extra in Woody Allen's film, Celebrity. In 2013, his title History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time.
In 2014 his titles, I Am Abraham Lincoln, I Am Amelia Earhart and I am Rosa Parks made The New York Times Best Seller List.
In 2016, Meltzer's title's The House of Secrets, I Am George Washington, and I Am Jane Goodall made the New York Times Bestseller list.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Adult/High School-Meltzer builds suspenseful fiction on a previously little-explored historical nugget: Jerry Siegel, the teenage creator of Superman, lost his father in an unsolved murder in 1932. The author offers a compelling theoretical solution by way of an adult protagonist who is dealing with his conflicted feelings about his own father. Cal works for a rescue mission, picking up vagrants in need of shelter, when he stumbles across a man who turns out to be the father who abandoned him in childhood. The two men join forces in pursuit of what they believe is the lost Book of Cain, the weapon used in the Bible's original murder scene. Meltzer invokes multiple viewpoints as Cal, his father, a mysterious young woman who seems to have befriended the father, a rogue ex-cop, and a hot Federal agent converge on Cleveland in search of the biblical treasure. Teens with a taste for international conspiracies, religion-spouting bad guys, and identity-switching will enjoy this fast ride that leaves some solid and intriguing questions in the wake of its driving plot. Suggest this one to kids who enjoy the likes of Dan Brown, as well as superhero comics.-Francisca Goldsmith, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
When a homeless man with a gunshot wound is revealed to be Calvin Harper's long-lost father, Cal must scramble his resources while dealing with a watershed of emotions. Father and son are drawn into a mystery involving the recovery of the supposed murder weapon Cain used in the Bible. Hints eventually lead them to seek out the remnants of Superman creator Jerry Siegel and solve the mystery behind the death of Siegel's father. Meltzer executes another spellbinding tale that continually keeps readers guessing, along with a good mix of biblical and comic book lore. Scott Brick works the diverse range of character voices well and remains masterful at drawing out the text. His pauses, hesitations and voice breaks provide an added level of suspense. The musical interludes at stressful parts of the story or chapters endings are superfluous given Brick's performance. Nearly a dozen illustrations relevant to the story line are provided as bonus material on the last CD. A Grand Central hardcover (Reviews, July 28). (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Cal Harper often had envisioned what it would be like to encounter his long-lost father, Lloyd. As a child, he imagined a tender reunion; as an adult, he dreamed up ways to snub him. What Cal never expected was that his work as a helper to the homeless in Ft. Lauderdale would bring him and Lloyd together. Cal is called to the scene when Lloyd is found shot in the park. His clothes aren't those of a vagrant, though, and there are mysterious papers in his pocket. But before Cal can begin to puzzle out the details of the assault, he and his father are attacked by an assassin named Ellis, who is tattooed with the marks of Cain. We learn eventually that the gun used to shoot Lloyd is the same weapon used, in 1932, to kill Mitchell Siegel, father of the man who created Superman. How are these two murders linked, and could they both be somehow connected to history's first murder, the killing of Abel by Cain, another crime with a missing weapon? Although the ties to the Bible and to pop culture lend sparkle to the story, Meltzer tries a bit too hard to combine his love of comics with a high-concept Da Vinci Code-like conspiracy plot. Meltzer made his name with financial thrillers but, since then, has published graphic novels (Identity Crisis, 2005) and another foray into Dan Brown territory (The Book of Fate, 2006). Here's one vote for a return to money and murder.--Wilkens, Mary Frances Copyright 2008 Booklist
Library Journal Review
What does Superman have to do with the biblical story of Cain and Abel? Combining his love of comic books with a heart-pounding plot, Meltzer's (The Book of Fate) latest thriller ingeniously answers the question. When Calvin Harper was a child, his father murdered his mother and was sent to prison. Growing into adulthood, Calvin becomes a federal agent but loses his job in a scandal and now helps the homeless. One evening in a park he discovers his father with a gunshot wound. Turns out Calvin's father was shot with the same gun that in 1932 killed Mitchell Siegel, the father of the creator of the Superman comics. Helping the father he hasn't spoken to in years puts Calvin in harm's way, because a killer tattooed with the mark of Cain is after a certain book that might identify the murder weapon used in the Cain and Abel story and will stop at nothing to get it. The novel's overall theme of family resonates, and the relentless pace and twists of the narrative sizzle on the page. Meltzer is a genius. For all fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/08.]--Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.