The Jefferson Allegiance

The Presidential Series #1

by Bob Mayer

NY Times bestselling author, Bob Mayer. Over 4 million books sold.

Reference Mayer’s Thrillers
“Mayer had me hooked from the very first page.” Stephen Coonts
“Exciting and authentic. Don’t miss this one!” W.E.B. Griffin
“Fascinating, imaginative and nerve-wracking.” Kirkus Reviews
“A pulsing technothriller. A nailbiter in the best tradition of adventure fiction.” Publishers Weekly.

The 4th of July 1826. As Thomas Jefferson lies dying, he gives his part of his Jefferson Cipher to Edgar Allen Poe, with instructions to take the disks to West Point. In Massachusetts, John Adams entrusts his part of the Cipher to Colonel Thayer, the superintendent of the Military Academy. As Thayer rides away, Adams utters his final “Thomas Jefferson survives.”
In the present, Green Beret Paul Ducharme has been recalled from Afghanistan after the ‘accidental’ death of his best friend, the son of one of the Philosophers. While Ducharme is visiting his friend’s gravesite in Arlington, an old man is executed by a member from the Society of Cincinnati know as the Surgeon, who is seeking to gather all the pieces of the cipher. In a nearby restaurant, former CIA and now Curator at Monticello, Evie Tolliver, waits anxiously for her mentor to arrive, but he’s killed by the same assassin at the Zero Milestone. His heart and the Philosopher’s head are displayed as a grisly message on top of the stone, echoing Jefferson’s famous head-heart letter.
Ducharme and Tolliver, the unknowing heirs to become the next generation of caretakers of the Jefferson Allegiance, team up and must battle the Surgeon to assemble the Cipher and find the Jefferson Allegiance, a document that has kept the balance of power in the United States for over two centuries.
The story is a race back through history and the founding of the country.
This is the first book in a new The Presidential Thrillers, each novel based on a historical puzzle left behind by a President. The Kennedy Endeavor will be released in summer 2012.

THE
The Society of the Cincinnati was founded in May of 1783. A leading member was Alexander Hamilton, and the first President of the Society was George Washington. Thomas Jefferson was not allowed membership. The Society of the Cincinnati is the oldest, continuous military society in North America. It has its current headquarters at the Anderson House in downtown Washington, DC.

In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson, well known for his strong opposition to a standing army, established the United State Military Academy, the oldest Military Academy in North America. In 1819, Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia, the first college in the United States to separate religion from education. It has its current headquarters in Philosophical Hall on Liberty Square in Philadelphia.

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” Thomas Jefferson 1787.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Thriller, Fiction, Military Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Paranormal

Nook

First published August 27, 2011

About the author

Besides my own interests, I read whatever my wife tells me to read-- she's a voracious reader and has wide-ranging tastes as my reviews show (she also always has the TV remote and she's always right about what to watch). I read a lot of nonfiction, mostly for research. Some of my favorite books are Lonesome Dove, Mystic River, LOTR, and an array of science fiction classics including the Foundation series. Our house is covered with books, although I finally broke down and started reading eBooks, strangely enough on my iPhone. Since I carry it pretty much everywhere, it means I always have an entire library of books with me.

I'm a West Point graduate, former Green Beret and a New York Times Bestselling Author. I've sold over five million books. My newest series begins with New York Minute, a thriller set in New York City in 1977.

I love using history and science in my books. My Area 51 series pretty much had me rewriting our entire history of civilization.

Reviews

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love history and spy thrillers

Not just a spy/action thriller, but a fun history lesson to boot. National Treasure with a higher body count! I have read well over 20 books by Bob Mayer and liked most of them. Not crazy about the Night Stalkers, but loved the Atlantis and Area 51 thrillers, and the Green Berets novels. Next up, the Cellar stories.

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

In "The Jefferson Allegiance" Bob Mayer tells a story of a secret document signed into law by the founding fathers of this country that is used periodically through history to keep the balance of power in the United States government. The premise of the book is an interesting one and Mayer does an admirable job of making the story believable by throwing in just enough fact and history to keep the reader believing the plausibility of the story. The book is not without problems though. At several points, the book bogs down and becomes difficult to read. To Mayer's credit, just about the time you've decided that you're not really interested, he throws in an interesting twist or ratchets up the action and draws you right back into it. Also disappointing was several oversights by the editor - more than a couple of places where a word was missing or where the wrong word was used in a sentence (I read the book on the Kindle and it's possible that the problems might be format issues - if someone else has read a hard copy of the book maybe they could comment one way or the other). One other thing that got somewhat annoying was Mayer's fascination with the phrase ".....held the satphone tightly to his ear so he could hear over the sound of the chopper...."
That phrase must appear ten times in the book in one form or the other. I'm sorry to be too critical. I do understand that the author is trying to paint the picture of what's going on in the story. But I got the fact that everyone involved is using a "satphone" and I get that it's apparently very hard to hear over the sound of the helicopter. It would be nice to find a new way of telling me that without repeating that same line over and over.
All in all, the idea of the book is interesting and it's not terribly done. There were just a few things that could have been cleaned up a little and shortened here or there that would have certainly made the book better.

[Brandon Yunginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

In all honesty, I'm not sure if it was just my Nook version that I got, but this eBook was riddled with grammatical errors. There were misspellings, duplication of the same word ("it's about about time"), and at one point, in the middle of the chapter, a few of the characters names changed, as if the author changed their names after the fact, but just forgot this section.

I'm not saying that it was the author's fault, in the past the Nook version is always at the mercy of the person transferring it to eBook, and not necessarily the author.

The plot was good, easy to read, and also easy to predict, but it was still pretty decent.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting facet of this book is the pieces of history which author Bob Mayer inserts. It isn't just Jefferson that he refers to--other presidents and historical characters as well. The main villain is a woman who is very adept with a Japanese short sword. She has a penchant for cutting herself when things go wrong, as luckily they do. The good guys are trying to locate the various parts which make up the cipher, as well as the document known as The Jefferson Allegiance. One of the locations is the grave of Edgar Allen Poe--not in front of the church, but behind it. There is a lot of action--and casulties.

[Pamela Mass · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is great, and I always love anything that makes us look at history differently. This reads like a cross between a Dan Brown book and a Mission Impossible movie, but the author's voice lacks real identity and fluency. It's heavy on action, thin on plot and characterization. It would make a decent movie. Apparently this is the first in a presidential series. The next is based on Kennedy and comes out next summer. I doubt I will go out of my way to find it and read it.

[Richard Seaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one could have written for today idiot in the big house.

I wonder how many thought this a work of nonfiction? The author's command of history creates an interesting, intriguing tale.

[Greg D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super entertaining read. Bob Mayer does a great job blending history, politics, and action into one wild ride. The idea that there’s a secret passed down from Thomas Jefferson that could change everything about the U.S. government? Totally hooked me.

The pace is quick, with lots of action and suspense, but what I really enjoyed was how Mayer tied in real historical facts and figures, it gave the story a cool sense of depth without feeling like a history lesson. The characters are solid too, especially the main ones who you can actually root for.

If you're into fast-moving political thrillers with a bit of a conspiracy edge (and maybe a little National Treasure vibe), this one’s definitely worth picking up.

[Iris Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

History Marries Adventure Fiction at its best

I love the books Bob Mayer writes. I love how history takes on a evolving hindsight and plethora of possibilities in his mind.

I don't like foul language although I recognize that it is authentic in the military. Just don't believe it's necessary. Read and view military fiction from 1950 back and you'll find better use of fine, English language.

That said, I rarely find a writer so capable of making history delightful and challenging with raw nuggets of truth at every stage.

[Roger John Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely well written

Retired, with lots of time and an Amazon Unlimited subscription I read a lot of books. Most at best get 3 stars. Beautifully researched and not a trilogy that ends up being ten books going downhill I loved it. A concise, well written story.

[Laure Reminick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want insight into the tRump debacle? Read this book

Bob Mayer has a genius in weaving historical facts into fast-paced suspense. I loved this take on American history. Jefferson and Hamilton, duking it out through time

[Caralynne M. Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excitement, History, Mystery & Politics

Couldn't put this book down. More than just a Summer read, this story is fast-paced exciting history with a "what if" twist! Can't wait to read the next no do in the series. Thanks Bob Mayer...truly enjoyable.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing!

A tapestry of history, speculation and good story telling with a dash of thriller for good measure. The author’s personal background lends truth to many of the decisions and behaviors of the characters.

[Thomas Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting idea, true or not. Well done and worth the read.

[Jeff H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting and historically interesting

I don't know how much of this is historically accurate. But I couldn't put it down. Lots of action from page 1. A must read!

[Stuart Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Another great book from Bob Mayer. This author never disappoints. I have read the whole of the area 51 series and they were just as good.

[Kyuusaku · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like the best way to describe this novel is to ask the question, "What if National Treasure had been written by Vince Flynn?" I feel like you'd get The Jefferson Allegiance, and being a huge fan of Vince Flynn, I'm using this opening to lavish some high praise on the novel.

I could not put this book down. It was paced very well, kept the plot moving while also exposing the story that wove itself seamlessly into the action. I'm a reader who loves interesting characters, so the witty repartee that also happened to inform me of the backstory was brilliantly executed. I also thoroughly enjoyed the historical fiction of using the Allegiance throughout history, as a means of explaining the various major events of the United States, from Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase, to the resignation of Richard Nixon. It almost made me wish for a real-life Allegiance that could be used today (and this'll be my only political comment).

I've already picked up the second book in the series, so I'm hoping to see more of the same from Mr. Mayer!

[Martin Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the early years of our country's formation, when the Founding Fathers contemplated replacing the Articles of Confederation with the U.S. Constitution, there were two opposing factions. The Federalists argued for a strong central government, largely run by and for the wealthy and powerful. The Anti-Federalists, favoring individual liberties over central power, feared the Federalist's idea of government would jeopardize state rights and civil liberties. The result was the Constitution, which established a central government able to tax, make laws, and wage wars, and the Bill of Rights which guaranteed state rights and personal liberty.

In Bob Mayer's The Jefferson Allegiance, the war between the two opposing factions never ended. In the early 19th century, Thomas Jefferson, an Anti-Federalist, and Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist, agree to a truce between the two factions called The Jefferson Allegiance. The Allegiance holds such power that it could take down any power-grabbing president and, perhaps, the country itself. The anti-Federalist American Philosophical Society was founded to hide and guard the Allegiance from the pro-Federalist Society of the Cincinnati.

In the 21st century, the Society of the Cincinnati decides it's time to find and destroy the Allegiance and take over the country. Guardians of the Allegiance from the American Philosophical Society start to be murdered, one by one, and usually after being tortured. Paul Ducharme, a Special Forces officer just back from Afghanistan, and Evie Tolliver, a former CIA operative and now a Jeffersonian scholar, discover they have been named the new guardians of the Allegiance and, without even knowing what the Allegiance is, are thrown into battle to protect it from the Cincinnatians.

The Jefferson Allegiance is a first rate thriller. No one writes action scenes better than Mayer, himself a West Point graduate and former Green Beret officer. The Jefferson Allegiance, however, is more than a thriller. Laced with historic fact, it is a civics lesson for a country that largely no longer teaches civics in school, a country where too many people don't understand how a democratic republic is suppose to work.

Strong writing, strong action, and strong education -- this book has it all.

[Tom King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction meets action packed thriller

I like Mayer better every time I read another one of his books. City City çfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff of too of too too pop I of of ooooo9oooooooff

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

On July 4, 1826, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died, unaware of each other’s fate. Both men were part of an ongoing conspiracy, and entrusted a cipher and corresponding wooden discs, inset with a secret code, to trusted informants to hide them from the Society of the Cincinnatians, an organization they both feared would overthrow and bring the U.S. government to its knees.
The Allegiance, secretly written into the U.S. constitution, was to be used to ensure our current form of government was enacted, no matter which political party was in power, and to control the presidency so they upheld the constitution as Roosevelt, Kennedy, and Nixon all discovered. The current guardians of this precious document, The Philosophers, protected the codes and cipher, and had them passed down as their predecessors died. Until now. They found themselves under full frontal attack by an assassin, code named The Surgeon, as the Cincinnatians became determined to capture the codes.
Mayer introduces us to Colonel Paul DuCharme, recently recalled from Afghanistan and Evie Tolliver—next in line to chair The Philosophers—a former member of the CIA, as they are forced to team up to ensure the Allegiance is kept out of the wrong hands.
Wave Old Glory and join in the ensuing game of cat and mouse as the forces of evil in the form of home-based terrorists stalk those that control the codes and cipher and attempt to determine the overthrow of all we hold dear. This is a great drama, steeped in history, which will keep you turning the pages late into the night. Mayer strikes one for freedom.

[Benjamin Kuttner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had so much potential with its premise of ‘who really has the power in the USA’ as an endless battle between the American Philosophical Society and the Society of Cincinnati. Standing between them is a (no spoilers) secret document, set in place by Thomas Jefferson, called the Jefferson Allegiance. The story dives into some fascinating US history that I confess I was ignorant of.

It was a little slow in the beginning where a more violent opening may have helped to get the story going quicker. But as things progressed it really shaped up to be a fast-paced and action-packed thriller. The well researched historical facts Mayer wove into the story added extra richness to the mix.

The main protagonist, Ducharme, was growing on me into a Jack Reacher crossed with Robert Langdon (Da Vinci Code). The author, Bob Mayer, had life experience as a Green Beret so all the army detail and characterization of Ducharme had a ring of truth about it. To be honest I wish there was more of the army detail and Ducharme had grabbed the mantle of main character more than was portrayed. I thought the story became diluted by having many lengthy flash backs (from who’s point of view we don’t know) which may have been better told in direct speech. It’s a shame because Ducharme could have easily been the next Reacher.

This is a solid 4 stars, I enjoyed the history and mysteries. I think it was much better than The Lost Symbol and if you enjoyed the Da Vinci Code you’ll enjoy this book. (Although it fell short of the Da Vinci Code due to the reasons stated above).

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well-written book of an author that I'm not familiar with, but surprisingly good. I'm looking forward for more of his books. The establishment of the characters and the plot are well thought out, it's full of thrill, action, and can't hardly put the book down :)

A group of highly rank people in the government founded by Thomas Jefferson called "The Jefferson Allegiance". Somehow, the group was divided into two because of the threat, and the abuse of power called "The Federalist, and anti-Federalist.

The Federalist led by Alexander Hamilton wanted more power while the anti-Federalist led by Jefferson believed in people and wanted limits on the Federal government, and thought that the government served the people not the reverse.

While, Thomas Jefferson dying there was a two indentical cypher one which given by Jefferson to Edgar Allen Poe to transfer it to West Point. Likewise, the other identical was handled by John Adams, and was given to Colonel Thayer. It said, that "The Jefferson's Allegiance" was so powerful enough to take down a President.

Since, the other existing group wanted to hold power they started hiring an assassin to eliminate the anti-Federalist group to get hold all the disk and the cipher to enable them to control the government, but Colonel Paul Ducharme, Evie Tolliver, Turnbull, and Kincannon are rendering how to solve the enigma behind the vulgar killing of each "Philosophers".

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was "good" in my opinion. A couple of issues I had with it - first, my Nook edition had tons of typographical and grammatical errors in it (I know that's not necessarily the author's fault, but it was annoying and distracting). Second, it seemed to borrow, heavily it seemed to me, in its set up and adventures, from National Treasure (albeit this book was far more bloody). Third, there were historical errors in my Nook version (example - John Quincy Adams died on February 23, 1848, and yet my Nook version had JQA meeting with Abraham Lincoln and others on August 22, 1848 - 6 months after he was dead (and, no, this book was NOT about Presidential Zombies!)). Also, the book, being a roller-coaster ride, ended abruptly, leaving readers at the top of the ride with no where to go. The characters deserved a more complete ending.

Okay, the above aside, I enjoyed the book. It was fast paced; I enjoyed (when the historical information was correct) the intertwining of past "historical" interactions; and, over all, I did like the book. The reasons it did not get a 4 or 5 star rating from me are spelled out in the paragraph above.

I would read more of Mr. Mayer's books - I hope future ebook editions are better edited.

[Stanley McShane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seems it doesn't matter in which series or the number within the series, I just enjoy the intelligence, experience, and fast paced delivery of the Bob Mayer books. This was coincidentally #1 in the Presidential series and had me intrigued immediately with the premise of the founding fathers and their personality conflicts. While I have always found Jefferson to be one of our forward thinking presidents, this plot did nothing to dissuade me from that idea. To pit the American Philosophical Society with the Society of the Cincinnati (and who knew either existed, the latter of which is the oldest military society in the US), as it interweaves through crucial events of succeeding presidents unto today becomes a fascinating study in American history and has you internet jumping to research truth; the line of which easily becomes blurred here. The plot concerns the power struggle of the two organizations as they attempt to recover the ciphers, decrypt, and recover the Jefferson Allegiance [spoiler alert] as a wise and independent body to oversee and keep the president and government in check for the preservation of the nation. Were that it was so. Or....maybe it is?

[D.C. Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all of Bob’s novels, this one moves along at a fair clip, events happening frequently and with a high body count. The Philosophers are being killed and the people who are meant to take their place are following a similar fate, all so that the Cincinnatians can obtain the Jefferson Cipher (read the book to find out what that is). I like Bob’s portrayal of strong female characters and we have two here, one the antagonist with a particular skill set. I also like the interweaving of history with present time, tracing the history of the use of the Jefferson Allegiance of the title throughout significant events in American history. I felt at a disadvantage here, living on the other side of the world, not having studied American history and having only a passing knowledge of the Constitution of the United States. In spite of this, my lack of knowledge didn’t impact too greatly on my enjoyment of the story and the ability to follow this to the high-paced and suspenseful finish.

[Peg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise is that Thomas Jefferson and those in power in his time wrote a secret provision in the Constitution. This became known as the Jefferson Allegiance and would, if necessary, protect our country from misuse of presidential power. To keep any one person from misusing the Allegiance, information of its specifics was divided among four people, and their heirs. Each controlled a portion of the wooden disks, that together with a cipher, spelled out the location of the actual Allegiance. This sets the stage for competing sides to use whatever means necessary to find all of the disks, so that the content of the Allegiance could be known and then used by them. A number of historical vignettes are used to describe periods of time during our history when certain presidents have ostensibly over stepped their powers and use of the Allegiance has been threatened.

[Cheryl M-M · Rating 3 out of 5]

One thing you usually can't fault Mayer on is the vaste amount of history, factual knowledge, juicy tidbits and the occasional conspiracy theory in his novels.
More often than not I find myself looking up something mentioned in his books that I was previously unaware of.
The premise is quite good, very national pride, prunk and glory sort of thing. I enjoyed the way Mayer managed to link the idea back to many important historical events and figures throughout the centuries. As for the plot it was wishy washy and repetitive in parts.
I find when Mayer mixes his historical plots and the modern ones his storylines don't always gel well. Unlike his Black Ops series, which is much better.
I received a free copy of this book for my review.

[Sonja Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as a free book and because it was on the first page of my Kindle I decided to read it. I'm so glad I did.
Bob Mayer does an excellent job of putting fiction and history together. At times I wondered how much of what he wrote is actually truth - there were a couple of things I already knew and knew they were true. Reading this during election time also had me wondering if there really was such a power that could knock out a president.
There is some foul language in this book but other than that, I found it very captivating and well written from page one!
Definitely worth getting! I'm going to look into more of his books.

[Maryclaire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Nook edition and when I opened it, I thought am I really going to read 800 pages. I couldn't put it down. It moves fast and the detail of the historical facts keeps you involved. You deal with past presidents and current FBI, CIA and regular people. The West Point Military Academy and other areas that the book takes you to are so very descriptive, that you feel like you are right at Edgar Allan Poe's grave. The Founding Fathers keep us who we are as a country today. I will be reading other books that Bob Mayer has written. I enjoyed his style and detail.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I'd never read any of Bob Mayer's books, but I love reading history and mysteries so I took a chance after reading the blurb. The writing style and subject matter are similar to the Dan Brown novels I love-Angel and Demons, The DaVinci Code, and The Lost Symbol set in history laden Italy.

The US historical ties and current day politics of "The Jefferson Allegiance" made it even more appealing. The lengthy, action-packed book caused the "will-it-ever-end-oh-no-please-don't-let-it-end" syndrome I suffer with great novels. I'm glad to find another mystery writer to follow.

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading this author, wow what a ride, I could not put it down, fast paced military thriller steeped in our countries history. What struck me is the idea of this allegiance being able to put out of control Presidents in their place. Would love this group to actually be real and step up to save the day. The villain is a very good one, easy to dislike and be scars of at the same time. All the good guys are like real people with faults and foibles like the rat of us, just willing to make a stand!