The Chancellor Manuscript

by Robert Ludlum

Did J. Edgar die a natural death?...or was he murdered?

Inver Brassâ 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 himâ 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 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 apartâ leaving only one damning document to survive . . .

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Espionage, Suspense, Adventure, Crime

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Robert Ludlum was the author of twenty-seven novels, each one a New York Times bestseller. There are more than 210 million of his books in print, and they have been translated into thirty-two languages. He is the author of The Scarlatti Inheritance, The Chancellor Manuscript, and the Jason Bourne series--The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum--among others. Mr. Ludlum passed away in March, 2001. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.

Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Apocalypse Watch, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. A non-Ludlum book supposedly inspired by his unused notes, Covert One: The Hades Factor, has also been made into a mini-series. The Bourne movies, starring Matt Damon in the title role, have been commercially and critically successful (The Bourne Ultimatum won three Academy Awards in 2008), although the story lines depart significantly from the source material.

Reviews

[Rory Pratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandmother gave me a bag of Ludlum books when I was in the hospital after a motorcycle accident when I was 19. I read this book first and was completely blown away. I didn't know reading could be like that. It started me reading. After I read all of Ludlum's books I looked for other authors to read. I will always be grateful to my grandmother.

[Laure · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ludlum's books are always a great ride and this one is not an exception. I love how the plot tightens up as you reach the finale: incredibly tight!
It makes me want to read the bourne series again.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, this novel was a slow read and not one of Ludlum's best. The end does pick up. There are a couple of twists and surprises, but maybe there are just too many layers of deception in this story. I feel this novel is proof that Ludlum had an inside source in the intelligence world. I have thought this before concerning some of his other works. Robert Ludlum, like Peter Chancellor, is being fed information from those in the know. That much is obvious and Ludlum has made that clear.

The premise centers on a group that conspires to assassinate J. Edgar Hoover and make it appear as a natural death, but there is a deeper deception at play. Others have their own agenda quite different from the secret group, Inver Brass and are willing to kill to achieve their ends.

[Efka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ludlum'as yra žinomas kaip vienas geriausių, nuosekliausių spy-fiction ir konspiracijos teorijos stiliaus žanro autorių, kurio daugelis knygų tapo superhitais ir/ar buvo ekranizuotos, neiškiriant ir populiariosios Borno trilogijos. Šita knyga, nors ir ne itin panaši į Borną (į kino versiją, kuri nuo knygos skiriasi ohoho kaip) išlaiko tuos pačius bruožus - nedidelį tempą, gan lakoniškus dialogus, mažai sąmonės srauto bei aplinkos aprašymų, keletas įtemptų veiksmo scenų. Žodžiu, visai neblogas kokteiliukas tokio žanro mėgėjams.

Į turinį pernelyg neišsiplėsiu, bet verta paminėti, kad žaisti su skaitytoju autorius tikrai moka. Jau knygos viduryje supratau, kas yra tikrasis blogiukas, tada, pačioje pabaigoje smarkiai tuo suabejojau tik tam, kad prieš pat pačia pabaigą suprasčiau, jog buvau teisus. Ir tada viskas apsivertė aukštyn kojom. Taigi, galiu garantuoti, kad čia nebus tas detektyvas, kuriame jau knygos viduryje paaiškėja, kas blogietis.

Bendrai paėmus, tai knyga tokia gan keista - kaip jau minėjau, nei dialogai išsamūs, nei veiksmo daug. O ir patys veikėjai, net ir pagrindiniai, tokie biškelį meh. Na, tiesiog nuobodoki, gal net stereotipiniai. Kaip ir nėra aiškios priežasties, kodėl knyga įtraukia. O ji tą padaro. Nors, manau jog priežastis yra pačioje fabuloje - Lannisterių išmintis Tyriono formoje teigia, kad geriausi melai yra tie, kuriuose sočiai atseikėta tiesos. Turbūt tai labai tinka ir šiuo atveju - gal čia ir daug ko prisigalvota, bet vos truputį pagooglinus iškart surandi, kad Hooveris iš tiesų piktnaudžiavo valdžia, kad turėjo slaptų bylų rinkinį apie daugelį svarbių šalies žmonių, kad sukūrė slaptąją policiją FTB ribose - žodžiu, visas romano pagrindas gaunasi kaip ir tiesa. Ir tada belieka susimąstyti "o jeigu?.."

[Sailen Dutta · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourites. The real attraction isn't the question if J.Edgar died a natural death or he was murdered, although that is the premise of the book. No, for me that real attraction was the revelation in the last page. Who's to say that similar kinds of events didn't happen with Ludlum himself? A writer used as a 'blind' by a shadowy organisation to fulfil its own purposes, not caring whether the writer lives or dies at the end. Ludlum definitely models Peter Chancellor on himself. The question is, did Ludlum write something based on his life or is it a complete fiction? This novel clearly shows the lengths to which these intelligence agencies are willing to go for what is called 'the greater good'. Highly recommended!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE CHANCELLOR MANUSCRIPT is a top-notch thriller with perhaps the most convoluted story line I've ever seen. Only an incredibly masterful writer would even attempt something like this, let alone be able to pull it off. Which Ludlum does, for the most part. Definitely not recommended unless you want to give your brain a workout. This is one book I would suggest reading through as quickly as possible so as not to lose track of the plot.

[Christian D. D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Ludlum (R.I.P.) as far as the story elements of sinister government cabals, crazy and confusing plot twists that leave you wondering who the real good guys and bad guys are, characters getting killed by bullets that rip their throats out, and the author's woeful technical knowledge of firearms (which IMHO makes it hard for me to believe that Ludlum actually served in the Marine Corps prior to becoming a novelist).

But unlike every other Ludlum novel I've read, this one doesn't have any exotic foreign locales (and thus skips the author's usual penchant for snippets of foreign language dialogue that aren't accompanied by the common courtesy of English translations) and takes place solely within the US of A, more specifically The Beltway AKA "The DMV" (DC/Maryland/Virginia), as the story is based on the premise that the iconic (and infamous to some) FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was assassinated as opposed to dying of natural causes. There's also a major plot element of life imitating art and vice versa, as the protagonist, Peter Chancellor (the novel's namesake ) is himself a bestselling thriller/action-adventure novelist (based at least partially on Ludlum himself perhaps?) who is working on a new novel regarding a fictitious assassination of Hoover! The novel-within-a-novel plot element is somewhat akin to Shakespeare's play- within-a-play technique.

Definitely keeps the pages turning, even with the flawed firearms knowhow and tiresome right-wing conspiracy diatribes.

CENTRAL CASTING:

—Chris Klein as Peter Chancellor
—Ali McGraw as Alison
—Dennis Weaver as St. Claie
—Yaphet Kotto or Jamee Earl Jones as Judge Sutherland
—Robert Shaw or Dolph Lundgren as Varak
— Joe Greco (played Father Joseph Gennaro in “Above the Law” with Steven Seagal) as Major/Brigadier General Ramirez

[Monzenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to respect the chutzpah. Oh, a story about a writer's works suddenly becoming real? And the writer wrote in the thriller genre? And who's writing this - oh right, an author in the thriller genre. If there's a battle for author wish fulfilment pieces, this should surely be in contention.

Besides the multiple roll-eye moments I experienced, the story's still tight. The narrative choices make sense, especially the ending. The story itself is a bit conspiratorial and wide-reaching, but still there are great settings and lots of justifications provided. I suppose the story is enjoyable in this sense.

[Paul Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent thriller by Robert Ludlum, a page-turner no-doubt. Ludlum may not be the easiest author to read, as too often the contents of his prose is ten steps ahead of the reader. Plus the author tends to sacrifice clarity over complex intrigue. That said, what Ludlum delivers in "The Chancellor Manuscript" is both engaging and entertaining, leaving the reader on the edge through each and every chapter.

There is a part of me that STILL does not understand what happened in "The Chancellor Manuscript." Did life mirror art, or did art mirror life? I get that there was a top secret powerful group called Inver Brass that quietly made decisions and actions that affected the entire United States. They did the work the U.S. government were not able to do, such as getting rid of J. Edgar Hoover, and destroying his private blackmail files (at least that was the original plan). I get that code name "Bravo" (Munro St. Claire) steered a young student named Peter Chancellor towards fiction, rather than continue the path he was on as a truth-seeking historian ready to expose some nasty secrets involving the Nuremberg trials. What I don't entire get is the rest...

Who ordered the first assassination attempt on Chancellor's life, the one that killed his fiancee Cathy? What is Varak, via Inver Brass? Then Munro St. Claire later decides to use Chancellor as a means to flush out the people who stole half of J. Edgar Hoover's private files, after Inver Brass has Hoover murdered. So Varak is then assigned to program Chancellor into conspiracy madness by carefully feeding the author information that he should use for his next book. Yet Varak is a master manipulator, and mixes both truth and lies together in order to further drive Chancellor out of his mind. But...something goes wrong, It's kind of brilliant when you think about it, yet hard to grasp onto when you are reading it for the first time. In essence, the master manipulator (Varak) gets out-manipulated by an unknown force, who speaks a bizarre and utterly foreign tongue. Yet since Varak can not be trusted as a conduit of truthful information, one never knows whether whatever he is saying or doing is part of the truth, or just another manipulation.

Speaking of manipulation, which came first...the manuscript, or the Chancellor's real-life story? Varak fed information to Chancellor, who eventually put it in his manuscript, as he did with everything else that happened to him. But...some elements of his life mirrored exactly what he had had previously written. Was that be design, or just happenstance? Was the entire story just an author's fantasy come to life? I still don't know.

Then there is the whole "Chasong" business. What was that all about? Was it just a red herring, or something significant? Ludlum keeps you guessing, and guessing again. However, when the "truth" is finally revealed...it STILL does not make sense. Something about a General's wife, whose parents were prisoners of the Chinese during the Korean war, who fed info to the Chinese, then was caught, and forced to become a drug addict and whore, then used to feed misinformation to the Chinese...okay. Then she is raped by a black man. THEN, to stop her husband the General from asking questions, the evil military leaders manipulate the General into leading an all-black battalion into slaughter at Chasong. What??? Does not make sense, yet this plot point is key to the whole manipulation.

Somehow, despite that huge flaw, "The Chancellor Manuscript" is still a very good book. Ludlum keeps your guessing all the way up to the very end (and long after), with plenty of juicy plot twists to sink your teeth into. Strange to say, the book has everything: action, history, romance, sex, mystery, murder, intrigue, and ever socio-political commentary to boot. I may not have gotten everything that Robert Ludlum was trying to get across, yet I sure enjoyed myself along the way...

[Nigel Pinkus · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a super story by Robert Ludlum. His penchant for storytelling was excellent because he took a fictional story about J Edgar Hoover and a real place in North Korea (Chasong) and then used the Korean War to give a spelling binding, riveting story. This reader finished it in only two sittings and was blown away by all the details and all the twists and turns in it. The story starts out with Peter Chancellor as a graduate student who has just had his thesis rejected by his examiners. He is disconsolate and doesn't know what to do next.

But then, Ludlum put the reader into a V8 thereafter and tears down the freeway where the reader had to hang on for dear life. It had car chases (the horrible face behind the wheel of the silver Mark IV Continental will never be forgotten); car accidents (poor Peter Chancellor); shoot outs, trusted people who, as we were to find out, weren't so trustworthy and people who went by multiple names. Also, what was the connection in the story to General MacAndrew and his deranged wife. What did the Korean War (Chasong) have to do with anything? And what was Inver Brass? There was racism, genocide and a terrible betrayal that was brutally sad. 5 Stars.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Next to the Bourne series, this is probably my favorite Ludlum work. There was actually some tie in to our current events (not the pandemic). I don't want to say too much about it because you don't realize until late in the novel what is the real underlying catalyst for the events that are unfolding.

While the name J. Edgar Hoover is well known to me, the story around the name is not. You can tell that Ludlum wrote this book in a time when most of his readers would have a general knowledge of how Hoover impacted our country and its politics. This was enlightening for me, although I do feel that I need to read some actual history instead of historical fiction to get more true picture.

I took way too much time to read this with large gaps between readings. I think I would have gotten even more out of this book reading it with more continuity.

[Elissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first and last Ludlum book I read. I found it tedious. Too many details and not enough suspense for what is supposed to be a suspense/action novel.

[Δημήτρης Μπ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Στην αρχή ήθελα να βαθμολογήσω το βιβλίο με 1*, αλλά οι σκηνές δράσης ειδικά από τη μέση και μετά είναι καθηλωτηκές και κινηματογραφικά γραμμένες οπότε μου μετρίασε κάπως την αρνητική άποψη που είχα στο μυαλό μου απ' το πρώτο μισό του βιβλίου. Πέραν από αυτές, ένα ακόμα θετικό που δίνω στο βιβλίο είναι το ότι αυτά που ζει και ψάχνει στην έρευνά του ο πρωταγωνιστής μας, εμείς τα ξέρουμε ήδη σε έναν βαθμό μέσα από τις αναφορές που γίνονται στα κομμάτια που έχουν γραφτεί και αφορούν την μυστηριώδη ομάδα Ίνβερ Μπρας που κινεί τα νήματα στην πολιτική (και όχι μόνο) σκηνή των ΗΠΑ και είναι αυτή η ομάδα πολύ ουσιαστικά κατευθύνει τις κινήσεις του πρωταγωνιστή. Είναι ένας ενδιαφέρον και πρωτότυπος τρόπος αφήγησης της πλοκής.

Από εκεί και πέρα, το Χειρόγραφο Τσάνσελορ, θεωρώ ότι είναι αρκετά κακογραμμένο και η πλοκή του υπερβολικά μπλεγμένη για βιβλίου του είδους. Μπροστά απ' τα μάτια μας περνάει ένας τεράστιος αριθμός χαρακτήρων, απ' τους οποίους όλοι έχουν κάποιον ρόλο στην ιστορία, μικρό ή μεγάλο, ο όποιος όμως αργεί αρκετά να μας παρουσιαστεί. Σε συνδυασμό με την δομή της αφήγησης του συγγραφέα στις πρώτες 150-200 σελίδες που πετάγεται ανάμεσα σε 2-3 (ίσως και περισσότερες αν δεν ξεχνάω κάποια) ομάδες χαρακτήρων, χωρίς ακόμα να ξέρουμε ποιός είναι ποιός και τον ρόλο του στην ιστορία, κάνει πάρα πολύ δύσκολο το έργο μας να παρακολουθήσουμε την πλοκή. Αν δεν ήμουν τελειομανής πιστεύω θα το είχα παρατήσει πριν τα μισά.

Απ' τη μέση και μετά βέβαια, σχεδόν όλα τα ερωτήματα μας απαντώνται και ξεκαθαρίζουν οι ρόλοι των περισσότερων χαρακτήρων και επίσης η δράση, όπως είπα και πιο πριν, είναι καταιγιστική, αλλά αυτό από μόνο του θεωρώ ότι δεν αρκεί ως αντιστάθμισμα του ιδιαίτερα κουραστικός πρώτου μέρους.

[Grada (BoekenTrol) · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Nikoleta L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It just wasn’t interesting enought, the main plot. Not intriguing at all for me. The chaeacters were very good, as was the action. But all the talking just, gah

[Ivanka Martinčić · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jedna od prvih knjiga koje mi je mama dala da pročitam. Njezin najdraži pisac trilera. Komplicirani, slowread, oldschool trileri genijalnog autora.

[Rohit · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book, just sheer pace of the story line is mind numbing

[KOMET · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having just read this book, I feel as if I've just been let off a maddening, yet thrilling merry-go-round. Ludlum has written a thriller with the premise that J. Edgar Hoover, the infamous Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), did not die a natural death in 1972, but had been murdered.

One of the principal characters is Peter Chancellor, a man in his 30s, who had failed in his defense of a Ph.D thesis into which he had devoted 2 years of his life. (It was a highly controversial thesis, which called into question various historical events which had been played out on the world stage between 1926 and 1939.) Frustrated, Chancellor makes his case to an old authority figure (Munro St. Claire) who wielded considerable influence within Chancellor's school. St. Claire advises Chancellor to take up a new career, suggesting fiction. With nothing left to lose, Chancellor embarks upon a literary career, writing over the next 4 years 2 best-selling novels whose conspiratorial themes would lead to Chancellor's life being turned inside out.

Ludlum creates here a novel that has all the hallmarks of a classic action thriller: car chases across highways, horrific deaths in plain sight of passersby, secret codes, clashing of rival groups, and secret quasi-governmental/private organizations. Chancellor cheats death many times. One of the lessons hard learned from him was the following:

"When making a contact, position was everything. Protect yourself by being able to observe all approaching vehicles; keep rapid, undetectable escape available.

"Friends were enemies, and enemies taught one strategies with which to fight them. It was part of the insanity that was all too real."


Any reader in search of a high-octane action novel mixing fact and fiction will find much in "The Chancellor Manuscript" to keep him/her engaged and breathless.

[Dipanjan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my 2nd reading of this book. I had first read it when I was in school, somewhere in the 90s. All I remembered was I smuggle-read this book in school to race through it. The Chancellor Manuscript is a typical Robert Ludlum signature book. Unlike his other books, this one is set COMPLETELY in the USA and the pandemonium of crisis eats away at the heart of the US administration. This book is unique because there is a constant conflict AND merger of fiction and reality. It's like a plot within a plot within a plot. By the time you finish you may have to take some time to swim out of the cesspool you had been thrown into.

This is one classic Ludlum work because of its myriads of twists in the tale, the deceptions and the counter deceptions, the encompassing crisis, the spiralling of violence, the clinical process of murder and of course a high level of intelligence in every single step.

It will keep you wondering "what if"? It will make you think "is there any fact to fiction"?

If you haven't read Chancellor Manuscript yet, it's about time you dive into it and experience how surveillance can own you.

[Suby · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book Robert Ludlum appears somewhat confused on how to end the book. I would never have settled for the Black Judge to be the totally racist but would have preferred it to be his son who is championing the cause of the blacks. In trying to confuse the reader the author himself got confused, I would say. The book somehow laks the trade mark insight that all Ludlum novels bear.
I am not saying that the book is not readable. It is. The narrative is racy and the characters are well interwoven. It is the racist part of the story that I didn't like.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book by Ludlum that I've read. I enjoyed the Bourne Trilogy films so read a few of the books from later in the Bourne series. These were by van Lustbader and although entertaining seemed to lack depth with the characters. This book has more depth to it than Lustbader's did, with a far more satisfying sense of resolution (helped no doubt by the fact that it isn't part of a series). Ludlum writes well, mixing good pace of storyline with development of characters and intrigue - a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Ludlum book of all time. I devoured it. It has a bit of historical fiction in it but stays the espionage course as well. I would rate it "R" if it were a movie due to language and some scene description but it's a great read if you like spy novels. Ludlum is a master storyteller.

[Jyv · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled with this overlong and confusing book. I persevered only because I had nothing else to read (apart from the cumbersome 'Breath of snow and ashes'). The ending, when it finally came, was a bit of an anticlimax - not that I actually cared what happened. I was relieved it was finally over.

[Julius Gewarges · Rating 5 out of 5]

not better than the previous books I read which were total monsters, but nonetheless amazing. this is a Mystery Spy thriller that, with no surprise, contains many twists and turns. This book doesn't just contain one simple plot, but much much more...Alot more.

[Nicole Diamond · Rating 1 out of 5]

If it has one star I liked it a lot
If it has two stars I liked it a lot and would recommend it
If it has three stars I really really liked it a lot
If it has four stars I insist you read it
If it has five stars it was life changing

[Jim Barber · Rating 1 out of 5]

You would think a story based on the conspiracy theory that a secret gang of leaders murdered J. Edgar Hoover would make for a compelling story. And yet, this probably is one of the most boring books I've ever read. I lost count of all the gunfights. Ignore it.

[Lori Rubin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best Ludlum novel ever, and very timely story line with what is going on in today's world. A must read for lovers of the thriller genre.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a non-stop thriller by a master at the top of his form. Great story, characters and plot.

[Grayson Wolfe · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the book that put me off Ludlum for good. An interesting premise, but an absolute chore to get through. The writing style vacillates between histrionic and shoot-me-please-boring.

[Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not wait for it to end. Should have stopped at page 100