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Charlie and Margaret Marder #1
The Hellfire Club
A young Congressman stumbles on the powerful political underworld of 1950's D.C. in this "potent thriller" (David Baldacci) and New York Times bestseller from CNN correspondent Jake Tapper.
Charlie Marder is an unlikely Congressman. Thrust into office by his family ties after his predecessor died mysteriously, Charlie is struggling to navigate the dangerous waters of 1950s Washington, DC, alongside his young wife Margaret, a zoologist with ambitions of her own. Amid the swirl of glamorous and powerful political leaders and deal makers, a mysterious fatal car accident thrusts Charlie and Margaret into an underworld of backroom deals, secret societies, and a plot that could change the course of history. When Charlie discovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of governance, he has to fight not only for his principles and his newfound political career...but for his life.
Charlie Marder is an unlikely Congressman. Thrust into office by his family ties after his predecessor died mysteriously, Charlie is struggling to navigate the dangerous waters of 1950s Washington, DC, alongside his young wife Margaret, a zoologist with ambitions of her own. Amid the swirl of glamorous and powerful political leaders and deal makers, a mysterious fatal car accident thrusts Charlie and Margaret into an underworld of backroom deals, secret societies, and a plot that could change the course of history. When Charlie discovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of governance, he has to fight not only for his principles and his newfound political career...but for his life.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published April 24, 2018
3661 people are currently reading
11738 people want to read
About the author
Jake Tapper
17 books971 followersJake Tapper is the best-selling author of six books, his most recent being All the Demons Are Here, to be published July 11, 2023 by Little Brown & Co.
On April 24, 2018, Little, Brown and Company published Tapper's first novel, a political thriller entitled The Hellfire Club. The novel follows a fictitious freshman Congressman discovering corruption and conspiracy in 1950s Washington, at the height of the McCarthy era. The book debuted at Number 3 on the New York Times Best-Seller List for Hardcover fiction, and remained on the Best-Seller list for four weeks total. The Associated Press called The Hellfire Club "insightful...well-written and worthwhile." Tablet Magazine called the novel "startlingly good." USA Today said the author "sizzles" and "proves he has the page-turning knack in his entertaining debut novel."
The sequel to The Hellfire Club, The Devil May Dance, was released in May 2021, and continues the story of the lives of Charlie and Margaret Marder.
Tapper is also the author of The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, a critically acclaimed book about U.S. troops in Afghanistan that debuted at number 10 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardback non-fiction. Bob Woodward described the book as "Brilliant, dedicated reporting by a journalist who goes to ground to get the truth. A sad, real tale about this war, America and the brave warriors who live—and die—at the point of the spear" and Jon Krakauer called it "a mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice. If you want to understand how the war in Afghanistan went off the rails, you need to read this book."
In 2014, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society recognized Tapper for the book and his reporting on military topics in general with the Tex McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism. A Rod Lurie-directed film adaptation of The Outpost was released in July 2020, starring Milo Gibson, Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood and Caleb Landry Jones.
In addition to The Outpost, Tapper is the author of Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency, based on the 2000 Presidential election, that The Washington Post called "lively", the Chicago Tribune "a churning effusion well worth reading" and The Daily Telegraph "engrossing". He also wrote Body Slam: The Jesse Ventura Story (St. Martin's Press) that was excerpted by The Washington Post Magazine.
On April 24, 2018, Little, Brown and Company published Tapper's first novel, a political thriller entitled The Hellfire Club. The novel follows a fictitious freshman Congressman discovering corruption and conspiracy in 1950s Washington, at the height of the McCarthy era. The book debuted at Number 3 on the New York Times Best-Seller List for Hardcover fiction, and remained on the Best-Seller list for four weeks total. The Associated Press called The Hellfire Club "insightful...well-written and worthwhile." Tablet Magazine called the novel "startlingly good." USA Today said the author "sizzles" and "proves he has the page-turning knack in his entertaining debut novel."
The sequel to The Hellfire Club, The Devil May Dance, was released in May 2021, and continues the story of the lives of Charlie and Margaret Marder.
Tapper is also the author of The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, a critically acclaimed book about U.S. troops in Afghanistan that debuted at number 10 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardback non-fiction. Bob Woodward described the book as "Brilliant, dedicated reporting by a journalist who goes to ground to get the truth. A sad, real tale about this war, America and the brave warriors who live—and die—at the point of the spear" and Jon Krakauer called it "a mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice. If you want to understand how the war in Afghanistan went off the rails, you need to read this book."
In 2014, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society recognized Tapper for the book and his reporting on military topics in general with the Tex McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism. A Rod Lurie-directed film adaptation of The Outpost was released in July 2020, starring Milo Gibson, Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood and Caleb Landry Jones.
In addition to The Outpost, Tapper is the author of Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency, based on the 2000 Presidential election, that The Washington Post called "lively", the Chicago Tribune "a churning effusion well worth reading" and The Daily Telegraph "engrossing". He also wrote Body Slam: The Jesse Ventura Story (St. Martin's Press) that was excerpted by The Washington Post Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,226 reviews
April 30, 2018
3.5 stars. Jake Tapper is one of my favorite journalists, and one of my celebrity crushes--that stern face! and watching him hold Kellyanne Conway's feet to the fire! 😍😍😍--so when I found out he wrote a novel I was intrigued, and I downloaded the audiobook as soon as it was available. I was a bit unsure what to expect, given the mixed reviews so far, but I thought this was really fun!
If you enjoy political machinations, history, and thrillers this book is a delightful way to pass some time, and learn a bit of history (I need to find a copy of the endnotes, as they weren't included in the audiobook, so I can see which bits were invented and what was true). Set in 1950s Washington, DC, The Hellfire Club throws in a lot of details about the state of politics at the time, especially McCarthy-ism, all of which was very interesting to me. It also features a whole lot of intrigue around secret societies, communists, anti-communists, backstabbing, blackmail, and a dead woman, as seen through the eyes of a young congressman and his biologist wife.
I might have rounded down to three stars for just the story (which, from me, is not a bad rating), but I'm rating the audiobook and the amount of enjoyment I got from spending 8+ hours with Jake Tapper reading it to me is definitely 4 star worthy! He did a great job with all the different voices and accents!
If you enjoy political machinations, history, and thrillers this book is a delightful way to pass some time, and learn a bit of history (I need to find a copy of the endnotes, as they weren't included in the audiobook, so I can see which bits were invented and what was true). Set in 1950s Washington, DC, The Hellfire Club throws in a lot of details about the state of politics at the time, especially McCarthy-ism, all of which was very interesting to me. It also features a whole lot of intrigue around secret societies, communists, anti-communists, backstabbing, blackmail, and a dead woman, as seen through the eyes of a young congressman and his biologist wife.
I might have rounded down to three stars for just the story (which, from me, is not a bad rating), but I'm rating the audiobook and the amount of enjoyment I got from spending 8+ hours with Jake Tapper reading it to me is definitely 4 star worthy! He did a great job with all the different voices and accents!
October 30, 2019
”McCarthy’s opponents were beginning to gain ground, but Tail Gunner Joe, as he’d been nicknamed by someone, perhaps McCarthy himself, was winning the war of attrition; his adversaries were exhausted. He remained popular with a strong segment of the public, whose support of him seemed impervious to obvious moments of indecency and prevarication. Those who feared McCarthy might never actually go away and that the fever of McCarthyism might never break were growing despondent.”
It’s 1954, and Charlie Marder has been appointed to fill a congressional seat recently made available by the abrupt and controversial death of the previous representative. Of course, it is always difficult being a freshman politician in Washington, but to be someone who didn’t have to win an election to get there is even more difficult. Charlie feels like a lame duck from the moment he arrives. As his friend, fellow congressman Isaiah Street, says:”You spend your first six months in Congress wondering just how the hell you got here and the next six months wondering how the hell everyone else did.”
Charlie, feeling the pressure, is drinking too much and going to too many congressional parties. He is trying to fit in but manages to step on the toes of some of the party leadership and finds himself in hot water. He soon learns that being right about something has nothing to do with politics in Washington. There are so many behind the scenes machinations and Black Ops type research, not to mention the overflowing troughs of money that keep all of it funded and tucked under a veil of secrecy, that Charlie soon finds that knowing the wrong things at the wrong time can put he and his wife in mortal danger.
Here is something I learned about McCarthy in this book that curled my toes. ”There was something about McCarthy that instantly conveyed to people that he liked and cared about them, Charlie could see--and something inside Charlie, he recognized, sought McCathy’s approval. It was a kind of twisted magic.”
Charlie has a conversation with the real life Senator Margaret Chase Smith, who despite being a Republican, was a social warrior in a time when moderate, clear thinking members of the GOP were becoming as scarce as they are today. ”That was a brave thing you did, coming out against McCarthy back in--when was it, 1950? And it’s been pretty dispiriting to see so many of our fellow Republicans sit back and let this...indecency...continue.” Hmm, why does that line have so much reverence for me 65 years later?
I really enjoy the way Jake Tapper inserts real life characters into his plot to interact with his fictional characters. The Kennedy brothers are there, of course, and the odious Roy Cohn. Fish belly complected Richard Nixon is slinking around the peripheries of the plot. President Ike Eisenhower is treading the political waters, waiting for a chance to safely turn McCarthyism into ”McCarthy-wasm.” I like the way Tapper weaves the Puerto Rican attack on the Capitol Building into the plot. Of course, let’s not forget about the powerful men who belong to the Hellfire Club and all the nefarious engineerings and deviant sexual behaviors that are hallmarks of the club. Their theme song? ”You’re the top/ You’re the breasts of Venus/ You’re the top/ You’re King Kong’s penis.” Behind closed doors, Senators are allowed to be as naughty as they want to be without consequences and reassured to be as perverse as they desire to be due to the fact that they are safe from exposure because everyone in the club is compromised.
They also find a way to compromise Charlie.
I keep thinking of the Kevin Costner psychological film No Way Out as Charlie finds himself trapped within more and more layers of deceit. We grow up believing that doing the right thing is always going to win out at the end of the day, but when you are playing against people who lack any kind of moral compass and believe that they are performing the greater good, the deck is stacked against you. Those pulling the strings can convince themselves that it actually is the moral thing to set their consciousness aside. As Charlie gets closer and closer to the truth, he becomes expendable. He is in a race to expose the truth before the truth gets him killed.
The geek part of my soul is so happy with the plethora of fascinating nuances and, of course, the grand events of history that are woven into the plot. The little mentions, like the map back cards at the poker game and dropping the author Paul Horgan’s name, whom I haven’t really thought about in years, bring smiles to my face. To those who want to read this book for the thriller aspects, you won’t be disappointed, but for those readers who enjoy history, the plot will be even more thrilling.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
It’s 1954, and Charlie Marder has been appointed to fill a congressional seat recently made available by the abrupt and controversial death of the previous representative. Of course, it is always difficult being a freshman politician in Washington, but to be someone who didn’t have to win an election to get there is even more difficult. Charlie feels like a lame duck from the moment he arrives. As his friend, fellow congressman Isaiah Street, says:”You spend your first six months in Congress wondering just how the hell you got here and the next six months wondering how the hell everyone else did.”
Charlie, feeling the pressure, is drinking too much and going to too many congressional parties. He is trying to fit in but manages to step on the toes of some of the party leadership and finds himself in hot water. He soon learns that being right about something has nothing to do with politics in Washington. There are so many behind the scenes machinations and Black Ops type research, not to mention the overflowing troughs of money that keep all of it funded and tucked under a veil of secrecy, that Charlie soon finds that knowing the wrong things at the wrong time can put he and his wife in mortal danger.
Here is something I learned about McCarthy in this book that curled my toes. ”There was something about McCarthy that instantly conveyed to people that he liked and cared about them, Charlie could see--and something inside Charlie, he recognized, sought McCathy’s approval. It was a kind of twisted magic.”
Charlie has a conversation with the real life Senator Margaret Chase Smith, who despite being a Republican, was a social warrior in a time when moderate, clear thinking members of the GOP were becoming as scarce as they are today. ”That was a brave thing you did, coming out against McCarthy back in--when was it, 1950? And it’s been pretty dispiriting to see so many of our fellow Republicans sit back and let this...indecency...continue.” Hmm, why does that line have so much reverence for me 65 years later?
I really enjoy the way Jake Tapper inserts real life characters into his plot to interact with his fictional characters. The Kennedy brothers are there, of course, and the odious Roy Cohn. Fish belly complected Richard Nixon is slinking around the peripheries of the plot. President Ike Eisenhower is treading the political waters, waiting for a chance to safely turn McCarthyism into ”McCarthy-wasm.” I like the way Tapper weaves the Puerto Rican attack on the Capitol Building into the plot. Of course, let’s not forget about the powerful men who belong to the Hellfire Club and all the nefarious engineerings and deviant sexual behaviors that are hallmarks of the club. Their theme song? ”You’re the top/ You’re the breasts of Venus/ You’re the top/ You’re King Kong’s penis.” Behind closed doors, Senators are allowed to be as naughty as they want to be without consequences and reassured to be as perverse as they desire to be due to the fact that they are safe from exposure because everyone in the club is compromised.
They also find a way to compromise Charlie.
I keep thinking of the Kevin Costner psychological film No Way Out as Charlie finds himself trapped within more and more layers of deceit. We grow up believing that doing the right thing is always going to win out at the end of the day, but when you are playing against people who lack any kind of moral compass and believe that they are performing the greater good, the deck is stacked against you. Those pulling the strings can convince themselves that it actually is the moral thing to set their consciousness aside. As Charlie gets closer and closer to the truth, he becomes expendable. He is in a race to expose the truth before the truth gets him killed.
The geek part of my soul is so happy with the plethora of fascinating nuances and, of course, the grand events of history that are woven into the plot. The little mentions, like the map back cards at the poker game and dropping the author Paul Horgan’s name, whom I haven’t really thought about in years, bring smiles to my face. To those who want to read this book for the thriller aspects, you won’t be disappointed, but for those readers who enjoy history, the plot will be even more thrilling.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
April 23, 2018
Jake Tapper, the tenacious anchor of CNN, the merciless slayer of alternative facts, the dogged deflator of political egos, has written a novel about corruption in Washington. In the scandal-a-day era of President Trump, the news doesn’t leave much room for fiction about our government’s debauchery, but Tapper still heaps plenty of scorn on the king of chaos:
“He’s impossible to ignore. He’s become this . . . planet . . . blocking the sun. And whatever points he makes that have validity are blotted out by his indecency and his lies and his predilection to smear.”
I’m not sure whom you’re thinking of, but that’s Tapper’s description of Joseph McCarthy, the U.S. senator from Wisconsin whose pyrotechnics fueled the flames of communist paranoia in the 1950s. McCarthy is the dark lord of “The Hellfire Club,” Tapper’s debut political thriller, which reminds us that our republic has survived. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
“He’s impossible to ignore. He’s become this . . . planet . . . blocking the sun. And whatever points he makes that have validity are blotted out by his indecency and his lies and his predilection to smear.”
I’m not sure whom you’re thinking of, but that’s Tapper’s description of Joseph McCarthy, the U.S. senator from Wisconsin whose pyrotechnics fueled the flames of communist paranoia in the 1950s. McCarthy is the dark lord of “The Hellfire Club,” Tapper’s debut political thriller, which reminds us that our republic has survived. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
August 31, 2022
Book Blog | Bookstagram
“The human soul isn't sold once but rather slowly and methodically and piece by piece.”
You get a pregnant zoologist, a naive congressman, a dead and disgraced politician, corruption and racketeering, a mysterious note, a shooting in the Capitol, lots of talk about communism, McCarthy and JFK, a dead girl, a car crash, even more communism and J. Edgar Hoover and Senate hearings and lobbyists, and the N-word gets uttered a time or two.
There’s a special kind of person who finds history interesting. But it’s decidedly not me, so instead of this being exciting to me, I found it to be kind of tedious, wordy and explain-y. This book didn’t work for me for myriad reasons.
One, I'm not good with history and this novel is super dense on history, interweaving actual events and people with fictitious ones. Tapper took extraordinary care in his research, which I respect, but I’m going to be totally honest here – I don’t know anything about this McCarthy era shit. I’m Canadian, but also just don’t care. I get that it's important, but there is enough bullshit going on in the world right now. I don’t have time, or the mental health, to learn about what bad shit was also happening 70 years ago in the United States.
Also, politics bores the shit out of me. Just in general. All of it, present or past. It’s dry as all hell and I don’t want to be involved in it. Even with backroom dealings and two-faced assholes scurrying about in the shadows, it’s still boring. It’s only not boring if Syndey Bristow is hanging from the ceiling in a kickass disguise.
Like, Oh, what could take a mild-mannered, moral person and turn him into a corrupt, lying, stealing, fuckhead? How could this happen??? PLEASE. We all know how it happens. We see it every fucking day. POWER. Power does that to people. There is nothing mysterious or unexpected about this.
My favourite part was when various political opponents all got together and confronted each other with dossiers of compromising photos. You got some on me?! But I got some on you!
As I said, I read this because I like Jake Tapper. He knows what he's talking about.
But, I’m self-reflective enough to know this novel was not meant for me. I tried, but no.
⭐⭐⭐ | 3 stars because I'm being nice.
“The human soul isn't sold once but rather slowly and methodically and piece by piece.”
You get a pregnant zoologist, a naive congressman, a dead and disgraced politician, corruption and racketeering, a mysterious note, a shooting in the Capitol, lots of talk about communism, McCarthy and JFK, a dead girl, a car crash, even more communism and J. Edgar Hoover and Senate hearings and lobbyists, and the N-word gets uttered a time or two.
There’s a special kind of person who finds history interesting. But it’s decidedly not me, so instead of this being exciting to me, I found it to be kind of tedious, wordy and explain-y. This book didn’t work for me for myriad reasons.
One, I'm not good with history and this novel is super dense on history, interweaving actual events and people with fictitious ones. Tapper took extraordinary care in his research, which I respect, but I’m going to be totally honest here – I don’t know anything about this McCarthy era shit. I’m Canadian, but also just don’t care. I get that it's important, but there is enough bullshit going on in the world right now. I don’t have time, or the mental health, to learn about what bad shit was also happening 70 years ago in the United States.
Also, politics bores the shit out of me. Just in general. All of it, present or past. It’s dry as all hell and I don’t want to be involved in it. Even with backroom dealings and two-faced assholes scurrying about in the shadows, it’s still boring. It’s only not boring if Syndey Bristow is hanging from the ceiling in a kickass disguise.
Like, Oh, what could take a mild-mannered, moral person and turn him into a corrupt, lying, stealing, fuckhead? How could this happen??? PLEASE. We all know how it happens. We see it every fucking day. POWER. Power does that to people. There is nothing mysterious or unexpected about this.
My favourite part was when various political opponents all got together and confronted each other with dossiers of compromising photos. You got some on me?! But I got some on you!
As I said, I read this because I like Jake Tapper. He knows what he's talking about.
But, I’m self-reflective enough to know this novel was not meant for me. I tried, but no.
⭐⭐⭐ | 3 stars because I'm being nice.
abandoned
May 15, 2018DNF @ 30%. The sun is rising on March 5th, 1954 as newly appointed congressman Charlie Marder wakes up on a creek bank with his tuxedo covered in mud. Nearby, a car is submerged in the creek and a dead woman lies in a drainage ditch. His memory is fuzzy and he can't remember how he got there. He's in the midst of rationalizing leaving the scene when a car pulls up.
"Chapter Two" flashes back to two months prior, which is worlds away from Marder's current predicament! Professor and bestselling author Charlie Marder was just appointed to a congressional seat left empty by disgraced Representative Martin Van Waganan, who was found dead after his indictment for corruption and racketeering. Marder is trying to find his footing as a new congressman, but in following his strongly tuned moral compass he immediately steps on some toes. Getting things done will require a little more finesse than he's accustomed to. His wife Margaret is becoming increasingly frustrated with her husband's concessions to the old guard and she isn't comfortable in "a place where compromise and obsequiousness were as much a part of the landscape as traffic circles and monuments to long-dead generals." She's also frustrated because she's not even two months pregnant and it's already causing problems in her professional life. She still has so much she wants to accomplish!
The author Jake Tapper has over 25 years of experience in the political and journalistic arenas. He is currently the Chief Washington Correspondent for CNN. You may have seen him on his TV show The Lead with Jake Tapper . I chose this book because of Tapper's unique insight from having such close proximity to major political players. I also recently read David A. Nichols's Ike and McCarthy: Dwight Eisenhower's Secret Campaign against Joseph McCarthy, so I thought it would be interesting to read a fictional story set in the same time period but with some distance from the Oval Office. (Nichol’s book is actually listed in the sources section.)
I loved the interesting anecdotes that were scattered throughout the story. Tapper stresses that The Hellfire Club is a work of fiction, but he utilized a number of nonfiction sources in writing it. I kept stopping to verify odd factoids and was usually pleasantly surprised to find out they were true! Did politician Estes Kefauver respond to accusations of “working for the communists with the stealth of a raccoon” by wearing a raccoon tail hat on the campaign trail? Yes, he did! Even the stories where Tapper took some artistic liberties set me down an interesting path. When I sought to verify fictional Congressman Strongfellow's heroic WWII account, I discovered the tale of the actual Representative Douglas Stringfellow who admitted to fabricating the entire story.
I was expecting a page-turning political thriller, but that's not what I got. The opening is strong, but the "big" story still hadn’t gotten going by the end of the first third. To the point that I read, the main conflicts are between (1) Marder and his wife, (2) Marder with himself, and (3) Marder and the more experienced members of Congress. In what I presume is the greater mystery, Marder is trying to decipher a cryptic message left behind by his predecessor; unfortunately, his intern is investigating that mystery beyond our view. The mix of fiction and nonfiction was such that I was actually more interested in the actual historical events and what these political figures were really like. Real-life people in fiction usually don't feel natural to me, so that was a risk I took with this book. However, I appreciated the introduction to some of the outsiders in Congress, like Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to serve in both houses of the United States Congress. I thought the dynamics of the Marder's marriage were interesting, but there was something a little too progressive and modern about the couple that kept jolting me out of the era. On the irrational side of things, I was annoyed by both Margaret’s (a zoologist) fascination with ponies and the constant reminders of Marder's goodness.
How did a man who prides himself on his ethics end up sitting near a wrecked car and a dead woman while mulling over ways to avoid the consequences? With the myriad of options before him, what path will he decide to take? The Hellfire Club shows the corrosive effects of politics and how even the most ethical person can find themselves making unholy alliances and compromises in pursuit of a virtuous goal. Marder is surprised at how second nature playing the game becomes for him in such a short period of time. This book wasn’t for me, but it made me interested in Tapper’s nonfiction work. His sense of ethics, curiosity, love of politics and history, and respect for those who serve in the military really shined through in the pages I read.
________________________
People and events I learned about in The Hellfire Club:
• United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency (1954) A Senate hearing about "the problem of horror and crime comic books" in relation to rising youth violence. Collected Transcripts | The Importance of the National Archives
• Margaret Chase Smith is a fascinating woman! As a freshman senator, she delivered the "Declaration of Conscience" speech in response to the actions of Senator Joseph McCarthy. There's an excerpt of the speech below, but the entire short speech is an interesting read. A video of Smith announcing her intention to run for the 1964 Republican Nomination for President | A touching essay by Senator Olympia Snowe on Smith's impact
• United States Capitol Shooting Incident in 1954 - I actually didn't make it to this part of The Hellfire Club, but I read about it in Nichol's book. It amazes me that I hadn't heard of this event until recently! On March 1, 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire in House of Representatives chamber of the United States Capitol, injuring five congressmen. The shooters were pardoned by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. :-O (Article)
__________
I received this book for free from NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. It's available now!
“You may prove to be a great soldier,” Winston Marder said. “Not because you’re tough. Because you’re smart. But sacrifices are made in the field of battle, Charlie. Sacrifices will have to be made.”
"Chapter Two" flashes back to two months prior, which is worlds away from Marder's current predicament! Professor and bestselling author Charlie Marder was just appointed to a congressional seat left empty by disgraced Representative Martin Van Waganan, who was found dead after his indictment for corruption and racketeering. Marder is trying to find his footing as a new congressman, but in following his strongly tuned moral compass he immediately steps on some toes. Getting things done will require a little more finesse than he's accustomed to. His wife Margaret is becoming increasingly frustrated with her husband's concessions to the old guard and she isn't comfortable in "a place where compromise and obsequiousness were as much a part of the landscape as traffic circles and monuments to long-dead generals." She's also frustrated because she's not even two months pregnant and it's already causing problems in her professional life. She still has so much she wants to accomplish!
“Forgive me,” Charlie said. “You know I’m an academic. Sometimes we get caught up in the abstract rather than the reality. These men contained multitudes. They did heinous, unforgivable things. Don’t misunderstand me. But they’re more than their misdeeds, right? FDR sent the Japanese to camps. Lincoln suspended habeas corpus. Twelve U.S. presidents were slave owners, including the one who’d been the top general of the Union Army!”
Street shook his head. “I don’t know, Charlie. John Adams knew better. John Quincy Adams knew better. Lincoln knew better. Right is right and wrong is wrong. You fought for your country, you married a good woman, you work hard to protect troops from future shitty gas masks. You’re not betraying your principles. You don’t contain multitudes.” He paused. “Do you, Charlie?”
The author Jake Tapper has over 25 years of experience in the political and journalistic arenas. He is currently the Chief Washington Correspondent for CNN. You may have seen him on his TV show The Lead with Jake Tapper . I chose this book because of Tapper's unique insight from having such close proximity to major political players. I also recently read David A. Nichols's Ike and McCarthy: Dwight Eisenhower's Secret Campaign against Joseph McCarthy, so I thought it would be interesting to read a fictional story set in the same time period but with some distance from the Oval Office. (Nichol’s book is actually listed in the sources section.)
I loved the interesting anecdotes that were scattered throughout the story. Tapper stresses that The Hellfire Club is a work of fiction, but he utilized a number of nonfiction sources in writing it. I kept stopping to verify odd factoids and was usually pleasantly surprised to find out they were true! Did politician Estes Kefauver respond to accusations of “working for the communists with the stealth of a raccoon” by wearing a raccoon tail hat on the campaign trail? Yes, he did! Even the stories where Tapper took some artistic liberties set me down an interesting path. When I sought to verify fictional Congressman Strongfellow's heroic WWII account, I discovered the tale of the actual Representative Douglas Stringfellow who admitted to fabricating the entire story.
"I don’t think I understood until recently how tough it is to stand up for what’s right in politics. It all looks so easy from the outside. But inside, the imperatives, the forces, the motivations almost always push one toward complicity or silence. If not worse. The system seems designed to grind away our better natures."
I was expecting a page-turning political thriller, but that's not what I got. The opening is strong, but the "big" story still hadn’t gotten going by the end of the first third. To the point that I read, the main conflicts are between (1) Marder and his wife, (2) Marder with himself, and (3) Marder and the more experienced members of Congress. In what I presume is the greater mystery, Marder is trying to decipher a cryptic message left behind by his predecessor; unfortunately, his intern is investigating that mystery beyond our view. The mix of fiction and nonfiction was such that I was actually more interested in the actual historical events and what these political figures were really like. Real-life people in fiction usually don't feel natural to me, so that was a risk I took with this book. However, I appreciated the introduction to some of the outsiders in Congress, like Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to serve in both houses of the United States Congress. I thought the dynamics of the Marder's marriage were interesting, but there was something a little too progressive and modern about the couple that kept jolting me out of the era. On the irrational side of things, I was annoyed by both Margaret’s (a zoologist) fascination with ponies and the constant reminders of Marder's goodness.
"When a rat pokes his head up from the sewer, he needs to be hit on the head with a shovel immediately. You cannot just sit back and think, Well, it's just one rat or That's somebody else's problem. Because it's never just one rat, and it eventually becomes your problem." [fictional version of Margaret Chase Smith]
How did a man who prides himself on his ethics end up sitting near a wrecked car and a dead woman while mulling over ways to avoid the consequences? With the myriad of options before him, what path will he decide to take? The Hellfire Club shows the corrosive effects of politics and how even the most ethical person can find themselves making unholy alliances and compromises in pursuit of a virtuous goal. Marder is surprised at how second nature playing the game becomes for him in such a short period of time. This book wasn’t for me, but it made me interested in Tapper’s nonfiction work. His sense of ethics, curiosity, love of politics and history, and respect for those who serve in the military really shined through in the pages I read.
________________________
People and events I learned about in The Hellfire Club:
• United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency (1954) A Senate hearing about "the problem of horror and crime comic books" in relation to rising youth violence. Collected Transcripts | The Importance of the National Archives
• Margaret Chase Smith is a fascinating woman! As a freshman senator, she delivered the "Declaration of Conscience" speech in response to the actions of Senator Joseph McCarthy. There's an excerpt of the speech below, but the entire short speech is an interesting read. A video of Smith announcing her intention to run for the 1964 Republican Nomination for President | A touching essay by Senator Olympia Snowe on Smith's impact
"Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism in making character assassinations are all too frequently those who, by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of Americanism –
The right to criticize;
The right to hold unpopular beliefs;
The right to protest;
The right of independent thought.
The exercise of these rights should not cost one single American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood nor should he be in danger of losing his reputation or livelihood merely because he happens to know someone who holds unpopular beliefs. Who of us doesn't? Otherwise none of us could call our souls our own. Otherwise thought control would have set in." [excerpt from "The Declaration of Conscience" speech]
• United States Capitol Shooting Incident in 1954 - I actually didn't make it to this part of The Hellfire Club, but I read about it in Nichol's book. It amazes me that I hadn't heard of this event until recently! On March 1, 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire in House of Representatives chamber of the United States Capitol, injuring five congressmen. The shooters were pardoned by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. :-O (Article)
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I received this book for free from NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. It's available now!
February 1, 2025
Looking for a different type of book, I turned to this historical political thriller from the desk of Jake Tapper, respected CNN journalist and anchor. Tapper does well to deliver a strong story that has wonderful historical flavouring, all about a young congressman trying to make his way in the cutthroat trenches of Washington. What Charlie Marder will soon learn is that politics is a game of connections and not only logic, all while making a name for himself amongst the powerful and elite around the Capitol. A great series debut that has me eager to delve deeper into the world that Tapper has created.
Charlie Marder arrives in Washington to serve the people of his New York congressional district with high hopes and lofty dreams. He could not have known how difficult it would be trying to understand the backroom dealings of 1950s Washington, or how the horse trading took place. His backstory is also something that will have people talking. A soldier in the Second World War with a chip on his shoulder, Marder was called upon to serve in the House of Representatives upon the untimely death of his precessor. Using the power of his family and armed with a young wife, Margaret, who recently became pregnant, Congressman Marder is thrust into the middle of the drama with no life preserver.
Upon arriving in Washington, Congressman Marder begins rubbing elbows with the power elite, many of whom trying to show him the ropes. However, this is an era of McCarthy attacks on anything resembling ‘red’ and there is no room to be anything but decisive with one’s beliefs. Trying to navigate the difficult world of politics, Congressman Marder tries to push hard for a bill that would punish an American company for poor workmanship, unaware of how to go about doing things and garnering support from his fellow politicians. All the while, he must worry about Margaret, who has taken an academic assignment away from home and is still carrying their first child.
After a night of drinks and frivolity, Charlie is involved in a car accident and passes out behind the wheel. When he wakes up, a dead body is discovered in the vehicle. Panicked, Charlie is encouraged to move the body and destroy any evidence. While he was in no way involved, Congressman Marder recognises the woman and must juggle getting the truth out with the knowledge that his being connected could ruin is congressional career. After sharing the news with his wife, Charlie and Margaret begin looking into events to see who might be trying to cause issues for the newer member of the Washington elite. When they uncover mention of the Hellfire Club, the modern incarnation of an 18th century British group, they rush to determine who might be involved and whether Congressman Marder could be the target of a larger plan to silence the truth. Tapper delivers a great story that had me hooked until the final reveal!
While I have long regarded Jake Tapper as a strong journalist who takes no guff, I was unaware of his fiction writing abilities until recently. Tapper has penned a few books that appear to garner the support of many, so I wanted in on the action. The narrative flow works well here and keeps the reader in the middle of the hunt, pepping the story with some well-placed historical references. The feel of the story is definitely 1950s Washington, though there is also an element of mystery and backroom dealings. The characters come to life, many of whom served as historical placemarkers, leaving the reader to revel in all they are sure to learn. Plot points and surprises within the story work well, offset by actual events from the time. This provides the reader with a healthy balance between the two and keeps them on their toes throughout this series debut. I am off to see what else Tapper has in store for the reader and what Charlie Marder might discover in the next novel.
Kudos, Mr. Tapper, for a strong debut!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Charlie Marder arrives in Washington to serve the people of his New York congressional district with high hopes and lofty dreams. He could not have known how difficult it would be trying to understand the backroom dealings of 1950s Washington, or how the horse trading took place. His backstory is also something that will have people talking. A soldier in the Second World War with a chip on his shoulder, Marder was called upon to serve in the House of Representatives upon the untimely death of his precessor. Using the power of his family and armed with a young wife, Margaret, who recently became pregnant, Congressman Marder is thrust into the middle of the drama with no life preserver.
Upon arriving in Washington, Congressman Marder begins rubbing elbows with the power elite, many of whom trying to show him the ropes. However, this is an era of McCarthy attacks on anything resembling ‘red’ and there is no room to be anything but decisive with one’s beliefs. Trying to navigate the difficult world of politics, Congressman Marder tries to push hard for a bill that would punish an American company for poor workmanship, unaware of how to go about doing things and garnering support from his fellow politicians. All the while, he must worry about Margaret, who has taken an academic assignment away from home and is still carrying their first child.
After a night of drinks and frivolity, Charlie is involved in a car accident and passes out behind the wheel. When he wakes up, a dead body is discovered in the vehicle. Panicked, Charlie is encouraged to move the body and destroy any evidence. While he was in no way involved, Congressman Marder recognises the woman and must juggle getting the truth out with the knowledge that his being connected could ruin is congressional career. After sharing the news with his wife, Charlie and Margaret begin looking into events to see who might be trying to cause issues for the newer member of the Washington elite. When they uncover mention of the Hellfire Club, the modern incarnation of an 18th century British group, they rush to determine who might be involved and whether Congressman Marder could be the target of a larger plan to silence the truth. Tapper delivers a great story that had me hooked until the final reveal!
While I have long regarded Jake Tapper as a strong journalist who takes no guff, I was unaware of his fiction writing abilities until recently. Tapper has penned a few books that appear to garner the support of many, so I wanted in on the action. The narrative flow works well here and keeps the reader in the middle of the hunt, pepping the story with some well-placed historical references. The feel of the story is definitely 1950s Washington, though there is also an element of mystery and backroom dealings. The characters come to life, many of whom served as historical placemarkers, leaving the reader to revel in all they are sure to learn. Plot points and surprises within the story work well, offset by actual events from the time. This provides the reader with a healthy balance between the two and keeps them on their toes throughout this series debut. I am off to see what else Tapper has in store for the reader and what Charlie Marder might discover in the next novel.
Kudos, Mr. Tapper, for a strong debut!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
April 28, 2018
Meh. I guess I fell for the photos on Twitter of celebrities reading this book. You got me, Hellfire Club PR campaign!
“The Hellfire Club” has a great beginning that really grabs you, and then falters and meanders for almost all of the rest of the book. It did pick up at the last 16% (I read it on Kindle), but that’s too little too late. For a thriller only to pick up in the last pages of a book is disappointing. If only there had been more of that zippy last 16% writing throughout! This book would have benefitted from a more thorough editor. There were lots of sections that could have been cleaned up to be sharper and better written like the ending.
Aside from that, the thing that bugged me was that there was writing and dialogue that was thoroughly modern. There are so many illusions to Trumpism and issues surrounding it, it took me right out of the setting. It’s not that I am a master of subtext, they are just so overt and glaring, you can’t miss them. It doesn’t appear to be done in a “wink-wink see what I’m doing here” cutesy way either. It’s not that I don’t agree with these parts (I’m a liberal, I do) or that they offend me (they don’t), but they don’t fit with this story.
The main character’s wife decries “This is not normal” when a politician does something unsavory is a few words away from “do not normalize this” a phrase we liberals use on Twitter frequently. A loud, bloviating elected official in the book doesn't believe or care about the issues he grandstands about. He actually used to say the opposite years ago but he switched when he realized yelling about the other side would get him farther. A main character said about him, "and all these people who really believe in the hateful things he says have no idea he doesn't really care about this issue at all." Does that sound like any presidential loser of the popular vote you’ve heard about? There are long paragraphs at the end about how our country will survive charlatans because the checks and balances and free press in our country will overcome the liars. And there are several more examples.
Again, it’s not that I don’t agree with these sentiments, they just don’t really fit here even if Tapper really wants them to. They land like a lead balloon and destroy the film noir atmosphere that had been painted, which took me totally out of the story.
So for me, the beginning and the very end of this book were 3-4 stars. Unfortunately the vast majority of the book was only a “meh” 2 stars. Don’t fall for the very well done PR hype. (Sorry, Jake. I still love you!)
“The Hellfire Club” has a great beginning that really grabs you, and then falters and meanders for almost all of the rest of the book. It did pick up at the last 16% (I read it on Kindle), but that’s too little too late. For a thriller only to pick up in the last pages of a book is disappointing. If only there had been more of that zippy last 16% writing throughout! This book would have benefitted from a more thorough editor. There were lots of sections that could have been cleaned up to be sharper and better written like the ending.
Aside from that, the thing that bugged me was that there was writing and dialogue that was thoroughly modern. There are so many illusions to Trumpism and issues surrounding it, it took me right out of the setting. It’s not that I am a master of subtext, they are just so overt and glaring, you can’t miss them. It doesn’t appear to be done in a “wink-wink see what I’m doing here” cutesy way either. It’s not that I don’t agree with these parts (I’m a liberal, I do) or that they offend me (they don’t), but they don’t fit with this story.
The main character’s wife decries “This is not normal” when a politician does something unsavory is a few words away from “do not normalize this” a phrase we liberals use on Twitter frequently. A loud, bloviating elected official in the book doesn't believe or care about the issues he grandstands about. He actually used to say the opposite years ago but he switched when he realized yelling about the other side would get him farther. A main character said about him, "and all these people who really believe in the hateful things he says have no idea he doesn't really care about this issue at all." Does that sound like any presidential loser of the popular vote you’ve heard about? There are long paragraphs at the end about how our country will survive charlatans because the checks and balances and free press in our country will overcome the liars. And there are several more examples.
Again, it’s not that I don’t agree with these sentiments, they just don’t really fit here even if Tapper really wants them to. They land like a lead balloon and destroy the film noir atmosphere that had been painted, which took me totally out of the story.
So for me, the beginning and the very end of this book were 3-4 stars. Unfortunately the vast majority of the book was only a “meh” 2 stars. Don’t fall for the very well done PR hype. (Sorry, Jake. I still love you!)
August 8, 2023
I am truly a fan of Jake Tapper, the Journalist. Unfortunately, the book had a great beginning that really grabbed me, but then faltered and meandered for almost all of the rest of the book.
The story could have been a great combination of politics, history and intrigue set in 1950’s Washington D.C., but…it fell short in story development.
The story could have been a great combination of politics, history and intrigue set in 1950’s Washington D.C., but…it fell short in story development.
April 27, 2018
pony zoologist
May 30, 2018
After reading about 25% of this book, nothing was happening except a lot of name dropping. I gave up at that point. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
September 8, 2018
There's no way to sugarcoat it. This is a really awful book. I kept hoping it would get better, but no such luck. The gimmicky mixture of actual persons and fictional characters simply does not work. The plot is convoluted and nonsensical. The dialogue is unrealistic as are the author's hopeless attempts to throw in his research results from time to time to make his 1954 setting seem believable. I think Jake Tapper should stick to his day job.
October 9, 2018
Great combination of politics, history and intrigue set in 1950's Washington, DC.
March 14, 2018
I couldn't put this book down. Read my full review at https://journalingonpaper.com/2018/03...
August 11, 2018
This is historical fiction, set in the 1950's.
I think the story was good, and it's obvious that Jake Tapper has done his historical homework.
It blends real politicians -- Lyndon Johnson, JFK, Bobby Kennedy, Richard Nixon, to name a few -- with fictional politicians, and real events with fictional events.
So there was a lot of history that needed to be conveyed in order to fully understand and appreciate the story, and that, for me, made the story drag a little.
I think now that all the groundwork has been laid, I think a 2nd book in this series would be much better.
I think the story was good, and it's obvious that Jake Tapper has done his historical homework.
It blends real politicians -- Lyndon Johnson, JFK, Bobby Kennedy, Richard Nixon, to name a few -- with fictional politicians, and real events with fictional events.
So there was a lot of history that needed to be conveyed in order to fully understand and appreciate the story, and that, for me, made the story drag a little.
I think now that all the groundwork has been laid, I think a 2nd book in this series would be much better.
October 25, 2018
A fascinating tale of espionage within Washington D.C. The secret societies such as the very real Hellfire Club are astonishingly dangerous. President Dwight Eisenhower is quoted with insights into the future of the U.S.A. which have unfortunately developed. Jake Trapper has written a historical fiction novel with valuable footnotes. He includes information about the Joe McCarthy hunt for political opponents and of the efforts to ruin the comic book industry. I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the mystery.
December 3, 2020
OK so to be fair, I love Jake Tapper as a journalist on CNN. He's solemn, he's informed, he's measured, and he's experienced. I also respect him very much as a historian, because he is incredibly educated about issues relating to wars, veterans-rights, etc. I chose this book because of Tapper's unique insight from having such close proximity to major political players. Unfortunately, he forgot how to be precise and filled the book with a lot of stuff. A murder was committed in the first few pages, it took 150 pages just to get back to the murder. The book started off really slow and although it seemed a bit dull in the beginning. At around the 80% mark, it got more "thrilling" I guess. It is a political mystery, set as historical fiction in the mid-1950s but it's not like "The President is Missing" which I thought was fantastic. The setting of the Hellfire Club is long on history, historical figures, and historical vignettes and the plot is just too slow to develop for me. I kept hoping it would get better, but no such luck. The gimmicky mixture of actual persons and fictional characters didn't work for me.
May 29, 2022
The Hellfire Club by CNN anchor Jake Tapper was one of a number of political - type books, both non-fiction and fiction, that my wife bought me for our anniversary. The Hellfire Club falls into the latter category, a historical political thriller set in the 1950's.
New Congressman, Charlie Marder, a WWII veteran and also a published novelist, is placed in a vacant seat by his congressional leadership from New York. The previous congressman had died and the spot needed to be filled. Charlie and his wife move to Washington and Charlie begins his new career.
This is during the time of the McCarthy hearings and Charlie soon finds himself in a new life style, often hard drinking and with lots of political intrigue. The story starts with Charlie returning from a party with a strange woman in his car, an accident, the woman found dead, help from a political lobbyist to hide the incident (of course, Charlie remembers none of what happened), and the follow-on events.
The story jumps back a few months to go through the events that lead up to this accident. It's not necessarily a fun time for Charlie and his wife, Margaret. Their time together shrinks, eve though Margaret is newly pregnant. She heads off to a biological research activity, he heads to other political activities, finds himself often caught in the middle of competing desires.
It's an interesting story, lots of intrigue, some gun fights, some sex, some research into this Hellfire Club and other neat political activities. You'll meet historical people, like McCarthy, Eisenhower, the Kennedys, etc and get a peek at actual events the color the story. Tapper writes well and creates interesting characters and a fast-paced, page-turning political thriller. It reminded me of movies like The Rocketeer and those old serials that used to start off a movie, a great adventure with lots of action and twists and turns. Very entertaining (4 stars)
New Congressman, Charlie Marder, a WWII veteran and also a published novelist, is placed in a vacant seat by his congressional leadership from New York. The previous congressman had died and the spot needed to be filled. Charlie and his wife move to Washington and Charlie begins his new career.
This is during the time of the McCarthy hearings and Charlie soon finds himself in a new life style, often hard drinking and with lots of political intrigue. The story starts with Charlie returning from a party with a strange woman in his car, an accident, the woman found dead, help from a political lobbyist to hide the incident (of course, Charlie remembers none of what happened), and the follow-on events.
The story jumps back a few months to go through the events that lead up to this accident. It's not necessarily a fun time for Charlie and his wife, Margaret. Their time together shrinks, eve though Margaret is newly pregnant. She heads off to a biological research activity, he heads to other political activities, finds himself often caught in the middle of competing desires.
It's an interesting story, lots of intrigue, some gun fights, some sex, some research into this Hellfire Club and other neat political activities. You'll meet historical people, like McCarthy, Eisenhower, the Kennedys, etc and get a peek at actual events the color the story. Tapper writes well and creates interesting characters and a fast-paced, page-turning political thriller. It reminded me of movies like The Rocketeer and those old serials that used to start off a movie, a great adventure with lots of action and twists and turns. Very entertaining (4 stars)
April 5, 2019
Jake Tapper’s debut novel depicts a naive congressman navigating the treacherous terrain of 1950s Washington, from the battles on Capitol Hill to the only slightly less dignified backrooms of its bars, private clubs and secret societies. Also, there’s a murder because you need a plot, hinging on an underdeveloped arc about chemical weapons and corrupt contractors. Tapper certainly did his research, with more ‘50s political figures appearing here than your average Robert Caro book (everyone from Richard Nixon to Joe McCarthy and Roy Cohn to Estes Kefauver and Lyndon Johnson puts in an appearance). But Tapper makes the mistake of so many historical novelists, eschewing convincing characterization and plot for a hollow, gratuitous show of learning. There’s not much narrative satisfaction to be found in Tapper listing off the roll calls of Capitol Hill, or his flaccid restaging of McCarthy’s Red-baiting hearings and, bizarrely, the Puerto Rican nationalists shooting up the Capitol, while the historical figures themselves seem more like wax dummies than people. Nor are other efforts at historical flavor particularly successful. For instance: a conservative character compares a bum poker hand to the Warren Court, allowing Tapper to explain what the Warren Court is - never mind that Warren had only been appointed Chief Justice a few months before the story’s events, and the term certainly wasn’t a pejorative the way it would be, say, a decade later. Or another character thinking Stalin was alive in 1954 or Tapper claiming the John Birch Society existed then (it didn’t until 1958), minor but still irritating slip-ups. The murder plot (which, naturally, involves a frame-up of the protagonist by sinister capitalists) is enough to keep the story moving but isn’t especially compelling, either. It’s a pleasant enough mediocrity, light, undemanding political fiction that should satisfy its target audience, but without any depth or staying power.
May 20, 2018
I chose this novel because of Tapper’s reputation as a journalist. His recent performance on CNN’s State of the Union has shown him to be knowledgeable of the workings of the Federal Government, it’s history, policies and politics.
Reading The Hellfire Club hasn’t diminished my respect for his journalism. He provides valuable insights into the backroom arrangements that turn the gears of government. He shines a bright light on a particularly dark period of American History and the politicians that peopled it. This educational component was the most valuable facet of the book.
Unfortunately, as a novelist, Tapper writes like a journalist. The Five W’s, just the facts, Ma’am! The writing is fifth grade level and any attempt at painting a scene is destroyed by ham-handed cliches and statements of the obvious. Characters are two dimensional at best, cardboard creations who do what the reader expects. This made the reading experience painful. Sorry, Jake. Stick to your Day Job! (cliche!)
The plot has implications for today’s America that should be heeded. Tyranny is never far away. Good people must prevail but there are no guarantees. I’d just like someone else to write the story. Sorry.
PS I listened to the book on Audible and have to say that Tapper’s narration matched his writing. Sad.
Reading The Hellfire Club hasn’t diminished my respect for his journalism. He provides valuable insights into the backroom arrangements that turn the gears of government. He shines a bright light on a particularly dark period of American History and the politicians that peopled it. This educational component was the most valuable facet of the book.
Unfortunately, as a novelist, Tapper writes like a journalist. The Five W’s, just the facts, Ma’am! The writing is fifth grade level and any attempt at painting a scene is destroyed by ham-handed cliches and statements of the obvious. Characters are two dimensional at best, cardboard creations who do what the reader expects. This made the reading experience painful. Sorry, Jake. Stick to your Day Job! (cliche!)
The plot has implications for today’s America that should be heeded. Tyranny is never far away. Good people must prevail but there are no guarantees. I’d just like someone else to write the story. Sorry.
PS I listened to the book on Audible and have to say that Tapper’s narration matched his writing. Sad.
December 4, 2018
I liked the historical anecdotes, and I thought the real characters (Kefauver, McCarthy, Cohn, etc.) mingling with the fictional heroes and villains was fun—for awhile. But the message (You think 2018 is bad? Well let me tell you about the Red Scare in 1954!) is a little clichéd at this point. And the last third of the book is a preposterous mishmash of Dan Brown coincidence, twists, and nonsense.
May 3, 2018
A taut, tense thriller steeped in intrigue. Jake Tapper deftly weaves a story about the insidious and corrosive political landscape during the McCarthy era. There are eerie parallels to today's Washington. I couldn't put the book down.
May 31, 2018
Stick to news
Possibly the worst book I’ve read this year. An utterly convoluted tale of Washington, the red menace and ponies. The disjointed plot bounces around and eventually dots connect but the conclusion is absurd.
Possibly the worst book I’ve read this year. An utterly convoluted tale of Washington, the red menace and ponies. The disjointed plot bounces around and eventually dots connect but the conclusion is absurd.
September 2, 2018
Enjoyable for the most part, but the cliches wear on you after a few chapters. Not a great book, but a turn-your-brain-off kind of story with certain elements that draw you in and make you want to know how it wraps up.
September 18, 2023
This is the first book of this genre that I've read and I really enjoyed it! I thought I had it all figured out near the end but there were still some big twists I didn't expect. Not being up on my history, it did take some time to figure out who was a real person and who was fictional but I'm excited to read the rest!
December 7, 2023
Always enjoy a good historical fiction, this one had a pretty solid plot but crammed a lot of action in the last 50 or so pages. A lot of moving parts and there were details I would’ve liked and thought would be big parts of the story that were lacking. Enjoyable read all in all
June 30, 2019
Intense! Extremely thought provoking, and made me interested in the history of the 1950's. This title had me looking up stuff as I read it, which is why it took a while to read, but it was definitely worth the time. I won this book through Goodreads Giveaway and got one heck of a hard to put down and memorable title. I hope there might be plans for a film adaption at some point. It might actually be a title worth turning into a graphic novel at some point. I highly recommend this title.
April 17, 2018
If you love politics, history and Washington, this is a perfect book. It’s easy to read, engaging and fun. Jake Tapper is a great writer and I couldn’t put it down. Definitely add it to your reading list!
May 8, 2021
3.5 stars. It’s really good, but the ending just didn’t do it for me.
The novel is a political historical fiction mystery set in the 1950’s. It starts with a dead body and then goes into the story of what lead there. The writing is engaging and the characters are well developed. The plot follows Charlie, a newly appointed congressman with strong values. The world of politics pushes him into situations that test those values. His wife is unsure who her husband is becoming. Meanwhile, Charlie is surrounded by powerful people with agendas of their own. I loved how well Tapper has brought to life this era and references politicians before they were iconic historical figures.
What lost me was the ending, it felt too rushed. When characters have conversations that answer all the questions building up throughout the novel in just a few pages, it takes me out of the story.
The novel is a political historical fiction mystery set in the 1950’s. It starts with a dead body and then goes into the story of what lead there. The writing is engaging and the characters are well developed. The plot follows Charlie, a newly appointed congressman with strong values. The world of politics pushes him into situations that test those values. His wife is unsure who her husband is becoming. Meanwhile, Charlie is surrounded by powerful people with agendas of their own. I loved how well Tapper has brought to life this era and references politicians before they were iconic historical figures.
What lost me was the ending, it felt too rushed. When characters have conversations that answer all the questions building up throughout the novel in just a few pages, it takes me out of the story.
August 1, 2018
Being a bit of a fan of Jake Tapper is what originally drew me to his new book but I really liked the political thriller! Worth a read!
July 27, 2018
An excellent political thriller set in the 1950s during the intrigue and despotism of the McCarthy era.
Admittedly, it was a little hard for me to get started but that is because I’m a news junkie and when I go to bed, I like to escape. That, however, takes nothing away from the storyline nor the writing, both of which were fantastic.
Though a fictional novel, Mr. Tapper includes many historical facts, while weaving a compelling thriller which kept me up late each night.
Jake Tapper has certainly done his research and his characters and their lives leap off the pages to keep this reader engaged from page one to the end.
Admittedly, it was a little hard for me to get started but that is because I’m a news junkie and when I go to bed, I like to escape. That, however, takes nothing away from the storyline nor the writing, both of which were fantastic.
Though a fictional novel, Mr. Tapper includes many historical facts, while weaving a compelling thriller which kept me up late each night.
Jake Tapper has certainly done his research and his characters and their lives leap off the pages to keep this reader engaged from page one to the end.
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