The Inner Circle

By: Brad Meltzer

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

There are stories no one knows. Hidden stories. I love those stories. And since I work in the National Archives, I find those stories for a living. Beecher White, a young archivist, spends his days working with the most important documents of the U.S. government. He has always been the keeper of other people's stories, never a part of the story himself...Until now.

When Clementine Kaye, Beecher's first childhood crush, shows up at the National Archives asking for his help tracking down her long-lost father, Beecher tries to impress her by showing her the secret vault where the president of the United States privately reviews classified documents. After they accidentally happen upon a priceless artifact - a 200-year-old dictionary that once belonged to George Washington, hidden underneath a desk chair, Beecher and Clementine find themselves suddenly entangled in a web of deception, conspiracy, and murder.

Soon a man is dead, and Beecher is on the run as he races to learn the truth behind this mysterious national treasure. His search will lead him to discover a coded and ingenious puzzle that conceals a disturbing secret from the founding of our nation. It is a secret, Beecher soon discovers, that some believe is worth killing for.

Gripping, fast-paced, and filled with the fascinating historical detail for which he is famous, The Inner Circle is a thrilling novel that once again proves Brad Meltzer as a brilliant author writing at the height of his craft.

©2011 Brad Meltzer (P)2011 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Meltzer has earned the right to belly up to the bar with John Grisham, Scott Turow, and David Baldacci." (People)

So Much Detail

Far fetched story with lots of moving parts, relationships, and plot lines. The characters were more “real” at the beginning but grew into fanciful as things were tied up. So many details and it was hard to hold ont

Captivating

This is my first Brad Meltzer book and i am hooked. Often it takes a few chapters to capture me in an audio book, but not this one. This is the first time i listened to a book and was captivated in the first chapter. I thought Scott Brick was amazing narrator. I thought Meltzer's novels would be on the same level as Robert Littel (the company) so i was a bit disappointed. However, it takes several chapters before i am hooked into any of Robert Littell's books.

Overall, Brad Meltzer's writing reminds me of Grisham or Sidney Sheldon. easy reads, good story line, and very entertaining. It's worth the credit.

Love This Book!

This is a wonderful tale of hidden secrets in classic Meltzer style. Meltzer draws you into the story and you easily drawn into the story by his masterful telling of the tale. If you love mysteries, conspiracies, and puzzles, you will love this book. I know I loved this book, and his use of descriptive prose; it adds dimensionality that you rarely read these days; it is a real treat to read his wonderful work.

I love Meltzer’s books so much that I bought a hard copy and read it; then I got the audio book, mostly to hear Scott Bricks narration of the story. Brick’s narration on The Inner Circle is truly superb, he adds so much narration process and this really becomes a theatrical performance.

Bravo Meltzer and Brick! Yes, More Please!

One of my all-time favorites!

Suspenseful, historical, and very believable! Grips you from the start and carries you forward with great anticipation all the way to the end!

Enjoyable.

As always, Scott Brick is awesome. The story kept my interest and I certainly don't regret listening to it. At times it seems a bit cheesy and there are points in the story where you want to strangle the characters for being stupid but I guess it's no different than most thrillers. The author peaked my interest with his TV show. I've been listening to a ton of fantasy lately and this was a nice change. I would recommend.

Brad Meltzer is a Great Author

as a history buff, I loved the way Brad brought the Culper Ring into the 21st Century. a really fun read. Mr Meltzer has a gift, and whether it's his children's books or his novels, I highly recommend his work to anyone.

Too much of nothing......

Wow, this book was disappointing. Great idea, great premise, a couple of surprises and too many red herrings.
I'd like to write that Scott Brick is one of my all time favorite narrators, and without his performance I couldn't have finished listening to the audiobook. The author wrote too much of nothing. Most of what I heard was "blah,blah,blah,...historical nugget, blah,blah,blah, ...plot movement, blah,blah,blah, character background,.... blah". The information about the Archives, Copper Mountain, and The Culper Ring were the best parts of this book.
I was expecting something like the movie 'National Treasure '. But Brad Meltzer delivered an excess of superfluous dialogue with very little treasure.
I kept expecting the story to pick up speed, to get exciting. The best character in the book, The old Barber.
I would not recommend this title.

Meh

Story was ok, but kind of boring. I just couldn't understand WHY he cared so much, but maybe that's just me. Didn't catch my attention all that much.

Entertaining throughout!

Would you listen to The Inner Circle again? Why?

Yes - this was a truly fun "listen!" The narrator was terrific, the characters well-rounded, believable and unpredictable, and the story was just plain fun!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was believable, evenly-paced and unpredictable.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Scott Brick was terrific - listening to him early in the morning during my walk with the dogs was a joy - even when I didn't feel like getting out, it was worth the effort just to catch up the next few chapters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No - I like the fact that the 14+ hours kept me intrigued until the end.

Any additional comments?

Hope there are many more books in the series to come!

Mixed Bag

Laborious, informative and intriguing , but too much soul searching , reminiscing and repetition for this reader.