The Fifth Assassin

By: Brad Meltzer

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's Summary

From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, there have been more than two dozen assassination attempts on the president of the United States. Four have been successful. But now, Beecher White - the hero of the number one New York Times best seller The Inner Circle - discovers a killer in Washington, D.C., who's meticulously re-creating the crimes of these four men. Historians have branded them as four lone wolves. But what if they were wrong? 

Beecher is about to discover the truth: that during the course of a hundred years, all four assassins were secretly working together. What was their purpose? For whom do they really work? And why are they planning to kill the current president? Beecher's about to find out. And most terrifyingly, he's about to come face-to-face with the fifth assassin. 

©2012 Brad Meltzer (P)2012 Hachette Audio

I had to stop listening a little bit into the book

Would you listen to The Fifth Assassin again? Why?

This is a service to those Brad Meltzer fans out there- BEFORE you listen to The Fifth Assassin, which I was really looking forward to, you need to re-listen to The Inner Circle so that you are caught up on all of the nuances at the beginning of the book. It has been awhile between book releases, so frankly I had forgotten all but the major premise of the previous book.... so just a heads up to reread the prequel to this book first in order to get the most enjoyment from it.

Not the Meltzer I'd hoped for...just bad

After The Millionaires, which sucked me in in 2 paragraphs and let me listen over and over with joy, I was willing to give Brad Meltzer a lot of latitude.

But I'm on Chapter 9, and still can't figure out what the point of this narrative is. I know his wife is in congress or something. I know he is proud of his historical snippets. But this is just bad.

The story he is continuing is a boring one, and the characters are non-existent.

I'm turning it off.

Still clueless Beacher

Smart, educated, well read Beacher continues to be unbelievable in this second installment of political mysteries. A previous reviewer stated this book is best understood if listened to right after Inner Circle, I followed that advice listening to the books back to back. By the end I found Beacher's culpability doubtful but he does seem to get himself into endless, difficult situations. Sometimes he really does not learn from past experience, Still they are entertaining stories. Based on the ending I know there will be a third book in the series and I look forward to listening!

I can't take it anymore

I have actually enjoyed some of Brad Meltzer's ridiculous rides before (I listen for entertainment). This was not one of those. When the Culpa Ring "story" (a "secret club" riddled with such incompetent members that it would be amazing to think they could have survived a month, needless to say a century) degenerated into "the real name of Jesus" I KNEW I had to stop listening (I have to admit that I was tempted to drop the audiobook way before). The storyline is ridiculous. I really couldn't care less what happens to ANY of the characters in this story. A bunch of self-centered idiots bound by a bunch of ludicrous coincidences.

The Culper Series

Any additional comments?

Approximately fourteen hours long and read by Scott Brick. The Inner Circle is Book 1 in a series, and I purchased it because Book 3, The President’s Shadow, was just released. Thought I’d start with the beginning of the series, Culper Ring, and I’m not disappointed.

Early on, the story tells of a National Archives employee getting engulfed in a mystery of American history, the ‘circle’ of security surrounding the presidency, and the loyalty of friends. Who’s the bad guy? Who is loyal to the president? Is the president himself one of the good or bad guys? The story will keep you guessing and you’ll get damned near the end of this thriller before you figure it out! The remaining books in the series continue with the adventures of the National Archives employee.

If you’re a fan of Brad Meltzer, you’ll like these books. I’ve been looking for a good series to enjoy ever since the death of Vince Flynn. I was/am a huge fan of the Mitch Rapp character and the Washington political scene. I’m looking forward to subsequent thrillers by Meltzer and a continuation of this series.

The Fifth Assassin, also fourteen hours of listening, and also read by Scott Brick. As of this review, the last in the series is The President’s Shadow, a little shorter at just over eleven hours.

If I say any more about the brilliance of Scott Brick’s narration, it’ll just go to his head. :-)

Good books, you’ll enjoy!

You must concentrate...

Any additional comments?

...or you'll be befuddled with all the twists and turns. Meltzer has his ups and downs with his books. This was an "up". Brick has his ups and downs with his narrations. This was an "up".

Disjointed Story Melodramatically Narrated

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The plot and writing of it could have been less disjointed and more cohesive. The narration could have been less melodramatic. Additionally, the historical connections could have been more succinctly and clearly presented toward the beginning of the novel to provide a better framework for the storyline.

What was most disappointing about Brad Meltzer’s story?

The story jumped around too much without sufficient connection or explanation.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Normally, I like Scott Brick, but in this book, he over-dramatized the characters from the beginning. Maybe it was the writing, but compared to his other great narrations (Robert Littel's "The Company" for example), Brick's narration of this book falls flat. It is like he's reading every sentence as if it were the climax of the story.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Fifth Assassin?

I don't know that I would cut the scenes so much as rearrange them for better continuity. There are a lot of flashbacks.

Conspiracy Thriller

Never knew who the good guy really was. Good secret society book. Liked it well enough to promptly read the next in the series. Two is enough though.

Could be a true story... For all we know

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Depends on what that particular friend likes, if that person likes "50 shades of Grey" or "Harry Potter"...not so much. If this, so called friend, were to like ..."the Panther" or spy thrillers then I would say "YES, by all means, I would recommend it to them.

Could you see The Fifth Assassin being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Huh? What am I, a casting director ?

Any additional comments?

Scott Brick is phenomenal, always puts my brain to work. I see his characters, feel their love, pain, and joy and angst! One of the Best readers ever. I especially like how every character has their own way of speaking, giving them depth pulling me further into the story!

Brad Meltzer - The New Serial Writer & Killer

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book. As a sequel to "The Inner Circle," this book builds on the characters of Beecher, Niko, and Clementine. Yet the author weaves in a new character who drives this book. I enjoyed the story line and the way the author really fleshes out each character. Brings home too many memories of growing up as a teenage boy though - LOL!

The writing is excellent and I didn't want to stop listening.

And I enjoyed the ending. Sets the stage for the next book in this new series and makes the reader wonder, once again, about the new character - Marshall. Whose side is he really on? Finding out in the next book will make for an enjoyable read.