I was glad to see this book end, but WTH? When I reached the last page, I was certain that there was more to come. Come on, that couldn't REALLY be the last page. I feel cheated. Whomever it was that told Brad Meltzer he could tell a good story, well, they LIED. I know he set it up for a sequel at the end, but he could've went about it in a MUCH better way. And what the hell with all the weird character names? If he was trying to make a character by giving them a memorable name, he did the exact opposite for me. I won't remember these odd names at all, other than the fact that they were odd. I will NOT be reading another book by him, EVER. The book gets two stars from me, because there were times during the book that I was curious as to what happened next. But then, sure enough, it just got silly. ( )

(K)(2011)An OK sort of thriller about an employee of the National Archives in Washington DC who stumbles on the existence of a super-secret spy ring that works exclusively for the Presidency. A member of this group seems to show up just a few days prior to major events in US History from the days of George Washington. As we are led down this path the book takes a hard right turn and becomes about a woman seeking revenge for her father and for what somebody did to her in the past. Not quite sure how that all ties together. The story was good but I don't think it was worth the Kindle price of $12.99. Oh well, live and learn.(Booklist)In this political thriller with historical-conspiracy overtones (or perhaps it's the other way around), Meltzer creates his most engaging protagonist in years. Beecher White is an archivist with the National Archives, who stumbles upon an old book hidden away in a room used exclusively by the president. But did the president know that the book (a spelling dictionary that once belonged to George Washington) was there? And¥almost impossible for Beecher to imagineÂ¥could it be that the president or someone close to him is willing to kill to regain possession of the book? Meltzer teams Beecher with an equally strong character, Clementine Kaye, a woman from the archivist's past whose estranged father is, perhaps not coincidentally, the man who tried to kill the current president's predecessor. Meltzer expertly develops the story, throwing in twists and turns at appropriate intervals, and he does an excellent job of putting us in Beecher's corner and making us care about what happens to him. The story has a surprising and satisfying conclusion, and Meltzer leaves the door wide open for a sequel.

Beecher White is an archivist at the National Archives. A bit of a nerdy guy who has been at the Archives for three years and has a deep appreciation of all the historical items and secrets stored at the Archives.

An old girlfriend, Clementine, has reconnected with Beecher and wants help in finding about her father. A man who was never in her life, but someone she has a strong desire to know about. Beecher and Clementine find themselves wrapped up in murder, secret societies that are tied to various government entities and a 200 years old dictionary that belonged to George Washington. What is it that connects these things?

Beecher finds himself in demand from the secret societies. How can he determine which one is the organization that is really concerned with the good of the country? Beecher may know many secrets from his work, but what he discovers as he tries to help is friend is far more dangerous than anything he has ever found out.

The pace is good and steady. The characters dimensional and actively involved. There is a good amount of historical info. This is the first book in a three book series. ( )

Hmm?.I read this ? It?s on my list so I must have. Clearly, it did not make much of an impression. ( )

The Inner Circle is not a likeable story like Brad Meltzer's other books. A lot of research went into writing the book, but the story was difficult to understand. There were a lot of characters that one minute seemed like good people and then the next minute they are horrible. Additionally, the story ended with an opening for a sequel which is annoying to the reader. Perhaps the reason why only three stars were given to this book is because a high level of expectation was achieved by Brad Meltzer's other books. If the reader has not read any other of Brad Meltzer's books, don't judge any of them by this one. ( )