The Jefferson Key

Author: Steve Berry
Stars: 2.5
Review by: JamBob
Destination: NC


This March I attended a Nancy Drew Convention in Charlottesville, Va....mystery based on The Hidden Window wherein Nancy visits Monticello so we group ( of 55 ND fans) did too. I became utterly fascinated by Thomas Jefferson. What a ingenious Founding Father. I bought several books that I will read and review, but this one is a thriller loosely based on a Jefferson cypher. He was intrigued by codes and developed a cypher wheel which you may have seen in The Da Vinci Code. This book's best points were those discussing history starting with the attempted assassination of Pres. Andrew Jackson and the other Presidents that followed. But then it devolves into an action packed thriller written at times like a movie script with scenes happening at the same time in different locations. Its a fun summer read that should have emphasized the story more than the action. I got the feeling that the author really wants one of his books to be made into a movie and is writing his novels in that format.