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    The Jefferson Key: A Novel
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    The Jefferson Key: A Novel
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    The Jefferson Key: A Novel
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    The Jefferson Key: A Novel

    Written by Steve Berry

    Narrated by Scott Brick

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Four United States presidents have been assassinated—in 1865, 1881, 1901, and 1963—each murder seemingly unrelated and separated by time.

    But what if those presidents were all killed for the same reason: a clause in the United States Constitution—contained within Article 1, Section 8—that would shock Americans?

    This question is what faces former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone in his latest adventure.  When a bold assassination attempt is made against President Danny Daniels in the heart of Manhattan, Malone risks his life to foil the killing—only to find himself at dangerous odds with the Commonwealth, a secret society of pirates first assembled during the American Revolution. In their most perilous exploit yet, Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt race across the nation and take to the high seas. Along the way they break a secret cipher originally possessed by Thomas Jefferson, unravel a mystery concocted by Andrew Jackson, and unearth a centuries-old document forged by the Founding Fathers themselves, one powerful enough—thanks to that clause in the Constitution—to make the Commonwealth unstoppable.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 17, 2011
    ISBN9780739329252
    Unavailable
    The Jefferson Key: A Novel
    Author

    Steve Berry

    Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of The Patriot Threat, The Lincoln Myth, The King’s Deception, The Columbus Affair, The Jefferson Key, The Emperor’s Tomb, The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, The Alexandria Link, The Templar Legacy, The Third Secret, The Romanov Prophecy, and The Amber Room. His books have been translated into forty languages with 19,000,000 copies in fifty-one countries. For more information, visit SteveBerry.org.

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    Reviews for The Jefferson Key

    3.5/5

    343 ratings66 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This was another exciting adventure with Cotton Malone and his colleagues. These books would make great movies. The book was filled...as usual...with well researched history that adds so much to the story. Most American's have heard of the secret codes that Thomas Jefferson was so fond of... but only a few "history buffs" knew about the society known as "The Commonwealth" that the government actually paid to raid enemy vessels. Instead of being called "pirates" they were known as "privateers"....an attempt to make their actions more respectable??? Anyone that loves adventure and history will more than likely like the Cotton Malone series. Be prepared for a ride that is often bumpy but always fast paced with a "hero" figure that is like Captain Kirk on steroids.
    • 4/5
      This is Book 7 of the Cotton Malone series. It was an enjoyable read but my only complaint is the constant shifting from one perspective of the story to another. It did not allow for the story to flow properly. I enjoyed learning about the privateers, the Jefferson Wheel and the privateers part in the different presidential assassinations which is fiction but made for an interesting plot-line. I look forward to reading the next book in the Cotton Malone series as I do enjoy the historical aspect of these books.
    • 4/5
      Decent story.
    • 1/5
      Terrible. Every chapter, 'and then, and then...' Tedious.
    • 3/5
      The latest in the Cotton Malone series, in this one Steve Berry has taken a slight departure from the norm and, to me, not for the better.

      For the first time in the series the book is set wholly in the USA. I don't have an issue with this as, being an Australian, the US is as foreign as Europe or Asia. The locations were well researched although it would have been nice to have more interesting ones. Monticello was good as was Pamlico Sound and the treasure resting place which I won't give away. Other than that it was just hotels and normal cities. Nothing really exciting. And there needed to be more about the treasure place.

      This book was also pretty confusing for the most part. Lots of different government agencies and villains and good guys all in a jumbled heap. It would have been better to trim them back a bit.

      There was also a lot less history in this one than in previous books. It really wasn't about the treasure this time, more about the people. If I wanted that I'd read a drama. I read these books for the history and treasure.

      In all this is not Steve Berry's best work and hopefully his next one will be back to his older levels.
    • 3/5
      Something about Berry's latest Cotton Malone novel didn't quite work for me. I enjoyed the plot centered around pirates and United States history, but the written format was problematic. Too frequently passages jumped from one character to another, sometimes several times in the span of short pages. This left the novel feeling piecemeal and rushed. It seemed like Berry was experimenting with a different format, but it wasn't successful for me. The plot was still engaging and exciting, and the way he weaves historical fact (presidential assassinations) with semi-fiction (secret letters of marque and PIRATES!) is always flawless, but the jumping back and forth left the novel disjointed. I hope his next Cotton Malone title will return to the smooth flow I know him for.
    • 4/5
      If you like Steve Berry try his newest paperback - the Jefferson Key is about the pirates who made America what she is today - the land of the free. Believe it or not - and this is no bedtime story, (unless you plan to be all up night turning pages) you'll find some little known history from the American Revolution along with a plot that includes a Jeffersonian cipher, a document forged by the founding fathers and an assassination plot against the current US president. This is another great Cotton Malone thriller for those familiar with Berry's Magellan Billet series. But any of Berry's books are great stand-alone novels - so pick one up to enjoy a summer beach read...
    • 4/5
      Excellent thrill ride. Love the historical action novel and the wonderful way Berry explains the context and references to true events. Makes you go hmm. and want to seek more. Late night page turner for sure.
    • 4/5
      If you are a Cotton Malone fan, then you will enjoy this book. Unlike most of Cotton's other adventures, this one takes place largely in the US, which is a neat twist. I found it interesting to find out the little historical tidbits that Steve Berry likes to throw out there. All in all, I think this was a great story.
    • 5/5
      A new favorite of mine!
    • 4/5
      Quick shifting between storylines can be disconcerting but overall plot and action is fun.
    • 3/5
      As with previous Cotton Malone outings by Berry, this one does a nice job of blending fact and fiction in an interesting thriller. Also like previous outings (and many thrillers in general), the reader has to accept certain unrealistic rules and stereotypes, including good guys who are expert marksmen while the bad guys can't hit the side of a barn, bad guys who have a chance to simply shoot and kill good guys but don't (for whatever reason), and government good guy types who don't seem to be constrained by silly things like the law, etc. But if you can get past that (and I love thrillers even as I roll my eyes on a regular basis), you should find something to appreciate in this one. And at the end of the day, the good guys win out, as usual, so it has that going for it, as well. As for the specifics, I give this one high marks for its premise, characters (if a bit one-dimensional) and pacing and low marks for character development and dialogue. And as with previous entries in the series, it is the way that historical facts are incorporated into things that makes it better than the average thriller out there.
    • 2/5
      Not up to par with most of Berry's other books
    • 4/5
      This was a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat, page turner. Think National Treasure meets Pirates of the Caribbean. I especially appreciated the author's notes at the end of thes story. I always like to know how much of the history is actually true when reading historical fiction.
    • 3/5
      The Jefferson Key was a competent, if not particularly exciting, addition to the political thriller genre. The framing story and action were decent, but the pacing and character-development seemed a bit off. It was clear that this was one book in the Cotton Malone series, excusing some of the character issues, but it is always preferable that a higher level of effort in introducing and developing the other characters is taken than was in this case.It was a fun quick-and-easy read, but nothing more.
    • 3/5
      Steve Berry's "The Jefferson Key," mixes history with fiction to provide a story that is interesting and intriguing.Cotton Malone, former Justice Dept. operative, is summoned to New York only to be caught up in an attempt on the President's life. He manages to stop the assassination but realizes that if it succeeded, he'd been set up to take the blame.The story begins with an attempt on Andrew Jackson's life after he informed a group of pirates, or privateers, that their services were no longer desired. He removes the group's letter of marque and establishes a code which would enable the group to remove the President's condemnation of their acts.Jonathan Wyatt, a rogue agent, has a grudge against Cotton Malone and tries to implicate Malone in the actions against the President.The society of privateers is known as The Commonwealth and are led by Quintin Hale. They steal from the enemies of the United States and sell their goods on the black market. They have also been involved in the assassinations of the four Presidents who died in that manner.There is plenty of action and political maneuvering with characters that are so real that they could be taken from the front pages of the daily newspapers.
    • 3/5
      I remember reading The DaVinci Code and thinking, "You know what this is missing? Pirates!" All kidding aside, Berry has taken a regularly neglected clause from our constitution - that Congress shall have the right to grant letters of marque - and spun from that a fairly entertaining tale that includes Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, a secret code, a 400+ year old conspiracy, a spy v spy war between super-secret intelligence agencies, and a group of modern-day privateers who may (or may not) be Congressionally sanctioned to declare war and mayhem on the U.S.'s enemies. Yes, the story is formulaic. Ever since Robert Ludlum it seems as if the elements of a successful spy thriller have been defined as: capable but humble super-spy protagonist + beautiful, capable girlfriend + secret rogue intelligence agency(s) + tons of action (shootouts, car chases, pirate torture, presidential assassinations, etc.) + complex plot that you could figure out if you had to, but with so much action keeping the story moving, it's simpler just to take it on faith and keep reading. Now add super-short chapters that jump between storylines + prose that's competent without any distracting dazzle + lots of italicized stream-of-consciousness eavesdropping on what the characters are thinking (so you don't need to draw those inferences yourself). Sure, it's formulaic - but if 20+ years of "Law and Order" has taught us anything, it's taught us that if a formula works, why mess with it? In summary, this is a perfect pick for those occassions when you're in the mood for "Law and Order" rather than "The Sopranos" - formulaic, yes, but also competent and engaging for what it is.
    • 3/5
      I love Steve Berry, but this one fell short for me. It has plot upon plot and its more far fetched than usual.
    • 4/5
      I liked this book much better than his last book. This one was fast-paced & a page-turner. I especially liked it when he refered to historically relevant passages relating to pirates, Monticello, presidential assassinations, etc. After finishing his last book, The Emporer's Tomb, I wasn't sure if I would read any more in this series. but I enjoyed this one so much that I will have to try the next one.
    • 5/5
      Yet another excellent adventure in the life of Cotton Malone. Berry continues with the right stuff mixing adventure, thrills and a bit of history into a fun and frolicsome read. While the naysayers of this book have valid points, this is a book to read for fun, adventure and thrills. A great summer read. Keep it up Mr. Berry
    • 2/5
      Preposterous plot. Keeps the thrill a minute pace going by hopscotching through plot lines. I had also read The Charlemagne Pursuit and should have learned my lesson.
    • 4/5
      I am a big fan of Steve Berry, and have greatly enjoyed all but one of his books (didn't much care for "The Amber Room;" too many court scenes for my taste). While I would rate those other books at an "8," I'd only give this one a "6." I did enjoy the book; as usual Berry's character and plot developments were wonderful. The issue I had with "Jefferson Key" was that for some reason Berry changed his writing style here. The entire book is arranged in sections that jump from one character's actions to another's. These sections generally ranged from a couple of pages to a couple of sentences. This style quickly became annoying because the reader never gets enough information at one time to satisfy....which is probably why Bery utilized it. But it just doesn't work. Tolkien successfully used this same style by not changing over to a different storyline until hundreds of pages later. Berry's attempt just made for a choppy story. I still recommend the book to fans of this genre, but be prepared for the author's change in style.
    • 4/5
      This is the 7th book featuring Cotton Malone and the 2nd one that I have read. I still compare the plot to being very similar to Dan Brown books, but better written. These are nice fun action books without a whole lot of depth or personal reflection by the characters. I don't think I could read 2-3 of these in a row but I do plan to finish reading the series as I come across them.Cotton has received an email from his friend and former boss Stephanie at the Magellan Billet, asking for his help on something very hush-hush and he's to meet her in a hotel room downtown. Cotton shows up just in time to prevent an assassination of the POTUS, but doesn't want to get caught since it looked like he was the one making the attempt. Turns out there is a group of people calling themselves the Commonwealth, they are a holdover from the time of Washington and have letters of Marque that our first president granted to them into perpetuity. The only problem is, they upset one president who took steps to make it impossible to prove that they were legally binding to the US Government. Now the Commonwealth has been stepping on toes, and the state department asked them to stop, which they did not. So the alphabet soup of agencies sent the IRS after them and their ill-gotten gains. Now the Commonwealth is trying to protect themselves and they're willing to kill to keep it.Overall, not a bad book, though one of the 'bad guys' was pretty dang flat with no motivation as far as I could see (at least in this book) and was used primarily as a way to keep the story moving along. The spider in the shadows weaving a web of lies and deceit, pulling everyone's strings.
    • 2/5
      I really didn't enjoy this book as much as I have Steve Berry's previous Cotton Malone novels. The premise sounded so interesting too, so I was very disappointed when I started reading the book. It started out well with a good teaser from the past. Then new characters were introduced and then more new ones and it got to the point where I got bogged down. He would spend less then a chapter with a character and then jump off to another one. About the time I would get interested in what was going on, he would drop that one and jump back to a previous one. I got so dizzy trying to keep track of what was going on that I put the book down for a few weeks to see if some time away would help. It didn't. This book reminds me of the way TV and movies are going with the quick jump cuts. If this is the way his books are going to be in the future, no thank you.
    • 3/5
      This is my second book by Mr. Berry. I "met" Cotton Malone in The Emperor's Tomb which I really enjoyed. I think he's a great character. In The Jefferson Key Cotton finds himself working against a secret organization of pirates (yes PIRATES) that formed during the Revolution.Pairing with his partner/love Cassiopeia Vitt to try and sort out who tried to kill the President of the United States they find themselves working through a cipher once belonging to Thomas Jefferson. This leads us through a history lesson on the founding of our country.I didn't care for this one as much as I liked The Emporer's Tomb but I did like the history and I still like Cotton Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt together. They make a great team and their conversations are very entertaining.Spy books are generally full of daring escapes and great implausibilities but this one was a little too convoluted even for a spy book. I appreciate the need to teach US history and the history buff in me did like that but this will not be my favorite book by Mr. Berry.
    • 4/5
      Berry brings Cotton Malone to the U.S. for this book, along with his girlfriend Catarina Witt. They no sooner arrive in New York City when Malone becomes involved in an over-the-top attempt to assassinate the president that he stops single-handedly. It turns out a bunch of privateers, who are almost pirates, are responsible for all sorts of evil goings-on in our country. The actions revolves around deciphering a key that Thomas Jefferson wrote hundreds of years ago, and both the good guys and the bad guys are after the solution. How Cotton survives so many scrapes and beatings remains one of the mysteries of suspense novels of this sort. If it were you and me being attacked all of the time, we would be hospitalized after the first foray. Not our superman hero, he bounces right back and keeps on going like the Energizer Bunny. That's the way with these literary tough guys. It's a good book, but I didn't feel like it was quite up to Berry's usual standards. Still, it's not to be missed if you like Berry's books!
    • 4/5
      In this book Cotton's adventure remains stateside - a first in this series. I'm a big fan of these books. This one was a little hard to get into for me. The history was fascinating - piracy and presidental conspiracy. But the relationships between characters seemed to be the focus and that just wasn't what I was hoping for. I did enjoy the book quite a bit, I just wish it hadn't had such a romantic leaning. I look forward to more in this series.
    • 4/5
      This novel, the seventh in the Cotton Malone series (after The Emperor's Tomb), begins with an attempted presidential assassination in Manhattan. From there, the book takes us to a new stage for the series: the nation's capital. A much better stateside adventure than Brown's "Lost Symbol," Berry keeps us interested with not only the unfamiliar territory but old friends like Cassiopeia Vitt and Stephanie Nelle. A great 7th entry--hopefully more to come!
    • 5/5
      Of course when I received an email that I had snagged this novel, I was excited. However, when I received the book and saw the reviews of some of my favorite authors, I knew it was going to be great. Staring at me on the front page were David Baldacci's and Vince Flynn's words touting this novel. Flynn said it starts with a bang, and he was not joking. Within the first few pages I was surprised and the surprises did not stop until the book ended.Since I've never read any of Steve Berry's previous stories, the characters were all new to me. I will definitely be going back and reading some other Cotton Malone novels, as his character is so likable and yes, probably as good-looking as in my imagination. I agree that the reader need not know anything about Mr. Malone or his previous activities, but some references to other adventures tempted this reader into seeking out those other books.I greatly appreciated the writer's note at the end which tied up some lose ends with regards to the historical fiction license. Mr. Berry graciously explained the fact versus fiction aspects of his book for those of us who need to brush up on our American history.As for the plot, I am afraid to give away too much and ruin a super story. Suffice it to say you will be traveling up and down the Eastern United States Seaboard, cutting away to several different groups who are all tied to the same plot, learn some Jeffersonian history (as well as fiction), cheer for the good guys, be disgusted with the bad guys, learn more about piracy than you thought possible, and hope for a happy ending...Thumbs-up to Steve Berry for a fantastic spy thriller. I'm coming back for more!
    • 3/5
      When I read a book, there are two primary things that make it enjoyable for me: a good plot/storyline, and well-written prose. The Jefferson Key succeeded for me in one respect, that of plot, but not the other.Specifically speaking about the plot, I really enjoyed the underlying premise of the book, that there were privateers working for the US during the first years of the country's existence, and that these privateers were a crucial element to winning and maintaining independence, before America had its own regular Navy. That's a pretty neat idea, one I hadn't run across before, and while I haven't done any followup research on it since, I'm interested enough to do so. The plot of the book flows logically from that premise. There was never any point at which I was thrown out of the story plot problems, like I was in one or two of Berry's previous books (especially that one where they went to Antarctica).The main negative to my experience of the book was the overall poorly written prose. It seemed as if Berry's only technique for the introduction of suspense or tension is the one-liner paragraph. That's a fairly simplistic technique, though it can be effective.In moderation.Not used everywhere and as the sole prose device.It gets tiring after a while.Not to mention ridiculous.However, on the whole, an enjoyable few hours of reading.