The Jefferson Allegiance by Bob Mayer

This was loud, and it shook my house.

There are days I know exactly why I’m not a novelist.  Like today, when the doorbell rang and the nice guy from the Decatur Department of Water told me there was break in the water main outside my house, my response was to take him at face value.  (Well, really at water’s face value.  I could see it burbling up at the curb right in front of my house.)  I didn’t think, for even a minute, of possible conspiracy connections, of attempts to thwart this blog post and any discussion of secret societies and shadow governments.  I just didn’t have it in me to see any more than what was right in front of me—a day where no laundry was getting done and I wasn’t going to get the shower that I really, really needed.

So when the pile driver pulled up in front of my house closely followed by a back hoe and a dump truck, my thoughts went something like “oh, my nephews would love to see this” and “damn, that’s loud” instead of “this would make a great cover for some covert operations.”  Bob Mayer has that ALL OVER me which, again, is why I’m not a novelist and he is.  When we last visited Mr. Mayer on The Family Addiction, Sarah reviewed a book (Agnes and the Hitman) he co-wrote with Jennifer Crusie.  (You can find that review here.)  This time Mr. Mayer is writing alone and spinning a tale of Presidential powers, Constitutional authority and military might in The Jefferson Allegiance. This story is the first in a new Presidential Thrillers series.

I know my nephews would love this.

 The Jefferson Allegiance has the fast pace and intricate puzzles of other stories I’ve devoured like The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons.  The heart of this puzzle began when the U.S. was founded and when men like Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson struggled to define the scope of Presidential powers and citizens’ rights.  Mayer tells a story of historical wheeling and dealing that culminates with present day conspiracy and adventure.  The historical pieces are, in effect, history with a twist—a new way to look at Presidential decisions and behaviors.  The present day adventure involves the FBI, two secret societies, the branches of the U.S. military, and five or six individuals struggling to define their place in the conspiracy. 

This was a fun read.  Like I said, the pace was fast, and the puzzles were interesting.  The main protagonists, Ducharme and Tolliver, were likable, and rooting for them to save their own lives, solve the puzzles, complete the Jefferson cipher, and restore order to the intricate balance of governmental power kept me madly reading to get to the end.  The villains were a little underdeveloped, but the pacing of the story kept me from picking at any weaknesses in the story.  I’m happy to report that Tolliver more than holds her own during the physical elements of the story and is much more than brainy damsel in distress.   So if you like thrillers with healthy dose of history, or if you ever look for hidden agendas in the ordinary events of your life, I recommend The Jefferson Allegiance.  I'll be looking forward to the next installments in the Presidential Thrillers series.