by Brad Meltzer
First published 2013
Brad Meltzer tackles America's most persistent mysteries. He examines whether Fort Knox actually holds gold reserves. He investigates Hitler's obsession with obtaining the legendary Spear of Destiny. He explores what the government conceals at Area 51. Meltzer traces the vanished Confederate treasury worth $19 million in gold and silver. He scrutinizes the Kennedy assassination and whether Oswald operated without accomplices. The author evaluates evidence from multiple angles. He weighs different theories against each other. He distinguishes proven facts from speculation. Meltzer encounters secret societies like the Freemasons and Rosicrucians. He studies Nazi propaganda efforts. He examines the true identity of airplane hijacker DB Cooper. Each investigation follows the same pattern. Meltzer presents the mystery, analyzes the available proof, and reaches the most reasonable conclusion. The book adapts material from his television series on the History network. Readers get systematic analysis of questions that have puzzled Americans for decades.
Genres: history, 20th-century, mystery, non-fiction, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigation, mystery-solving
Setting: America, Area 51, Fort Knox
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
152 pages · Hardcover · Workman Publishing Company