by Brad Meltzer
First published 2011
Beecher White works quietly in the National Archives, cataloging government documents and keeping other people's secrets. His routine changes when Clementine Kaye walks through his door. She was his childhood crush, and now she needs help finding her missing father. Beecher wants to impress her, so he takes her into the secret presidential vault where classified materials await review. They discover something unexpected under a desk chair: a dictionary that belonged to George Washington himself. The artifact is two centuries old and priceless. Soon after their discovery, someone dies. Beecher becomes a suspect and must run. He races to decode the mystery surrounding Washington's dictionary while staying ahead of those who want him dead. The dictionary contains a puzzle that points to secrets from America's founding era. These secrets matter enough that people will kill to protect them. Beecher realizes he has moved from keeping stories to living inside one where his survival depends on solving a code that connects him to the nation's hidden past.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, code-breaking, hidden-past
Setting: National Archives
Period: 21st Century, 18th Century
449 pages · Hardcover · Grand Central Publishing