Im solidly in the middle on The Hellfire Club. I didn't love it, I didnt hate it. I think it might be the start of a series, and that's what slowed it down for me. There is a lot of extraneous detail that sets the scene and characters for future books, but doesnt help the flow of the current plot. There is so much introduced that the character profiles suffer, they seem a little two dimensional. I did find Hellfire Club entertaining. The 1950's Washington DC setting was detailed and the McCarthy era research was well documented and interesting. I'd recommend the book as good travel reading, and I hope there are more to come from Mr. Tapper, and that they are better balanced between action/character/and (hi)story.

After reading about 25% of this book, nothing was happening except a lot of name dropping. I gave up at that point. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

If you like a bit of history, political intrigue, and suspense and some twists.You will enjoy reading Jake Tapper's new novel. This is he's first attempt writing fiction. I will be reading more if he delves more into fiction.

I don't know much about McCarthyism, which is where the setting in time takes place in Washington, DC. The story sets up with a well meaning congressman. Who was not meant for the job. He was a teaching professor at a University. Then he, and he's wife move to Washington. He's well meaning father pulls connections for him to become a congressman. Where twists and turns happen right from the first page. He is invited to a party, then leaves. We don't know what happens. (All of a sudden. It has a Ted Kennedy feel). He finds himself laying on the ground. He must have been thrown from he's car. In he's car is a dead read head.

Who is she? How did this happen? He doesn't remember being in the car with anyone. Then conveniently a man. Shows up and asked if he needs some help. He tells him, he should dispose of the body. A man he doesn't know. And that is just the beginning of the novel.

I enjoyed the cameos of real people pop into the book. We have the Kennedy's, LBJ, Cohn( Who actually is Trump's follower in real life), McCarthy, Eisenhower, and many more that pop in the book. There is a secret society in government that we learn about called, . It was a secret society in England. The Hellfire Club which starts in England and is associated with Ben Franklin.( actually true history). There were some heroes, and some villains in Washington. Which I wasn't aware of. Such as Margaret Chase Smith, a senator from Maine. . She stood against McCarthy. .She spoke out with her, Declaration of Conscience.

The book was a fun read. it was a feel good novel. When actually good people did stand up for the common good, and our country. I think Mr. Tapper was trying to convey that there are good intentioned congressmen, and senators that come to Washington hoping to do good. But then people compromise, and keep compromising until the good is no longer there..

DNF @ 30%.  The sun is rising on March 5th, 1954 as newly appointed congressman Charlie Marder wakes up on a creek bank with his tuxedo covered in mud. Nearby, a car is submerged in the creek and a dead woman lies in a drainage ditch. His memory is fuzzy and he can't remember how he got there. He's in the midst of rationalizing leaving the scene when a car pulls up.

"Chapter Two" flashes back to two months prior, which is worlds away from Marder's current predicament! Professor and bestselling author Charlie Marder was just appointed to a congressional seat left empty by disgraced Representative Martin Van Waganan, who was found dead after his indictment for corruption and racketeering. Marder is trying to find his footing as a new congressman, but in following his strongly tuned moral compass he immediately steps on some toes. Getting things done will require a little more finesse than he's accustomed to. His wife Margaret is becoming increasingly frustrated with her husband's concessions to the old guard and she isn't comfortable in "a place where compromise and obsequiousness were as much a part of the landscape as traffic circles and monuments to long-dead generals." She's also frustrated because she's not even two months pregnant and it's already causing problems in her professional life. She still has so much she wants to accomplish!

The author Jake Tapper has over 25 years of experience in the political and journalistic arenas. He is currently the Chief Washington Correspondent for CNN. You may have seen him on his TV show  The Lead with Jake Tapper. I chose this book because of Tapper's unique insight from having such close proximity to major political players. I also recently read David A. Nichols's Ike and McCarthy: Dwight Eisenhower's Secret Campaign against Joseph McCarthy, so I thought it would be interesting to read a fictional story set in the same time period but with some distance from the Oval Office. (Nichol’s book is actually listed in the sources section.)

I loved the interesting anecdotes that were scattered throughout the story. Tapper stresses that The Hellfire Club is a work of fiction, but he utilized a number of nonfiction sources in writing it. I kept stopping to verify odd factoids and was usually pleasantly surprised to find out they were true! Did politician Estes Kefauver respond to accusations of “working for the communists with the stealth of a raccoon” by wearing a raccoon tail hat on the campaign trail? Yes, he did! Even the stories where Tapper took some artistic liberties set me down an interesting path. When I sought to verify fictional Congressman Strongfellow's heroic WWII account, I discovered the tale of the actual Representative Douglas Stringfellow who admitted to fabricating the entire story.

I was expecting a page-turning political thriller, but that's not what I got. The opening is strong, but the "big" story still hadn’t gotten going by the end of the first third. To the point that I read, the main conflicts are between (1) Marder and his wife, (2) Marder with himself, and (3) Marder and the more experienced members of Congress. In what I presume is the greater mystery, Marder is trying to decipher a cryptic message left behind by his predecessor; unfortunately, his intern is investigating that mystery beyond our view. The mix of fiction and nonfiction was such that I was actually more interested in the actual historical events and what these political figures were really like. Real-life people in fiction usually don't feel natural to me, so that was a risk I took with this book. However, I appreciated the introduction to some of the outsiders in Congress, like Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to serve in both houses of the United States Congress. I thought the dynamics of the Marder's marriage were interesting, but there was something a little too progressive and modern about the couple that kept jolting me out of the era. On the irrational side of things, I was annoyed by both Margaret’s (a zoologist) fascination with ponies and the constant reminders of Marder's goodness.

How did a man who prides himself on his ethics end up sitting near a wrecked car and a dead woman while mulling over ways to avoid the consequences? With the myriad of options before him, what path will he decide to take? The Hellfire Club shows the corrosive effects of politics and how even the most ethical person can find themselves making unholy alliances and compromises in pursuit of a virtuous goal. Marder is surprised at how second nature playing the game becomes for him in such a short period of time. This book wasn’t for me, but it made me interested in Tapper’s nonfiction work. His sense of ethics, curiosity, love of politics and history, and respect for those who serve in the military really shined through in the pages I read.

The Hellfire Club is chock-full of references to politics in the 1950's and 60's especially focused on the Cold War, McCarthyism, and the secret world of intelligence. The beginning is a little slow to warm up, not much happens initially and it can be a little difficult to keep track of everyone. However, the book really ramps up about halfway through and then has an explosive, twisty ending that can at times be a little difficult to keep track of. It is well written and a fun read for fans of political thrillers.

Jake Tapper, CNN’s chief Washington Correspondent, has written The Hellfire Club, a political thriller set in Washington, D.C. the 1950s.The main character, Charlie Marder, has been appointed (thanks to his father’s political connections) to fill out the term of a Congressman representing a district in New York. Once there, Charlie dives in to his job, trying to maintain his integrity and do the right thing, although he learns that “principles had been a lot easier to fight for before he entered world where there were actual consequences.”

Charlie has immediate issues to deal with, starting when he wakes up in a wrecked car (not his) and finds a dead woman at the scene. He has no clue who she is, how he got there, or what to do, but a lobbyist who has been hovering around him conveniently shows up and takes Charlie away from the scene, setting fire to the car (and the woman) and saving Charlie – who now owes him big time.

Charlie’s wife Margaret is a zoologist with her own ambitions, who is happy to have moved closer to the Chesapeake Bay, where she can study the topic of her research, the mysterious ponies of the region. The scene into which the Marders are thrust is very Mad Men-ish, with lots of cocktails, smoking, and the rampant racism and sexism that were so accepted at the time. As part of a poker group for Veterans, he becomes friends with Isaiah Street, and he is keenly aware of how Isaiah’s struggle is even more difficult than his own. He “…couldn’t imagine what it was like for Isaiah to have risked everything for his nation in war and then return home and be treated not just as a lower caste but a potential menace.”

Charlie, Margaret, and Isaiah find themselves in the middle of a ton of mysterious situations, surrounded by people from all sides of the political spectrum, both fictional and real historic figures. The book uses historical facts and people (yes, he Hellfire Club is real) to tell Charlie’s story and address issues. For example, the inclusion of mention of the work of journalist Joseph Alsop for the CIA brings the reader face to face with Charlie’s sense that “…too much of what’s in the news media is spoon-fed to journalists by various government factions with agendas.” Seriously, is Jake talking about 1954? Or 2018?

Additional issues of the day that figure in the story include:
• the shooting by Puerto Rican nationalists during a session of Congress
• advances in technology (including a device called a “baby monitor” and the earliest copying machines made by the Haloid Company, the real-life company that became Xerox)
• the dealings of Sam Zemurray of the United Fruit Company
• dangerous testing and use of chemicals, including chemical manufacturing plants that destroyed towns and testing and use of pesticides that became Agent Orange
• the hearings and work of Joseph McCarthy

Tapper draws parallels with current issues, including this description of McCarthy:
“He’s impossible to ignore. He’s become this . . . planet . . . blocking the sun. And whatever points he makes that have validity are blotted out by his indecency and his lies and his predilection to smear.” Sounds like someone currently in office?

I loved the way the issues and people of the time were interwoven into the plot. The appendix includes notes about the people and events, and are well sourced. While the resolution of Charlie’s story requires a certain amount of willing suspension of disbelief, Jake Tapper is a great storyteller and has done a terrific job with his first thriller.

With thanks to Little, Brown & Company and NetGalley for a copy of this fun read in exchange for my honest review, The Hellfire Club gets four and a half stars, rounded down to four because it isn’t QUITE a five – but I would bet his next one will be.

For some reason, Amazon will not accept my review of this book due to "limitations on reviews...may be because we detected unusual review behavior on this product." ??

Charlie Marder is a freshman Congressman appointed after his predecessor dies under mysterious circumstances that involve a hooker and a cheap hotel room. He’s also a bestselling historian with a powerful father and a brainy, beautiful wife who is expecting their first child. Despite Charlie’s familiarity with academia’s intense rivalries, he finds himself unprepared for the deep-rooted corruption he encounters in 1950s Washington, DC. After a car accident leaves a woman dead he and his wife Margaret find themselves caught in a web of dark alliances that put the nation itself at risk. As they fight the capital’s political and corporate Elite, they encounter a star-studded cast of powerful figures, including Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Eisenhower, Joe McCarthy, J. Edgar Hoover, Allen Dulles and Margaret Chase Smith.

Jake Tapper’s The Hellfire Club was definitely wrought in the Dan Brown forge. There are high-octane thrills throughout, with enough arcane facts, mysterious codes, Russian spies and secret societies to make the novel an engaging read. Sure, some of the plot twists are unlikely, even outlandishly so, but that’s to be expected in this genre. As for the main characters, I found Charlie more humble and likeable than Brown’s Robert Landgon (who can be flawlessly insufferable with his brilliance and his Mickey Mouse watch). Granted, Charlie does seem a little naïve for a man who has studied the dissolute and the Machiavellian most of his life but he’s a character I'm guessing will evolve in future books. I also liked Margaret and preferred the depiction of her marriage struggles to the fantastical, short-lived romances typically found in political thrillers.

As with all novels – especially first novels – there are shortcomings. At times the novel does in fact seem to be showcasing famous names at the expense of the tale. The plot drags in places, though it picks up in the second half of the novel and the ending is satisfying. Which brings me to my biggest caveat: do not read this book if you’re not into politics. The Hellfire Club isn’t skewed toward either end of the spectrum: as is true in real life, no one party or institution has a monopoly on graft. But politics is the heart of Tapper's book and if you’re reading it solely for the story you may be disappointed.

That said, it was the historical veracity of the book that impressed me most. I’ve read quite a few novels where the backdrop is just that: period dress and a few contemporaneous references thrown in for pseudo-authenticity, as if the author came up with the idea first and filled in the setting afterward. With Tapper, I got the sense the reverse was true—that his passion for the period was the driving force and the plot came later. Even without the pages of notes at the end, The Hellfire Club appears to be meticulously accurate, from Jackie’s recitation of Kennedy’s favorite poem to McCarthy’s habit of eating a stick of butter before drinking himself into oblivion. After reading a few skeptical remarks about Margaret’s passion for the wild ponies of Nanticoke, I decided to check up on this myself and was only a little surprised to discover that Dr. Katherine Houpt was one of the first women to live with the ponies of Chincoteague in order to study them. Tapper’s notes name a book by Houpt's fellow researcher, Dr. Ronald Keiper, but fail to mention that Keiper even named three of the ponies John, Bobby and Teddy after the Kennedy brothers. Who would believe it?

I’m a bit of a history buff myself, so it was great fun to read a thriller and immerse myself in the fifties at the same time. I suspect Tapper will write a sequel and am curious to know which era he’ll choose next. If he sticks with Charlie Marder, I’ll be more than glad to return to the fifties – I’m not sure if the McCarthy era beats the present but it’s a lot easier to read about corruption than to live it 24/7.

Much thanks to Little, Brown & Company and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Hellfire Club by Jack Tapper is very interesting and a book everyone interested in politics and history should read. Jack Tapper is a well known news reporter who knows the way governments work and understanding what goes on in the political world. He does a good job when he creates interesting villains and heroes. I would describe the book as a historical novel about good vs evil! I'm going to personally recommend the book to several of my friends who are interested in history and politics.

I could not put this book down. Read my full review at https://journalingonpaper.com/2018/03/14/book-review-the-hellfire-club-by-jake-tapper/

Set in the 50's I loved the historical perspective of this book. It was well researched and gave insight into the politics of the time. The characters were well developed but I found the pacing too slow for my liking.

I enjoy listening and reading Jake Tapper, the journalist. I was excited to see this book.

I know it is set in the 1950's but Charlie is not a stupid man. He knows right from wrong, he served our country in the military. He has principles. Oops, not a good thing to have as a politician. 

You don't even need to  have average intelligence to know that Washington is one big game of who you  know, who you owe, and who owes you. Trust no one and keep your mouth shut.  I can't believe with his famous father Charlie didn't grasp that quickly. If you didn't figure out what was going on by Chapter 2, after the car crash, well keep those rosy glasses on.

Other than a lot of political name dropping and the mix of fact and fiction, there wasn't a lot of meat to this book. The characters were vague and some a bit over the top. All in all I was bored. 

But I sure hope Mr. Tapper keeps up the journalistic career! 

NetGalley/April 24th 2018 by Little, Brown and Company

While I enjoyed "The Hellfire Club" by Jake Tapper, I wouldn't recommend it. The plot was interesting but extremely tangled. The characters (the fictional ones) were likeable, but transparent and flat. The moments exchanged with "real" historical characters were not entirely believable. Tappers writing relatively well constructed, but neither challenging nor lyrical, it just was. Methinks he should stick to The State of the Nation from now on.