BookThe Chancellor Manuscript

AuthorRobert Ludlum

Year1977

Pages438

Read 21 June - 3 July, 2003 (Vancouver)

TypeFiction/Thriller

Plot Outline Did J Edgar Hoover, the Head of US FBI die a natural death? Or was he murdered? This is the story of Invar Bass - a group of high-minded and high-placed individuals, who hatch a plot to murder Hoover and get hold of his infamous files and destory them. The files hold information about people at high places, which can ruin them and can be used against them. There hire a hit man, Varak, who executes the task. But he is able to retrieve only half the files, the other half is missing. The question is who has them?

Peter Chancellor, a best selling author, who has the uncanny ability to dig into less known and obscure Government scandals is coaxed into writing about this. The idea is, during his probe, the people who have the missing files with come out and can be captured.

It is a very complex plot, various characters come into picture, many of them die. There is a MacArthur, with his mad wife. What secret is he concealing? Did his wife betray their country to Koreans during the War? Was she drugged into doing so? Who drugged her? Americans or Koreans?

What is Chasong? What happened there? There was a genocide, for which MacArthur was blamed.

Ultimately, one of the five members of Invas Bass is a traitor, who has the files. Peter has to unearth them.

Comments This is an old classic of Ludlum. People who have read Ludlum will appreciate his characterization of the hero, the extraordinary circumstances he is put into and how he triumphs over all adversities. He is no James Bond - he is just a normal person, but he gets to possess extraordinary strengths.