Rating: 4 stars

When Mitchell Siegel was shot to death in 1932 his son was understandably devastated. The murderer and gun were never found, the homicide never solved. In that horrifying moment of loss Jerry Siegel created a bullet-proof hero that would last forever in the heart of American children. But did Jerry know more to the story about his father then he ever shared?

When the biblical Cain murdered his brother Abel he most certainly used a weapon. No mention is made in the Bible of what that weapon was. The search for Cain's mythical weapon has distracted learned men and treasure-seekers alike for hundreds of years. Even the Nazi party made attempts to solve and locate this prize. Were they successful?

As incongruent as these two moments in time may appear they will both become all to relevant to Cal Harper, a homeless shelter volunteer. When Cal attempts to rescue a gunshot victim in a Ft. Lauderdale park he comes face-to-face with his own vanished father and a network of lies and conspiracy that he is in no way prepared for. Now he will have to trace the web back to it's beginning, before history's most mysterious weapon is found by the wrong people.

As one would expect from Meltzer this story is full of twists and turns through a very bizarre maze. His ability to weave such seemingly unrelated moments into a workable narrative is impressive to say the least. Though the characters themselves seem a bit contrived at times, unrelated, the story itself is fantastic. The more jaded reader may be able to figure things out quickly enough but don't dismiss out of hand the careful rendering it takes to bring these elements together. Meltzer is very good at his craft and will keep you guessing right up until the end.

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Publisher: Grand Central Pub
Pub. Date: September 2008
ISBN-13: 9780446577885