The Franklin Affair

by Jim Lehrer

“Three may keep a secret if two of ’em are dead.”
–Poor Richard’s Almanack[pg. 27 of mss]

R Taylor arrives in Philadelphia for the funeral of his longtime friend Dr. Wally Rush with a heavy heart. Not only has the world lost one of its preeminent, Pulitzer Prize—winning American Revolution historians, but R has lost his mentor, the man who led him to devote his life’s work to the study of “The First American,” Benjamin Franklin. The bond between them was sealed when R did Wally a favor that could never be revealed. But Wally saved one final secret for R, disclosed in a letter conveyed by the will’s executor.

Written in the slow, painful script of the professor’s last days, the note delivers an incredible bombshell. Wally, it seems, had stumbled upon twelve handwritten pages in a code commonly used by spies during the revolutionary war. The pages refer to George Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, and level a shocking charge–that Benjamin Franklin committed a heinous crime.

Wally, not wanting to foul the image of his lifelong hero, had kept this monumental secret until his death. But as R races to unravel the mystery, he faces an onslaught of obstacles. Vicious blackmail, a threat of sabotage against his own career, and grave personal doubts threaten to overtake R as he struggles with a discovery that has the potential to completely alter the fabric of American history.

Rich with revelations, rife with the darkest depths of deceit and mystery, and enlightened by the unparalleled insights of America’s first patriots, The Franklin Affair is a tense, constantly surprising novel about the ultimate quest for truth and justice.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

James Charles Lehrer was an American journalist and the news anchor for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS, known for his role as a frequent debate moderator during elections. Lehrer was an author of non-fiction and fiction, drawing from his experiences and interests in history and politics.

Reviews

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviews found here seem to have lost the perspective that this book was written in 2005 in anticipation of the Bicentennial celebration of Ben Franklin's birthday in 2006, and might not have the same appeal these many years later. Much fiction is written for the moment, and not intended for the ages. For what is is, I found this book highly entertaining, and a wonderful remembrance of Ben in his bespectacled ordinary unordinariness, who would have also found the novel fascinating. Take the occasion out of the writing, and you mostly have a common five and dime mystery. Whatever flaws the book possesses can be easily overlooked for the aura that Ben still exerts on this generation of Americans, which Jim did an awfully good job of presenting in his ingenious fictional work!

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter when Lehrer writes a book it turns out prophetic!! This one deals with plagiarism, bringing to mind Monica Crowley, Betsy DeVos and Melania Trump. It is actually about Benjamin Franklin - Alexander Hamilton is mentioned and that made me realize how a Broadway play could bring these old Founding Fathers to life. I learned a lot about Ben from this - like how many people know he discovered the Gulf Stream? Well, now I do.

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Benjamin Franklin raised a boy, supposed to be his illegitimate son, William. According to this book, no one knows who the boy's mother was. The plot revolves around 12 pages found inside the lining of a cape once belonging to someone known by Franklin and the other Founding Fathers detailing a meeting they had during which Franklin was accused of having the mother killed.
Dr. R Taylor gets a letter from a deceased friend and Franklin scholar asking him to investigate these pages. Taylor is a Franklin scholar, author of several books about him and glad he is finally gaining some of the spotlight usually shone only on others. Are the papers a hoax? If they are real, what should he do about them?
Taylor's investigation is complicated by the world of academia and his own personal relationships.
The book moves right along. While investigating the pages, Taylor reveals a lot about Franklin. The text is very historical. It is supposed to be a satire of the academic world. It is very academic in tone.

[Pat Zellmer · Rating 1 out of 5]

For as many intriguing possibilities as this book had, it was disappointingly bland, and at the end of the book, one was left with the question 'is that all there is?' The characters were well written, but none were endearing or even that interesting. Coming from an academic background, it was too familiar - a lot of ego and often not much substance, with cover ups and a good old boy network obviously alive and well on that campus. Again, many really interesting channels that this could have taken, and none followed...disappointed.

[residentoddball · Rating 3 out of 5]

This historical novel had a decent plot that was distracted with unnecessary "furniture" and awkward flow. The story was enjoyable though clunky to get through. This was my first read of a Jim Lehrer book.

[Larry Hostetler · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Lehrer book I've read. Found it to be very interesting, a quick read (though it so engaged me I neglected other books to get back to this one.)

I'm surprised that it only has a 3.11 rating. It is better than that.

[Bill Freil · Rating 3 out of 5]

It 2as really interesting for awhile. I felt like this was too goi g to be a Dan Brown type book. It felt very anticlimactic. Easy read though.

[Kili · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my kind of writing style

[Cooper Renner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, breezy, fun.

[Candy Wood]

Who would have thought that a mystery plot based on accusations of plagiarism among professional historians could work? Jim Lehrer clearly knows what he's writing about, whether it's petty academic intrigue, the occasional excitement of pursuing documentation of an obscure event, or the varieties of plagiarism itself. Examples make clear that the accused Reagan biographer, a female TV personality, really is guilty of what I call right-click plagiarism, keeping the sentence structure of the original but substituting synonyms. It's equally clear that the protagonist is not guilty of plagiarism, even though he feels he should have mentioned his source more prominently. For those who lack a professional interest in plagiarism, Lehrer includes a cold case involving Benjamin Franklin, sending the protagonist from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, and even to Franklin's Craven Street house in London. Early American history must be a male-dominated field, though--the main female characters are either assistants or failed writers.

[Sian Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, yes, the previous Lehrer mystery I read was only so-so, but it had a certain level of enjoyability. Enjoyability completely absent from this one. I have only one question -- does Jim Lehrer secretly (or not so secretly now) despise all historians? Because he sure writes like he thinks they're all creeps, which forced me to wonder -- in horror -- is the beloved Jim Lehrer actually a creep himself and therefore unable to recognize when he is writing a creep? His main character asks the woman he has barely given a damn about the whole book, except for how she's being cranky with him, to marry him -- and then admits he doesn't even know HOW OLD SHE IS.

I'll only read such a badly written book if it's at least about characters I find charming. Thus ends my exploration of Jim Lehrer's career as a novelist. I'm going back to the newscast -- and taking his intelligent dignity with a grain of salt. A very large grain.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all of Lehrer's fiction, this book is intelligent, well paced, entertaining and a litle "lite." It has some gaps, sometimes the characters do things that make no sense, but usually things move along believably and with good pace and suspense. This one is about history buffs obsessed with Benjamin Franklin, and the author was actually was able to make me believe that these characters weren't total losers who needed to get a life.... However, one of the themes of the book is "famous people who don't actually write and or research their own books" which made me think that Mr. Lehrer, who must be awfully busy with his work at PBS, might have some little elves in his own closet... Whatever, it's still a fun read.

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not particularly well written, but I found it interesting because it was about historians dealing with the revolutionary period. The hero is an independent historian who has been instrumental in resuscitating Franklin's reputation as one of the foremost revolutionary heroes. He's on a committee charged with determining the guilt or innocence of an obnoxious colleague who's charged with plagiarism. Meanwhile, his mentor dies & leaves him a lead to a set of documents that threaten to undo their work by showing Franklin as an accessory to the murder of the mother of his illegitimate son. He's faced with a series of difficult choices on both scores, but as readers, we're jerked back & forth from euphoria to despair the way a bad mystery does.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at a used book sale because I liked Jim Lehrer's bus books. I initially liked the book because of the way it poked (accurate) fun at the outsized egos and petty pretensions of some academics. You've seen/heard these guys interviewed on PBS/NPR many times. But then, in spite of myself, I wondered how the protagonist, R, one of the aforementioned academics, and the author, Lehr, would resolve both the historical and contemporary deceit and mystery. Fortunately, R followed old Ben's advice and emerged professionally, if not personally, unscathed. A fun story, not to be taken too seriously, but historically accurate (I think).

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently read a biography of Ben Franklin and then decided to read some historical fiction novels about his life. I enjoyed this book as the author has his character try to uncover the truth about Franklin's son as well as his relationships with women. Franklin, a brilliant and creative man, is portrayed as a man torn between his family and his work. The author has taken an American icon and made him human as we see his strengths and his weaknesses. For those who like American history or who want an entertaining read about Franklin, this is a great choice.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really very good.... I did not like the main character and I found I was not to keen on the writing style... all kind of a drag as I really respect and like Jim Lehrer.... I did however, learn a fair amount about Ben Franklin, a man who has never struck my fancy nor compels me now. Oh well. I won't seek them out, but if I came across one of Lehrer's other books, I'll probably read it just to see if it's any better....

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about Franklin and other historians probably deserves more a 4.5 stars. I laughed in so many places while reading this today. Our evening book group will be discussing this week and I look forward to others' opinions. This satire of historical writing had me enthralled from the middle of the book on.
Now, I most definitely want to see the Craven Street house where Ben lived while in London.
Highly recommended!!

[Lise · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best things I've read in a long time! Interesting characters, believable plot, invisible craftsmanship... I'm so glad to discover Jim Lehrer, the author, since Jim Lehrer, the broadcaster, is a trusted friend! As the daughter of a historian, I heard many familiar voices in this book. I look forward to sampling more Lehrer.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Lehrer writes a compelling tale of a historian who grapples with information that conflicts with history's popular view of Benjamin Franklin. Laden with historical references this is a fine mystery and an enjoyable read.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

and one half stars.

Reading this book is like plowing a field full of rocks.

Every time you plow and hit a rock with that knowing sound, Kaa-ding,
you have to stop and clear the rock.

In other words, story does not flow naturally.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I plucked this book form the clearance shelves and spent a quiet afternoon finishing it. What a fun surprise! The intrigue wasn't too taxing and the plot moved fairly quickly--a nice bit of fluff to enjoy on the patio in summer.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly entertaining novel -- but I wish I knew how much of it is historically accurate and how much is just embellishment or outright lies? Did Benjamin Franklin have a hand in killing his son's mother?

[Suzanne Auckerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Howard loaned me this book and it was more of a novella than novel, but it was about historians, who dedicate their whole career to study one person. In this the main character was enthralled with Franklin, the woman he was living with was studying Hancock.

[Joann · Rating 3 out of 5]

a cute, simple version of "National Treasure"

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book and I enjoyed reading it. But the end was not very satisfying. There were a lot of loose ends that were not tied up.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright..a 2 night read..only 200 pages. Wouldn't recommend it, though!

[Jeremy Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

no real pay off to this book. good story telling that, by the end, has really gone nowhere

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

it is a modern day mystery

[Beth Shields-Szostak]

1st edition, signed by author

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dry as dust, but Lehrer is a good writer, this was just too academic for my entertainment.