Library of the Dead: (Originally published as SECRET OF THE SEVENTH SON)

By Glenn Cooper

Originally published as Secret of the Seventh Son.

Assigned to the high-profile "Doomsday" serial killer case, FBI agent Will Piper is hitting dead end after dead end. The victims seem to have nothing in common: age, background, or even the way they die. All that connects them is a postcard each received in the mail announcing his or her date of death—all sent from Las Vegas, where a brilliant computer scientist leads a double life. Just when agent Piper finds a credible lead, he's removed from the case. Continuing the investigation on his own, he must outwit a ruthless team of covert operatives from Area 51 protecting the government's greatest secret. From a medieval monastery to a cutting-edge government laboratory, Library of the Dead delivers a richly detailed, thought-provoking exploration of fate, predestination, and the choices we make in life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jun 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9780062306418

Glenn Cooper

GLENN COOPER is the author of the internationally bestselling Will Piper trilogy: Library of the Dead, its sequel, Book of Souls, and The Keepers of the Library. His other books include The Tenth Chamber, The Resurrection Maker, The Devil Will Come, Near Death, and the Down Trilogy. He has sold over 6 million books worldwide. Glenn graduated from Harvard with a degree in archaeology and received his medical degree from Tufts University. After practicing medicine, he served as the chairman and CEO of a biotechnology company in Massachusetts. He is also a screenwriter, film producer, and chairman of Lascaux Media. Glenn lives in Sarasota, Florida. Visit him at glenncooperbooks.com.

Reviews for Library of the Dead

[eadieb-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Book DescriptionOriginally published as Secret of the Seventh Son.Assigned to the high-profile "Doomsday" serial killer case, FBI agent Will Piper is hitting dead end after dead end. The victims seem to have nothing in common: age, background, or even the way they die. All that connects them is a postcard each received in the mail announcing his or her date of death--all sent from Las Vegas, where a brilliant computer scientist leads a double life. Just when agent Piper finds a credible lead, he's removed from the case. Continuing the investigation on his own, he must outwit a ruthless team of covert operatives from Area 51 protecting the government's greatest secret. From a medieval monastery to a cutting-edge government laboratory, Library of the Dead delivers a richly detailed, thought-provoking exploration of fate, predestination, and the choices we make in life.Book ReviewI enjoyed this historical thriller from Glenn Cooper. I loved his voice and humor and found it to be a very clever story and an excellent debut. The characters are fascinating and the plot held my interest until the last page. I love how he tied the past into the present and switched back and forth in time effortlessly. I now look forward to reading the next book in the series. I would highly recommend this series to those who enjoy historical mysteries.

[ameise1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read the sequel earlier and because I liked it very much I bought this one. I'm glad that I did so many things are much more clear now. It was a very fast-paced reading. The secrets are located in the past (1350 years ago) on the Isle of Wight. There was born a boy who couldn't speak but was addicted to write down names and dates of birth and death. After WWII this hidden library was found but the English government asked the US government to take this library over. Therefore the Areal 51 in the desert of Nevada was built. Unfortunately, there was a leak and 9 people died in New York. Nobody was able to find out the relationship between these cases of death. Will Paper and his partner Nancy Lipinski tried to solve the puzzle

[naggedman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good read if you don't mind a bit of fantasy and the supernatural mixed in with your mystery and action!

[mile_mitrov-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

at first i was very reluctant about this one. i was a bit put off by the description. but when i finally gave it a chance i was pleasantly surprised .
an interesting concept and a good story . i quite enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.

note to author: please fire the guy who writes the description on the back of your books

[gaby317 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Glenn Cooper's debut novel, Secret of the Seventh Son is an unusual thriller, set in three different time periods. In present day, New York City, nine strangers are found slain. The homicide detectives can't find any connections among the victims or the manner of their deaths. But each of these people received a postcard with a coffin announcing the date of their death. A legendary FBI profiler Will Piper is burned out and just counting time until retirement but he's forced to take over the "Doomsday killer" case. Will Piper is assigned perky, enthusiastic Nancy Lipinski. Lipinski is a little overweight when they start on the Doomsday Killer case, but her weight fluctuates much like their success in their hunt for the killer.While in a small town in France, a child is born - the seventh son born on the 7th day of the 7th month of 777. His parents are superstitious and when the child refuses to speak, he is abandoned to a monastery. The monks discover the child's gift and keep his existence a secret for decades. Until the child's legacy is uncovered by archeologists in the 1940s.Winston Churchill and Harry Truman work together to keep the monk's secret from coming out. The discovery becomes the heart of an expensive government secret project. Will Piper, the Doomsday Killer, and the secret that has survived centuries tie together in an engrossing and complicated novel.ISBN-10: 0061721794 - Mass Market Paperback $7.99Publisher: Harper; Original edition (July 28, 2009), 419 pages.Review copy courtesy of the publisher.

[toby_sugden · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Took this out of the library over the weekend for something to read on the tube on my way to work however I had finished it by Monday! While I found the writing somewhat amateurish and the characters far too stereotypical the story was compelling enough that I still wanted to continue reading. Some of the plot twists are a bit too obviously signposted but the pacing was very well handled and overall it far surpassed my expectations.

[shannonkearns · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting thriller. It combines history, action, and intrigue with complicated characters and a good story.My complaints about this book: there were so many characters and shifts in time (from past to present, etc.) that it took me a while to get into the story. It was also a bit difficult to follow.There was a LOT of sexual violence in this book. It was unnecessary and disturbing. If you might be triggered by that, then this book is definitely not for you. Overall the story was interesting. I'm not sure if I will read the sequel.

[michdubb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting premise that brings together the past and the present. In 2009, a has-been alcholic FBI agent searches for a serial killer. In the 8th century, the strange 7th son born of a 7th son reveals a unique skill. The characters are a bit 2-dimensional, stereotypical, and difficult to relate to. Good book to pass time on an airplane or a long train journey.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Will Piper, once a successful FBI agent, is biding his time until retirement, hoping that his lasst few years will be easy and uncomplicated. Then he's assigned the case of the Doomsday Killer. Mysterious people are arriving with people with a date and time and a coffin. These murders appear to have no connection with each other and as Will digs things get stranger.It's not a bad story, but there's some serious handwaving going on, why the Library was moved to the US in 1947, post war there was no real reason for this, the UK would have held on to that more tenaciously. The end did want me to keep looking for the series though, the whole story could be interesting, though the amero-centrism may make me very cranky by the time I get further on.

[pierthinker · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Characters who have slipped so far down the ladder of acceptability and convention that they have nothing more to lose are a favourite of thriller writers. Will Piper, an alcoholic and angry FBI agent serving his time to retirement is another. Library of the Dead is an intriguing mix of serial killer chasing in modern day New York, X-Files style government secrecy in Area 51 and historical supernatural horror. These are woven together well with many time line jumps as we follow parallel developments in the storyline. The only mistake, I think, is the re-discovery of the secret episode set in Britain shortly after the War; I am not sure what purpose that served and could have been repleced with a sharp couple of pages of exposition.The Piper character solves the serial killing in the standard modern FBI way (although too many coincidences for my liking) without really grasping the supernatural significance of the underlying mystery - sort of a Mulder without the seond sight.The sequel is already set up and the opening chapter supplied as an appendix to this book. A good story with plenty of twists to think about, but slightly too formulaic in structure and planning (you can almost hear the TV film theme music...).

[ilurvebooks_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good story line jumping from present to the past history enjoyed this book from start to finish

[nelehw_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Six victims in two weeks and the 'Doomsday Killer' has New York City terrified. The only common thread is a postcard sent to each of the victims announcing the date of their death prior to their demise. Maverick agent Will Piper, a successful profiler, uncovers a shocking government secret that has its roots in an underground library unearthed beneath an eighth-century monastery.

[tomwheaton · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is another new author for me. The book was OK but, not great. About halfway through it, I had decided that I wasn't going to read any more books by this author. However, the last 1/4 of the book became a page turner and the blurb at the end about his next book indicates that it will continue the story. So, I may decide to read it. The one thing in this book that I didn't like, was that the author spent too much time developing minor characters that and telling of their backgrounds when they didn't have any real significence to the story.

[pagei_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What if you knew when your death was coming, what would you do? Will Piper is close to retiring from the FBI when he's pulled into what appears to be a serial killer on the loose. It's much more than that and starts in the year 777 with a seventh son of a seventh son.

[flappyjandals · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A ripping yarn that weaves together two storylines - one set in a Benedictine Monastery on the Isle of Wight where a suborder of monks who don't speak or communicate are writing books that include only names, dates of birth and dates of death. The catch is that they include people who aren't even born yet... and they are completely accurate. The main storyline features a cynical FBI agent whiose specialty is catching serial killers. It's a good read, whether or not you like your thrillers with a major government coverup. Too good to tie up all the loose ends, so Cooper has followed it up with The Book of Souls.

[demetriosx_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I think this book tried too hard to be too many things. The background is supernatural, then there's the serial killer plot line, the thriller plot line, etc. It never quite gets where it's going with any of the attempted genres and leaves a few too many questions open. I'm not really sorry I read it -- it was a decent, if not thrilling read -- but I am somewhat sorry I spent the money to buy it. This is what I would call a "library book", worth checking out of the library, but not buying.

[reacherfan · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book started off so strong. It had a very interesting concept. A killer called "Doomsday Killer". He'd send you a post card with the days dates on it, and you died that day. I mean, how can you not like something like that. I was soon hooked. Sadly, the book fizzled out to nothing for me. One of the biggest problems is that this book takes place in about 5 time lines. One of the time lines is in the days of the bible. It was very distracting jumping from time frame to time frame to time frame to time frame. Just when something really interesting was happening in the present time (2009) the reader is dragged back in time for no good reason. I just had a hard time keeping it straight, and with each time jump, I just lost interest. Not just in the past, but also what was going on in 2009. The author was all over the place. Some of the characters were really annoying. We'd learn a lot about a secondary character, learn about their background, but it didn't further the story along. We're just told it to fill up pages. Again, for me, this brought the story to a screeching stop, I do like the main character of Will, but the jumping from time to time, and all of the unneeded background of secondary characters, just took away from the character of Will and what he was going through. Overall, I'd say skip it. I don't plan to read any more books by Cooper.

[thelibraryhag · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What do a Medival scriptorium, Area 51 and a New York serial killer have in common? Will Piper, a former FBI profiler hotshot is about to find out. Will is so close to retirement he can taste it. He just wants to ride it out when he gets assigned to the Doomsday serial killer case. This killer sends a postcard announcing the date the person is going to die. Will is assigned a new partner and will have to give up his wastrel ways if he hopes to find this elusive killer.I really enjoyed this book. It does move through time, but the author handles it beautifully. The concept is original and the reader gets to have more information than the detective. It was fun. I understand there will be a second book featuring Will Piper. I will definitely be reading it.

[sakmyster · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read an advanced copy of this book, which I received at the 2009 Thrillerfest in NYC, and I have to say of all the books I received or bought there, this was the most intriguing. I was very impressed, to say the least. Cooper has a great gift for plotting, and for characterization, but the heart of this thriller is its concept, a blending of the classic 'hunt-for-a-serial-killer' story with the 'secret-conspiracy' tale presented in a wholly original way. It's hard nowadays to develop any kind of unique serial-killer concept, but without spoiling the plot, The Secret of the Seventh Son has done it, near-perfectly (if you buy into the quasi-mystical-biblical solution). Unlike other reviewers, I had no problem with the 'time-jumping' in the narrative because it was clear from the beginning that the jaunts back to the 8th - 12th centuries were vital to solving the mystery and explaining how all these unrelated people were being killed in such different ways. Everything else in this novel was delicious gravy - the descriptions of Area 51's inner workings, the thrill of Vegas card-counting, the all-too familiar details of a struggling screenwriter, a romantic twist and a rather unlikable protagonist who manages a bold transformation... and even the way Cooper worked in the actuarial mechanics of life insurance and made it a huge revelation fitting with the plot, worked well for me. My only regret is that the publishers didn't keep the original title of 'The Library of the Dead', which was so much more fitting. If you like Rollins, Preston/Child and the like, don't miss this one.

[andrew1theqm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book - couldn't put it down. One of my favourites as a result. Can't wait to read another Glenn Cooper!

[speesh-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

'Secret of the Seventh Son' really is much, much better than the last one (or two) I read by Glenn Cooper. So much so, it wouldn’t surprise me to find out this was actually written by someone else under the name 'Glenn Cooper.' Maybe 'Glenn Cooper' is just a made-up umbrella name for a group of writers and 'Secrets of the Seventh Son’ is by the good one in the team.

Erm, actually, and perhaps not surprisingly, on closer investigation, SotSS, seems to be the first by our ‘Glenn.' I can only guess, that his agent said after he delivered this one, "what else have you got?" And in the kitchen cupboard drawer- under ’The Tenth Chamber’, was - amongst others - ‘The Devil Will Come.’ He’d have been better of with finding the shopping list in that one’s case. But that’s just me.

Anyway, here we have the FBI hunt for a serial killer with an irritatingly random modus operandi and a religiously undertoned historical mystery thriller ensues. That turns into a race against time, manhunt-type suspense thriller. There, I think I’ve about covered it all.

It holds the attention, even with some darting to and fro sometimes just months, sometimes back to the 8th and 9th century. It’s an intriguing enough plot, at least up until around half way, when it becomes reasonably clear what’s going on. But even then, there are some big surprises and enough unexpected twists to keep me going to the end. Oh, and there’s an alternative - and reasonably plausible - explanation for what might really be hidden at Area 51. If you believe there is something hidden there. Or that there IS an Area 51...

'Will Piper' is a decent, solid sympathetic character. An FBI suspect profiler with a believable back-story (as CNN might say. Often). Actually, a level of believability I’ve not encountered too often in books of this ‘me too’ religious secrets thriller sort. Style-wise, it put me in mind of one by Michael Connelly I read. An attention to and description of, believable character detail that had me thinking I should me taking more than mental notes, as it’s as sure as whatever that some of this is gonna come in useful for solving the case, both for the character and for me.

There are a couple of other unexplained, perhaps fortuitous “there’s lucky!" circumstances or coincidences, but not enough to get in the way of enjoying the book as a whole. One does need to spring over (as we say here in Denmark) the idea that only the male genes are passed on to sons from their fathers. That only male children are born in these special circumstances - I don’t remember there being any mention of girls being born. You’ll know what I’m on about if you read the book

I'd also like to find out why the Isle of Wight. Having had countless holidays on the IoW in my younger days, I knew that the book's medieval passages in 'Vectis' were on the IoW. I think he's got some relationship with the UK somewhere down the line. For an American, he's clearly got a practiced ear for us English, you can tell that from the sections, the dialogue especially of the parts set in England and even the section with the Scottish people ring very true. Though I'd have used 'pal', instead of 'mate.’

All in all though, a vast improvement (actually I suppose it was more a 'good start', as this actually came first) on the others I’ve read of Glenn Cooper’s.

[olivermagnus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

FBI agent, Will Piper, specializes in capturing serial killers. He has two years to go until retirement, but he's burnt out and just wants a desk job to get him there. His plans fall apart when he's forced to take on a new case. The “Doomsday Killer”, has no pattern and defies psychological profiling, and the diverse victims have only one thing in common. Just before their murders, each of them received a postcard foretelling their date of death.In addition to the modern story, the plot takes us to 1947 Britain, a monastery in the eighth and thirteenth centuries of Britain, and even Area 51 in Nevada. Several different story threads are followed. Eventually, these threads are woven together in a compelling conclusion. It's hard to review this book without giving away some spoilers so that's all I'm going to say. I found this book to be a great mix of modern day thriller, a little bit of the supernatural, and some historical mystery as well. I thought the concept was fascinating and I definitely plan to read the second book of the trilogy very soon.

[christineellei · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a new author for me and it turns out a new author in general Mr. Cooper takes us to an 8th century monastery where a 7th son of a 7th son is born on the 7th day of the 7th month of 777 … now we all know that can’t be good thing … turns out is isn’t! From there we travel to Winston Churchill’s war bunker and on to present day Area 51. What do all these things have in common? Aliens? You would think so but no, no, no you would be so wrong. Enter Will Piper, a hard drinking FBI agent on the verge of retirement and his fresh faced new partner Nancy Lipinsky. The two of them take the reader on a hunt for a serial killer who is not a killer and who ties in with monks, Area 51 and Winston Churchill. You’ll have to read the book to discover the rest … its well worth it if you like action books. There is a sequel coming in 2010 and I will definitely be reading it as well.

[ccookie_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Secret of the Seventh Son - Glen CooperFirst line:~ David Swisher spun the trackball of his Blackberry until he found the e-mail from the CFO of one of his clients ~I found this to be a fascinating read! I was caught up in the story right from the beginning, got a little confused as we jumped back and forth in time and then it became so interesting in the last quarter that I couldn’t put it down. The suspense built for me nicely. I did not figure out who the serial killer was until the author revealed it. I really liked the way the distant past events, the three separate story lines all come together at the end. Unlike others who have reviewed this book here, I found the characters quite believable and enjoyable to follow. I look forward to the sequel. (4 stars)

[sandylee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stopped at the local Borders for a “beach read” and found this book in the “bargain” section. What a find! The story jumps from present day to early days (starting at 777) to post WWII as it reveals a library of sorts discovered on an island owned by England. Since England had enough on their plate to recoup after the War, they contact President Truman. The story opens with a class reunion of four college roommates, one currently an FBI agent. Will Piper is one of the best hunters of serial killers and one has just popped up in New York. There isn’t any obvious link between the victims, nor is there a pattern to the killer’s MO. He is labeled the DOOMSDAY KILLER. The early centuries are important because a seventh son is born to a seventh son. Is he good or evil? Appearing to be a deaf mute, he has a talent for writing. It is soon learned he is writing the birth and death of everyone. Descendents are born, more mutes whose soul interest and purpose is to document the births and deaths. Toss in Area 51 and you have one fast-moving, intense thriller. Will discovers everything links to the DOOMSDAY KILLER and he suddenly finds himself off the case. But Will is too involved and the case is too challenging. Soon people are hell bent on stopping Will and his source at any cost. BOOK OF SOULS appears to be a follow-up, one book I will really seek.