The Black Book of Buried Secrets (The 39 Clues)

My 12 year old loves this book. It’s a fab addition to his 39 Clues obsession.

My daughter loved this book. Was in perfect condition. I wouldn't have known that it was used

A present for my daughter which we ordered very late in the day it arrived within 3 days brillant considering its Christmas.

This read was great for my son to uncover more secrets.

This book is different from any of the other books in the 39 Clues Series I have read. It is almost a handbook or manual on the 5 branches of the Cahill family. It is also the only book that is not available as an eBook out of all the books across the three series. That being said, it is a beautiful book, every page is glossy full color.The book, as mentioned, has a section for each of the 5 branches of the family. Each section has a history of the founder, current members, key past members, and profiles of some active agents. It is a wonderful companion book and gives a lot of background information on people, places and events key to the clue hunt, current and historical. It is also a good pivot piece between the original 39 Clues series and the second Cahills VS. Vespers. Of all the books and series I have read, I am amazed at how much this one has kept my attention across the original series and the Rapid Fire short series. And I eagerly look forward to reading the second series. I just wish it was available in eBook for quick search and reference while reading the other books.

"One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things." -- Revelation 9:12 (NKJV)If you are like me, you probably read each novel in the 39 Clues series at high speed. I wanted to find the next clue, to see who would be a double-dealer next, and to learn who had done what to whom in the past. As a result, a lot of the details didn't exactly stick like glue in my head. If so and you cherish the stories, you'll appreciate having a chance to see a lot of the information you've read presented in a more organized, concise form in The Black Book of Buried Secrets. You'll also see lots of veiled references to the Vespers.Surprise, surprise! There's a new 39 Clues series coming beginning with Vespers Rising by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson on April 5, 2011. Naturally, you'll need to refer back to the Black Book of Buried Secrets to make the most sense out of that new series.So if you liked the first ten books, this eleventh one is an essential reference for the next series of ten.The book has a tongue-in-cheek opening where Rick Riordan provides a fictional story for the book's origin in his role as a Janus operative. From there, you read profiles of the Madrigal, Lucian, Ekaterina, Tomas, and Janus branches of the Cahill family starting with a brief summary and then looking at the founders, continuing with the agents, and ending with descriptions of their home bases. Some of the fictional stories about founders and agents are quite humorous.The book is illustrated with photographs and images of some of the characters. These were unpleasant surprises in some cases because the people didn't look to me the way the stories had portrayed them. See what you think of the photograph of Grace Cahill, for instance. I'm not sure I would have wanted her to be my grandmother.A few of the descriptions of historical figures looked to me as if they came out of Classics Illustrated comic books rather than history books. So don't plan to write any school papers for history class based on these thumbnail sketches.But it's all in good fun. Have a ball!

THE BLACK BOOK OF BURIED SECRETS takes all the information gathered by the five branches of the family and stores them together in one book. Each branch, including the Madrigals, spill their secrets and some identities of their agents - past and present.While it doesn't advance the story of the Cahill family, readers will enjoy uncovering more information about THE 39 CLUES series and its characters.This is a great finale to the first series where all the material comes together. I loved how the authors are the real agents in this book - a great twist. I also loved reading about the hot spots of the various branches of the family, their history, the tricks and tools, and famous members.The layout makes for a fast read and includes great pictures.Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel