Keith Ferrell's Bestseller: A Fine Read

After writing nearly 20 books, my friend Keith Ferrell of Franklin County has finally made the New York Times Top 10 bestseller list, moving into that august body in early November of 2013 with History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time (History Workman, $24.95). He co-wrote it with Brad Meltzer.

The book, a fascinating pastiche of 10 conspiracies, broken down with official-looking documents, is based upon Meltzer’s History Network show “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded.” 

Ferrell, who has contributed to FRONT in the past as a freelancer and who will teach at the 2013 Roanoke Regional Writers Conference at Hollins (Jan. 24-25), is the former editor of Omni Magazine. He has done a good bit of ghost and co-writing in the past (he ghosted a posthumous Harold Robins book), but this is his first best-seller. 

Ferrell is a superb writer and I sense his solid prose all over Decoded, though Meltzer is better known as a novelist. Keith has written a couple of novels in addition to has work with biography and history.

Decoded has the distinct feel of the novel and it is rife with controversy and spine-tingling action. If you like history—and if you don’t—this one will keep you occupied for a bit.