Ivy leagues. I have always been intrigued by those Academies of Excellence, and everything they include. Just looking at the premises of Yale, Stanford, or Harvard leaves me speechless and I can’t help my imagination go wild about what it might be like to be part of the Chosen Ones.

The Ancient Nine appealed to me right away. Fresh out of university, I should have wanted nothing but to stay away from classes and tall buildings filled with silly boys and cliques of young girls. Yet, the synopsis hinted at secrets and a free tour of one of America’s most famous university. I just couldn’t resist. I keep saying I am not one for history … The author made me change my mind!

The prologue, set in 1927, was enough for me to cling to the book. Guys at university are stupid, but when things take a bad turn and you are left with questions, you can forgive them! I was keen to follow the steps that led to back to Harvard and find out what was hidden behind this somehow cryptic and chilling opening.

1988: Spencer Collins, far from the usual wealthy guys striding the halls of the university, gets an invitation from an elite club. I had always assumed such clubs existed, but my knowledge of Ivy Leagues only depends on Suits characters saying they only hire from Harvard and Gilmore Girl’s Rory’s experience at Yale. I was coming a long way!

With a clever narrative filled with youth and its enthusiasm, Ian Smith handed me an invitation into a world I could only dream of. Better than this, he highlighted the good, the bad, and the terrible. Everything is scrutinized, from Spencer’s poor background and skin color to the power held by the famous heads drinking their weight in Vodka. The Ancient Nine isn’t a coming-of-age story. Yes, you get guys having fun and it seems so genuine you just happily tag along from your couch, happy you’re not living this kind of life. Yes, there is a bit of romance. You know I am not the biggest fan, but once again, the balance was perfect and just enough to let the reader picture life in the late 80s, movies and pop-corn included. I loved it!

In the middle of his busy life, Spencer and his rich-but-no-jerk best friend Dalton kick off a race against time, past and future, to better understand the Delphic Club trying to punch Spencer, and they dig more than inappropriate pictures of CEO or politicians. Suddenly, the cool idea of clubs turns dark and you are immersed in the history of Harvard. I never thought I would be engrossed in the plot the way I became. While drooling over Harvard’s libraries, I was falling into the pages of the old days, and the very old ones, learning about Kings and rituals, rumors and facts intertwined. Spencer and Dalton’s research to better understand why the Delphic is interested in a student like Spencer led to the darkest corridors of the school itself, raising questions every time the boys seemed to get closer to an answer about the clubs and their origins. More than a gym pass, they pledge to open doors you never knew existed, emphasizing the idea of brotherhood to the extreme. But Dalton knows more than what the shiny faces let on, and reveals the existence of The Ancient Nine, a group supposed to protect the club’s darkest secrets. Fed by stories from his uncle, one of the oldest members of the Delphic, Dalton holds many keys that will guide him and Spencer into the heart of Harvard.

I can’t explain how it happened, but Ian Smith worked his magic and I was captivated by the plot from the first page to the final one. Fresh blood, old stories, hours In libraries and clues to make your head explode, The Ancient Nine is an exciting trip to the past.

THE ANCIENT NINE by Ian K. Smith is an intriguing and compelling mystery set amongst the hallowed halls of the exclusive, member-only houses in Harvard, during the 1980's.

Spenser Collins is not your usual candidate for membership in one of the most exclusive and powerful private member houses in Harvard but when he gets the invitation he is more than intrigued, as is his close friends Dalton Winthrop. As Dalton, a trust fund student who has a defiant relationship with his elitist father, fills Spenser in on the mystery that surrounds these clubs and the myths of murder and more that are associated with them, Spenser becomes even more intrigued by it all. What would they want with him? And as Spenser and Dalton get sucked in deeper into this land of privilege and secrecy, they will be in a lot more danger than they could ever have imagined.

I found the premise of this novel very interesting and I loved the elements of research, history, and that extra something special that flowed through each page making me want to read more. The story is set during the 1980's among the breeding ground of the elite and is very realistic to the time period so there are a lot of misogynistic moments throughout which may not suit all readers, but sadly reflect the time frame. At its heart, this story is a cracking good mystery that will turn you into a detective as you try to piece it all together alongside the characters and I could definitely see this story translate easily onto our TV screens.

Overall I enjoyed THE ANCIENT NINE by Ian K. Smith and would recommend it to all mystery fans.

A thrilling chase for a secret buried for decades enlivens the Ancient Nine.

The Ancient Nine is a rumored fraternity inside a fraternity inside Harvard. Legend states they protect a secret called Harvard’s Holy Grail. Investigating the Grail has already cost one student his life.

Spenser Collins receives a mysterious invitation to join the esteemed Delphic Club at Harvard. Spenser, a poor basketball scholarship recipient from the South side of Chicago, is stunned. He immediately calls his best friend, Dalton, a fifth generation Harvard scholar with an uncaring father but oodles of money, for help. Dalton has an Uncle who was a member decades ago before lung disease and forgetfulness struck. The two friends investigate the club and the Grail as Spenser moves closer and closer to becoming a Delphic member himself.

The Harvard history is fantastic. Each building is described in detail and sounds beautiful. There is also much detail about the history of fraternities on the Harvard campus. Combining a tale set in 1927 with one in 1989 is brilliant. Seeing research done with books and in person was refreshing.

The Grail mystery is good though the book’s pacing seemed a bit slower than most thrillers. It is hard not to compare the Ancient Nine with other “reveal the secret” books/movies like the DaVinci Code and National Treasure. This book is not quite as good as those. I’m sure a good script writer could tighten up the plot and make this a 5-star movie. The Ancient Nine as written is a solid 4 stars!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy.

The Ancient Nine is the story of Spenser, a young black pre-med student and basketball player at Harvard. Our story starts as he's invited to join an elite group of Harvard men known as the Delphic Club. During the various trials to become a full-fledged member, lots of secrets are uncovered that affect Harvard, the Catholic Church, and Spenser himself. I enjoyed the mystery and history along with the general plot, which was what caught my attention in the blurb, but there were just too many characters popping in and out, and I had no interest in Spenser's personal life.

Favorite Quotes:

I rarely felt self-conscious about what I did or didn’t have, but it wasn’t lost on me that my competitors for a coveted membership were arriving in expensive foreign cars while I arrived in a pair of sturdy five-year-old Florsheims that had been resoled four times and polished so much, the white stitching had turned black.

The racial politics at Harvard were complicated. Black students were in a tough position. If we spent too much time with white students, other blacks figured we had sold out. If we spent too much time with other black students, our white classmates figured we were angry separatists. The dining hall was one big murky fishbowl of social complexities. Everyone looked to see who was sitting with whom and how much time they spent interacting on the “other” side. I was lucky because playing a sport gave me a pass that the non-athletes didn’t have. By dint of my team and training obligations, I automatically spent time with both blacks and whites, which gave me immunity.

He had heavy bags under his eyes, as if miniature pillows had been slipped under his skin. He was military stocky and wore a pair of jeans that looked tight enough to constipate him.

Her T-shirt had j-u-i-c-y spread across it in small crystals, and the fabric was under so much tension, I thought the I was going to pop off and hit me in the face.

There were two things about Professor Charles Davenport that you’d never forget. He probably had the biggest ears of any man that’s walked the face of the earth, long doughy flaps that fell beneath his jawline with a forest of hair growing out of them. Then there were those glasses, big and black and rectangular, made all the more prominent by his hairless dome.

She had an uncanny ability to quickly put things into perspective and make molehills out of mountains.

Many people never even bothered leaving the tailgates, and most of those who did only entered the stadium at halftime, when their champagne had run dry or their canisters of caviar were empty. This crowd even cheered differently. They didn’t yell and clap like most football fans. Rather they spoke complete, grammatically correct sentences, saying things like, “What a magnificent play!” and “Thrash them, Harvard!” Sometimes it was difficult to tell if they were watching a football game or croquet match.

When the Harvard side of the stadium rose in unison, it was not to clap, but to jingle car keys in a massive show of approval. I watched in awe as thousands of Jaguar, Mercedes, and Rolls-Royce keys dangled in the air…

Money has an insidious way of making decent human beings behave in a most indecent way.

My Review:

I wasn’t prepared for the complexity of this intriguing read and held on through a complicated and intricately woven tale with multiple yet equally compelling storylines. I pictured a handsome future President of recent history as the main character and it was a near perfect fit. There were compounded secrets within secrets and an endless and tantalizing quagmire to unravel. The writing was insightfully observant and sumptuously detailed. I reveled in Dr. Smith’s vividly colorful and amusing descriptions and looked forward to the introductions of each new character and locale. His premise pricked my curiosity and his well-crafted storylines kept it well fed while consistently pulling me in deeper and deeper into the group’s knotty and clandestine vortex. Like an iceberg, little was as it appeared to the eye. The characters were oddly unique and quirky, even the sinister ones held my interest and left me thirsting for more. The ending was highly satisfying with Spenser’s achieved results being better than expected and left a contented smile on my face.

Spenser is recruited to join the Delphic - an all male (generally mostly white) exclusive club at Harvard. What follows is a glimpse into Harvard history and the long held secrets of the club and mysteries that have never been solved.
This book was a mixed bag for me - although I liked Spenser I did not feel very connected to him throughout the book. His best friend, Dalton, was just plain unlikeable. Although I did not dislike it, it was not one of the more enjoyable I have read in the past couple of years.
Thank you to Ian K. Smith, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Sadly I couldn’t get into this one but wanted to share that I did still participate in the blog tour with a promotional post. Thanks so much for the opportunity!

It's 1988 and Spenser Collins receives an anonymously delivered envelope beneath his Harvard dorm room door. Spenser isn’t your typical Harvard student as he’s African-American and from an impoverished area of Chicago. Despite this, however, one of the most prestigious and most secretive Harvard final clubs has “punched” him for potential membership. The Delphic Club is shrouded in mystery, as Spenser’s best friend and fellow Harvard student Dalton Winthrop knows all too well. Dalton is from a long line of Harvard graduates dating back to the 1600s, and he fills Spenser in on the mysterious history of the Delphic Club. However, it is the story of the Ancient Nine, a shadowy group of nine Harvard Delphic members, that intrigues both Spenser and Dalton, setting them off on a quest to uncover what happened to a Harvard student back in 1927.

Wow! THE ANCIENT NINE has an intriguing premise but I wasn’t sure if it would live up to the hype. Ian Smith not only lived up to the hype, he knocked this one out of the ballpark! I had trouble putting THE ANCIENT NINE down even when it was far past my bedtime as the academic intrigue had me just as curious as Spenser and Dalton, wondering just what they would uncover next as they delved into the mystery of what happened to Erasmus Abbott in 1927.

And oh, I love how books were interwoven throughout all of these issues and were key to uncovering the mystery! However, readers should note that Ian Smith doesn’t flinch away from exposing both the prejudices and excesses that were rampant, both in 1988 and in earlier time periods. There are some very uncomfortable- and yet extraordinarily well written scenes- detailing how race, class, and gender impacted individuals. I could easily envision THE ANCIENT NINE sparking some intriguing book club discussions.

I have been in a reading slump and THE ANCIENT NINE quickly pulled me right out of that slump! Ian Smith hooked me from the very first page as the eloquent descriptions coupled with an intriguing academic mystery fascinate me even now. If you love cerebral mysteries that delve into clandestine clubs and their darker secrets, then you will love THE ANCIENT NINE just as much as I did. I can’t wait to read more by Ian Smith!

*review is in the editing queue at Fresh Fiction*

Harvard: the dream school for countless students, which used to be only attainable to the most elite, those socially connected. In the very beginning, several even more elite clubs formed, and in the 1980's, young Spencer Collins is being punched for one of these "final clubs." Spencer is a young, black man from the southside of Chicago, and is the opposite of the usual member of these secret societies, and yet here he is.

As Spencer begins the process of interviewing and joining the Delphic Club, he stumbles across an unsolved mystery involving a missing student from the 1920's who attempted to uncover the secrets the Club was hiding. This leads Spencer, and the reader, into the great history and underbelly of Harvard clubs, thoroughly researched by Dr. Smith. 

While I enjoyed the history portions of the novel, they did tend to drag on at parts, and some of the dialogue could seem a little forced in order to advance the story. Regardless, this was a surprisingly fast read. My major complaint would be the lack of female voice, though that does remain true to the nature of the clubs and might have felt out of place if it were indeed included.

The Ancient Nine is set at Harvard University and deals with the irresistible and perennially popular themes of secret societies, archaic documents, etc. There are enough realistic details sprinkled throughout to make it fun. The protagonist is a prospective member of the Delphic, one of the exclusive final clubs, and he sets out to investigate rumors of a secret group of nine elders guarding an unknown treasure within the club. All of this is engaging in a "Nancy Drew goes to college" sort of way, but as a book for adults it is ruined by too much exposition of just about everything. So many plot points or race/class themes are not allowed to stand on their own; instead, they are overexplained or followed by an idiot-proof question/summary ("Could this really mean…?”) from the narrator. The resolution is predictable, and just in case we needed more info on how it all turned out, there is a convenient “25 years later” scene to spell it all out for us. In addition, some of the speech patterns are anachronistic and not always consistent with character (I’m pretty sure no one in the 80’s referred to “optics” in any non-physics context). In short, a strong editor could help this book enormously. I know this was an advance copy and that we are not supposed to worry about copy editing, but the particular ARC I read had the strange, pervasive flaw that almost all the words with a double “f” had a single “f” instead (stuf, pufy, dificult, afair, of, …), rendering it irritating to read.
The author’s description of the infamous Salisbury steak served in the dining hall during that era was so apt that I gave this book an extra star just for the laugh.

Here’s why this book didn’t work for me:

I understand that this is set in 1988 but the level of misogyny is incredible and horrifying. Pretty well the only women in the book are servants, nurses, or prostitutes. They seem to be admired for their amazing bodies and not much else. At a club retreat, a group of naked women are handed out as prizes to the winners of a football game and all the young men run like horny goats to partake in their prize. (I shouldn’t shame goats. They’re animals and don’t know better. These men should know better.) I understand that this may reflect reality as the elite young men at Harvard in this time period likely faced few consequences for their actions and were encouraged in this type of behavior but as a woman it is hard to read and quite nauseating.

Both the main character and his best friend were awful. Neither had any respect for women. Super rich, entitled Dalton gropes a servant at a family dinner and treats women like disposable objects. Spenser isn’t much better with his “won’t take no for an answer” attitude. Dude, when a woman rejects you and is obviously uninterested move on. Don’t keep harassing her until she gives in and goes out with you. It’s not romantic or cute, it’s creepy and controlling. I disliked both of these men so intensely that I didn’t want them to solve the mystery because they didn’t deserve nice things. I’m pretty sure that this was not the author’s intent and I was supposed to be cheering for them but I just couldn’t. I didn’t like them and I wanted them to fail.

This brings me to the mystery. I don’t really understand these clubs and why it is life or death to get into one. It seems like a silly childish thing taken way too far. The old tree-house with the “no girls allowed” sign has evolved into these clubs. I found all of the detail about the clubs and the ceremonies and traditions very dry and boring. I just couldn’t bring myself to be invested. The pace at which anything exciting happened was just too slow for me. My lack of interest in the mystery along with my distaste of the general misogyny made this book unpleasant to read. I think it might be easier for a male reader or someone who can more easily brush off the treatment of women as “just how it used to be.” If you have a thick skin for sexism and are truly interested in the details and workings of these clubs then this may be the read for you. Unfortunately it was not the book for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

The Ancient Nine intrigued me when I first got the invite from the publisher. I like reading about secret societies/clubs. Heck, I even watch documentaries about them if I see them on TV. So when I read the blurb for The Ancient Nine, I needed to read this book. While the book was well written, it bored me in parts. It was also slow and because of that, I struggled to finish it. So why 3.5 stars? It comes down that the author did do a fantastic of keeping that secret room in the Delphic club under wraps until the end of the book.

I liked Spenser. He was down to earth and relatable. But I found myself getting frustrated with him. While he kept saying that he didn’t want to be in any of these “final” clubs, deep down inside he was excited about it. I kept wanting to go into the book and say “Dude, own being punched. Who cares what other people think. They chose YOU!!“. Of course, when it was revealed why he was chosen, I took those words back. But still. I also felt that he was easily led by Dalton. I felt that he wouldn’t have gotten as deep into the mystery of The Ancient Nine, the disappearance of Erasmus Abbott and the mystery of the secret room.

I didn’t like Dalton. He rubbed me the wrong way. He was too pushy about finding out about things. I mean, he stole his dying Uncle’s garter and dangled it in front of Spenser. He kept dragging Spenser off for trips to Florida, Rhode Island, Connecticut to chase after the clues that kept cropping up. He didn’t take into consideration that Spenser was at Havard on an athletic scholarship and he needed to keep his grade up. Even the way he treated his parents was ridiculous. The way he acted during that dinner cemented my dislike of him. But, through everything, he was a true friend. He cared about Spenser.

This book starts off fast. The mystery of what happened to Erasmus was addressed in the first chapter. Then Spenser was introduced and it continued to go at a fast clip. It kept up the pace until after the first meeting. Then it slowed down. After Dalton’s uncle died and that book was recovered from the safe deposit box, it slowed way down. By the time the book got around to Spenser doing his research on Erasmus and other clues, it was crawling. It was at that point where I kept falling asleep. And it continued that way until the end of the book.

There was a small romance angle that I almost wish wasn’t there. Spenser and Ashley’s romance, while cute and a welcome distraction wasn’t needed in the book. I could have done without reading about his feelings for a girl who didn’t seem to like him back. But it was there. It did add more depth to Spenser’s character.

The mystery/suspense/thriller angle of the book was wonderfully written. I liked how the author kept everything under wraps until the end of the book. I did figure out the mystery of Moss Sampson about halfway through the book. But, how it was revealed and who revealed was a twist that I didn’t see coming.

The end of the book disappointed me. I don’t know what I expected but I expected some more fireworks. It was almost anti-climatic. After everything that Spenser went through, I thought that there would be more. I did like the epilogue but again, felt that same sense of disappointment.

What I liked about The Ancient Nine:

A) It’s about secret clubs/societies

B) Spenser

C) Mystery/thriller/suspense angle was wonderfully written

What I disliked about The Ancient Nine:

A) Book bored me in parts

B) Dalton

C) Romance angle wasn’t needed

I gave The Ancient Nine a 3.5 rating. While I liked this book and, for the most part, enjoyed it, the book dragged from the middle on for me. I struggled to finish it. I would recommend this book if you like books about secret societies/clubs. But with a warning about it being boring in parts.

I gave The Ancient Nine an Adult rating. There is sex but it is not graphic. There is language. There is violence. I would suggest that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Ancient Nine. I would also recommend it to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Ancient Nine.

All opinions stated in this review of The Ancient Nine are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

I’m hoping this was a way early copy that still needs to be vigorously edited or maybe an issue with the digital version (why did words with two Fs only have one!?).

I don’t really know why this was set in the 80s, when there was nothing really that jumped out about it being in that time period. If anything, I felt like it was the 50s or 60s. I can’t put my finger on it, maybe it was the word choices. I struggled a lot with the dialogue. It didn’t feel like how people really talk. It felt.. old.. older than it should have.

I had a hard time connecting to both the main character and his best friend AND the story itself. I don’t know what it is that makes a character come alive but Spenser didn’t. No one did. There didn’t seem to be any heart or connection amongst the characters. I couldn’t figure out why Spenser and Dalton were friends or why he and Ashley were hanging out. Everyone was just kind of there.

As for the story, I don’t think the initial spark of interest was enough to justify the efforts put in to solve “the mystery,” which at the end is tied up without much fanfare. I still have questions about a couple things, too.

Despite all that, I felt bad giving it a one-star rating. I mean, I think there were good intentions and I can see what it was trying to be. So an extra star for effort?

Spenser Collins, is a pre-med undergraduate basketball player fron the South side of Chicago. He is being recruited by the Delphic, an exclusive club at Harvard where the norm is being white and wealthy. He's a person of color and far from wealthy, making him an unusual recruit.

In 1988, there are many universities with secret societies and elite groups. Spencer and an unlikely friend (wealthy Harvard legend Dalton Winthrop) must uncover mysteries and search library books and archives on their search. The plot is full of challenges and risks and the question is, will the new friends get out of this alive?

The book reminded me of the movie The Skulls which was my first foray into the world of secret societies. It is fascinating, fast-paced and so gripping. The dialogue and visual detail makes such an impact. There is also quite a lot about the status of women in a sexual sense.

I would really recommend it because of the way everything is woven together and there is suspense throughout the whole book.

Thank you to Ian Smith and St Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review as well as a slot on the upcoming blog tour on September 17th 2018.

I received a digital ARC of The Ancient Nine by Ian Smith in exchange for an honest review. The Ancient Nine is scheduled for release on September 18, 2018.

I have to start with the acknowledgment that I was not the target audience for this book. That was definitely a factor for me as I read this novel. Honestly, I did not enjoy the novel overall, though there were some good points I noted along the way. Unfortunately, there was a fair amount of "boys will boys, especially when they are in college" behavior that I found almost offensive in its presentation of treatment of women.

The Ancient Nine is the story of a young black man at Harvard in 1988. Spenser is pre-med, a member of the basketball team, and now invited to join an elite group of Harvard men in the Delphic Club. While moving through the steps to join this "final club," Spenser finds himself in the midst of a slew of secrets that affect Harvard, the Catholic church, and Spenser personally.

In terms of plot, I was disappointed with this novel. There just wasn't a lot here. The story (and associated plot points) revolve around Spenser doing research and learning about the history of Harvard, the nine final clubs, and The Delphic clubs secret group called the ancient nine. We follow him around campus, and around Boston, reading over his shoulder as people provide him the information he is after exactly when he needs it. From the beginning of the story, it was not clear to me what Spenser had on the line here. Membership in a club? I honestly didn't care if he got in, and there was never any real threat to Spenser in terms of his personal safety, or even his long-term goals. His only motivation seems to be to find out the secret.

I did appreciate Spenser as a character. He is working to balance the demands of pre-med at Harvard (though I'm still unsure how he is paying for it), a budding relationship with a love interest, and other social demands. I did like having a bit of an outsider as the main character, though I think there could have been more brought to the story here. A black man seeking entry to the most elite group at Harvard in the late '80s has the potential for high stakes and high tension that weren't delivered in this novel.

I also enjoyed the glimpses into the history of Harvard and some of its lesser known secrets and groups. Honestly, I think I would have enjoyed this book better if Smith had written a non-fiction book regarding this history.

Well this book grabbed me from the first page and held me pretty much rapt throughout. Set in the late 80s, with flashbacks to the past, we follow Spenser, a Harvard student, as he is "punched" for membership into the Delphic, one of the universities oldest and most exclusive final clubs. A it confused as to why him, especially given his background, he immediately tells his best friend, Dalton, who turns out to know more about the secret club than maybe he should. Apparently, it is steeped in myth, mystery and possibly murder and the two of them team up to try and find out more about the club and its inner circle - the Ancient Nine of the title - and the rumour of a room full of treasures. But that journey is not without its perils, as the two soon discover, and their investigations lead them to an old book, a story about a King and the real reason for Spenser's invitation.
Firstly, this book contains a lot of misogyny and some quite graphic scenes of sexual abuse, alcohol abuse and other hazing shenanigans but in my opinion this inclusion is necessary to really set the scene of what was really happening in this world at this time. If you tell a story, it has to be real and this stuff was going on then and so its inclusion is wholly warranted for a story told in this era. It also speaks to illustrate the assumes privileged that goes hand in hand with money and status for some of the cast included in the book. It doesn't make it easy to read though, although the author does handle the subject matter well enough so as not to glorify anything.
The punching process and its hazing aside, the rest of the story is about the two young men and their endeavours to get to the bottom of the disappearance of a student back in the 20s and the myths that surround the Delphic. Their quest takes them to the archives of a local paper, the many libraries, and also enquiries are made of certain members of the faculty and alumni as they try and piece together what happened from the fiction that has grown up surrounding the incident. But, as with any secret society, there are those who are "employed" to protect, at all costs.
But, as well as all that, if you do need more, it's Spenser's story too. His coming of age if you like. We hear about how he got to where he is when we first meet him. His basketball, his relationships with friends and a new partner, and his mother and where he came from. I especially liked the chalk and cheese nature of his friendship with Dalton, a young man whose preferred path differs wildly from that of his own parents.
Another thing I did enjoy whilst reading this book was the setting. Boston is the only place I have been to stateside, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was nice reading about some of the places I visited which were included in the story. I do find that this make an extra connection between me as a reader and the story I am reading and that in itself brings the story closer to me.
I have been interested in this kind of secret society ever since I saw the movie Skulls so I was hoping that this book would build on that interest. It did so and, as I got closer to the end, I was held rapt as shock after shock was delivered as the full truth eventually came out.
So, if you can read past the gross treatment of women and other debauchery as depicted herein, you will find a gem of a mystery which, although I am still not 100% sold credibility-wise, did hold my attention nicely and left me mostly satisfied at the end. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I hardly ever start a book and not finish it. This was, unfortunately, one of those for me. The premise has a lot of potential. However, after the first chapter, I felt I was reading a rough draft. There were so many editing issues, pages of being told rather than shown. Full pages of the same dialogue tag. In addition, there were full pages of just dialogue. Nothing in between. No facial expressions, no bodily movement, no background. Just 2 people talking back and forth. I read about five chapters before I just couldn't do it anymore.

It felt like there was no editing for this manuscript. Which is sad, because I think the book could have really been interesting and well presented.

I enjoyed the slow build of this book. I did not know exactly where it was going, but it gave me a "Skulls" vibe. I thought the pace was well done and the descriptions of the setting were clear and descriptive enough to make me feel like it was a place I knew. I enjoyed the time periods and especially Spencer's juxtaposition between his Chicago world and this new secret dark world. Very good read!

Sorry, I've tried several times to get back to this one and I just can't stay interested. Thank you for the opportunity!

THE ANCIENT NINE, by Ian K Smith MD, is the story of two Harvard undergrads, Spenser & Dalton, who become enthralled with discovering the truth about a secretive club called the Delphic, and the mysterious group, called the Ancient Nine, who are the keepers of all the secrets of the Delphic. Relentless in their pursuit for the facts and undeterred in their investigation, Spenser and Dalton find out revelations bigger than they could even fathom.
Smith creates this Ivy League world of money, clubs, and entitlement that feels real and then has the main character, Spenser, be somewhat of an alien (from Chicago, a basketball player who comes from meager means), be in this world and then be asked to be a part of the most exclusive club in the school, maybe even the country. Because most people would also be an alien in this context, we as the readers can relate to how Spenser feels. The plot of the book is a slow burn, with the clues and discoveries coming slow at first and then dropped like a bomb at the end. When telling a story like this one, which involves a lot of historical research to discover truths, the information can get cumbersome, as well as the names of a large amount of people involved in past events. At times, I struggled to keep all of the people and events straight and I wonder simplifying some of that, or leaving out a little bit would have made for a smoother story. In the end, though, I found myself unable to detach myself from the book because of its exciting finish.
With hints of other books and movies about collegiate clubs rich in history, THE ANCIENT NINE has a different take those other stories and rewards the reader with an thrilling tale full of misdirection and intrigue.