At the final meeting of 2009, with all five members in attendance, the secret members pondered the “best read” of 2009. After a complicated voting method was unanimously accepted by the Society, a vote was taken and laboriously tabulated. The winning books for 2009 are listed below. Please note that three candidates were tied for second place.

1. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick
   
   
2. Fort Dearborn by Jerry Crimmins
   Who You Gotta Kill by Russell Fee
   Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen
   
   
3. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth