The King's Deception - Steve Berry

   2013; 624 pages (and including a 140-page bonus novella).  Book 8 (out of 18) in the “Cotton Malone” series.  New Author? : No.  Genres : Thriller; Action-Intrigue; Historical Thriller.  Overall Rating: 8½*/10.

 

    Way back in January, 1547 the English king, Henry VIII, on his deathbed, reveals to his final wife Katherine Parr, that he was a stash of fabulous riches hidden nearby.  More than 450 years have since passed, and nary a trace of that fortune has ever been found.

 

    Several months ago, a British secret agent was pushed to his death onto subway railway tracks.  Security cameras show a teenager at the scene of the crime, holding a flash drive that he pickpocketed from the agent.  MI6 desperately wants that kid taken into their custody, along with that flash drive.

 

    A couple weeks ago, Cotton Malone’s ex-wife disclosed to him that he’s not the biological father of their son, Gary.  It’s done a number on his head.  It did the same to Gary when she told him as well.

 

    The Scottish government is finalizing details to release the convicted Libyan airplane bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, from prison for humanitarian reasons.  Megrahi has very little time to live, due to terminal cancer. The American government has found out, is outraged, and wants someone to talk Scotland out of this release.

 

    Somehow, Steve Berry is going to tie all four of these plot threads together into a Cotton Malone action-thriller.  And maybe throw a bit of crossdressing in, just to spice things up.

 

What’s To Like...

    The King’s Deception follows the tried-and-true Steve Berry thriller formula: a bunch of good guys and bad guys, plenty of plot threads, and an interesting historical setting tied into the present-day mayhem.  The “teams” of white-hats and black-hats get shuffled around here, with some of them changing hat colors along the way.  We know Cotton Malone will come out on top, of course, the fun is figuring out how he’s going to accomplish this.

 

    The book’s title references the codename of a ongoing covert CIA operation in England.  The intrigue starts immediately with Henry VIII's confession, and the action kicks in shortly thereafter in the first chapter.  Most of the story takes place in the greater London area, including nearby Windsor Castle, which brought back pleasant memories of my touring the grounds in the wind and rain there some years back..

 

    The storyline builds to a suitably exciting climax as the various characters, which have been scattered about for most of the story, are all brought together via some fortuitous timing (another Steve Berry trademark).  All the plotlines get tied up; the good guys prevail, the bad guys are vanquished, and some secrets are successfully kept secret.  A heartwarming epilogue closes things out.

 

    My paperback version included a 140-page novella called The Tudor Plot, which takes place seven years before the events in The King’s Deception, and features a bit of an alternate timeline involved none other than King Arthur, which is definitely not the norm for a Steve Berry tale.  There’s also an informative “Writers Note” in the very back, wherein the author lets you know which parts of the historical portions are factual and which are fiction.  We history buffs love that kind of stuff.

 

Excerpts...

    A few hours ago she’d been dispatched to the Inns of Court precisely at the same time Blake Antrim had been present.  Everything had been coordinated, timed with precision.

    Which wasn’t so shocking.

    After all, she was dealing with the Secret Intelligence Service.

    In Middle Hall she’d thought herself a knight or a rook on the chessboard.  Now she carried the distinct feel of a pawn.

    Which made her suspicious.

    Of everyone.  (pg. 166)

 

    “What did Thomas Mathews want with you?”

    “So you know the good knight.”

    “He and I have met.  In a past life.”

    “He told me you were an ex-agent.  CIA?”

    Malone shook his head.  “Justice Department.  An international investigative unit, for twelve years.”

    “Now retired.”

    “That’s what I keep telling myself.  Unfortunately, I don’t seem to be listening.  What’s Mathews’ interest here?”

    “He wants me dead.”

    “Me too,” Ian said.  (pg. 237)

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 4.4*/5, based on 3,965 ratings and 1,078 reviews.

    Goodreads: 3.99/5, based on 13,987 ratings and 1,211 reviews.

 

“[Stephanie Nelle] said you were once her best agent.”  “I pay her to tell people that.”  (pg. 448)

    The nitpicking is minor.  Cussing is sparse: just 5 instances in the first 40% of the book (185 pages), and those were of the “mild” variety.  I don’t recall any “adult situations” cropping up.  I only caught one typo: sight/site on page 246.

    If you’re not a history buff, the amount of details about the Tudors' long reign as the monarchs of England might get a bit tedious.  And trying to keep track of who's turning into a turncoat for and against whom can be a bit of a challenge.

 

    That’s all I can come up with to gripe about.  Overall, I enjoyed The King’s Deception, for its quick pacing and abundance of both action and intrigue.  This is the tenth Steve Berry book I’ve read, and as usual, was an exciting and informative read.

 

    8½ Stars.  FWIW, there is a brief scene-change early in the book, where we get to travel to Brussels, Belgium in order to be introduced to one of the main characters.  He mentions seeing a famous statue called the Manneken Pis.  I had the opportunity to see it on a business trip years ago.  The statue certainly has a unique pose, and if you're ever in Brussels, be sure to go see it.

The 14th Colony - Steve Berry

   2016; 443 pages.  Book #11 (and most recent) in the Cotton Malone series.  New Author? : No.  Genre : Action-Thriller.  Overall Rating : 5*/10.

    The Russians can be quite accommodating at times.  They’ve given Cotton Malone open access to the parts of Siberia around Lake Baikal, so that he can locate one of their fugitive archivists.  Which is strange, since they know Malone is an American operative.

    They’ve even given him a plane to fly to Lake Baikal, albeit a biplane of World War 2 vintage.  To boot. they arranged all this through the proper channels, the American agency known as the Magellan Billet.  That's mighty cooperative of them.

    But when the first heat-seeking missile comes soaring up at his dinky little plane, it becomes clear that not everyone in Siberia is thrilled about Cotton’s presence.  And a modern-day missile versus a World War 2 aircraft is not exactly a fair fight.

What’s To Like...

    The 14^th Colony follows Steve Berry’s standard formula for his Cotton Malone books – start the action early, and keep it going until the final chapter.  There’s a prologue to get through here (more about that later), but the action begins on the first page of Chapter 1, with the missile being launched on the fourth page.

    The chapters are short – there’s 79 of them, plus the prologue – so there’s always a good place to stop reading for the night.  And I liked the choices of Lake Baikal in Siberia and Prince Edward Island in Canada as major settings in the tale.  When's the last time you read a book set in either of those locales? 

    As usual, there’s about five separate plotlines going on, which Berry, as always, deftly ties together at the end.  This is a standalone novel, as well as part of the continuing saga of Cotton Malone.

    Unfortunately, there’s a lot here that disappointed me as well.  First of all, the historical tie-in, which is what I love the most about any Steve Berry novel, is humdrum and incidental.  The titular “14^th Colony” doesn’t come into play until the very end, and Berry’s “secret” – that the US has developed invasion plans for Canada several times in the past – is frankly pretty lame.  He implies that Canada would be outraged at this; in reality Canada probably has their own set of plans for invading us.  Big whoop.

    The characters are flat and boring.  Cotton can do no wrong (we’ll allow that).  The Russians are all weak, corrupt, and depressed.  The President-elect is a liberal and therefore a fool, and outgoing POTUS Danny Daniels can dance circles around him without any effort at all.  And just wait till you see how Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul 2 are portrayed.

    Finally, there are the WTF’s.  I recognize that the thrills and spills need to be spectacular, but they also must be believable.  A Russian fighter plane plops Cotton into the back seat, and allows him to take control of the jet whenever he so desires???  C’mon now.  Then there’s the five portable nuclear bombs, which conveniently shrink to one when we get to the climactic ending.  I have a feeling Berry wrote himself into a corner, and had to give Cotton and cohorts some literary help.  No way would’ve they stopped all five.

Excerpts...

    He trotted around the holocaust of flames and smoke and found the truck.  Thankfully, keys remained in the ignition.  A handheld radio lay on one of the seats.  He climbed inside and pushed the SEND button, and said, “Who’s listening?”

    “I am,” a male voice said in perfect English.

    “And you are?”

    “How about you go first?”

    “I’m the guy who just took out two men with rifles.”

    “That would make you a problem.”

    “I get that a lot.”  (pg. 36)

    Hush you mice, a cat is near us.

    He can see us, he can hear us.

    What if he is on a diet?

    Even them you should be quiet.  (pg. 164)

 Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in fruit salad.  (pg. 300)

    The negatives mentioned earlier are enough to make this a mediocre read.  But the really aggravating thing is that Berry apparently feels compelled to give the reader a bunch of his wingnut political opinions.  And right away.

    So in the prologue, we get Ronald Reagan, whom Berry obviously adores, and the pope craftily plotting the demise of the USSR.  Reagan’s apparently psychic, for he can accurately predict exactly how the Soviets will react to his clever ploy.  He’s also glib, since he can quickly and decisively convince the head of the Catholic Church to get in cahoots with him.

    It’s all clunky, and totally unnecessary for the storyline.  Berry finds a few more spots to sing the praises of Saint Ronnie.  They were garbage passages too.  It is historically true that Reagan and the Pope did meet in a closed, 1-hour meeting early in Reagan’s presidency, and it’s anyone’s guess as to what they discussed.  But to have them spouting right-wing ideology is utter bupkis.

    I’ve been an avid reader of Steve Berry since his first book.  I’m a couple books behind right now, but found The 14^th Colony as a new release at my local library, so I snapped it up.  I had heard that Berry had gone wingnut in the previous book in the series, The Patriot Threat, so I can’t say I was blindsided here.  But this by far, the poorest Steve Berry book I’ve read.

    5 Stars.  Hey, Steve.  I really don’t give a rat’s arse about your political views, and I'm sure you don't care about mine.  I read your books for the historical intrigue, and the thrills and spills.  So how's about you knock it off with the teabaggery verbiage and get back to finding kewl historical mysteries that you can cleverly work into  your patented plot twists to.  Otherwise, I’m afraid we’ll have to go our separate ways.

The Columbus Affair - Steve Berry

   2012; 526 pages (plus a 50-page short story).  New Author? : No.  Genre : Action-Thriller.  Overall Rating : 9½*/10.

    Talk about bad timing.  Disgraced investigative reporter Tom Sagan is just about to end it all by putting a bullet through his head when somebody knocks on his window.  He wants to show Tom a video of his daughter, bound and gagged, and in imminent danger of being harmed.

    This is a bit silly, really, since Tom and his daughter have been estranged for years.  Nevertheless, some sense of fatherly duty tugs at Tom, and hey, he can always kill himself some other day.  Especially when the ransom demand is so bizarre.  Instead of money, the kidnappers want Tom to do them one favor.

    They want the body of Tom’s father exhumed.

What’s To Like...

    The Columbus Affair has everything we’ve come to expect from a Steve Berry novel.  There are exotic settings, including Vienna, Prague, Jamaica, and Cuba.  The historical twist – and a Steve Berry book always has one – revolves around the hypothesis that Christopher Columbus was actually Jewish; and brought a secret cargo along with him to the New World.

    The excitement starts immediately, and the action and intrigue are nonstop thereafter.  The overall plotline is a treasure hunt, although none of the seekers, along with the reader, is exactly sure what the treasure is until the very end.  The evildoers are as resourceful as the good guys, and come in varying shades of gray.  I particularly liked Béne Rowe.  I also liked Berry’s handling of Israeli political stances – pragmatic, yet iron-willed – and the mindset of Israeli Orthodox Jews.

    The book is well-researched, and the history info dumps are plentiful and enlightening.  I especially enjoyed learning about the Maroons of Jamaica, their patriarchs (and matriarchs), and their long and surprisingly successful struggle for freedom.   Plot twists abound, and the jumping back and forth between the Caribbean and European settings means that there are no slow spots.  Everything builds to an exciting ending.  The only thing missing from the book is Cotton Malone (but see next paragraph), although Stephanie Nelle makes a cameo appearance late in the story, and one of the other characters is a Magellan Billet agent.

    Once again, Steve Berry takes the time to separate fact from fiction in the Writer’s Note that immediately follows the story.  After that is a 50-page short story, starring Cotton Malone, and having a tangential tie-in to the Columbus storyline.  The book ends with the opening chapters from the next Steve Berry offering, The King’s Deception, but I never read those teasers.

Kewlest New Word ...

Cacique (n.) : a Taino-derived title for the pre-Columbian chiefs of the tribes in some of the Caribbean islands.

Excerpts...

    A grille of stalactites barred the passage, the rock thick and black, like metal.

    “The iron grille?” he asked.

    Frank nodded.  “A little fact creeps into every legend.”

    He recalled what else he’d been told.  “And men have died getting this far?”

    “That they have.”

    “What killed them?”

    “Curiosity.”  (pg. 368)

    “Sagan,” he yelled.

    He saw the light above, but not the man.  Then a face peered down close to the wall.  “There’s a way down.  See it there.”  He pointed his light.  “Come on.  Let’s keep going.”

    “Somebody just tried to kill us.”

    “I know.  But they didn’t, so let’s keep going.”

    “What if they come back?”

    “Actually, I hope they do.  It’ll save me the trouble of finding them.”  (pg. 462)

“Never tell more than half of what you know.  That’s not lying.  That’s smart.”  (pg. 433 )

    The quibbles are miniscule.  There are some riddles to be solved (another Steve Berry staple), but don’t waste your time trying to figure them out them before Tom Sagan does.   And I don’t recall one of them – Columbus’ enigmatic ‘signature’ – ever being explained, even though it makes an appearnce in the short story as well.

    If you’re not into history and/or travel, then the info dumps might get a bit tedious.  And although what everyone is chasing can rewrite history, in the end, nothing has changed.  But that’s the annoying norm with most history-thrillers.

    Ah, but I pick at nits.  The Columbus Affair is another  fine addition to Steve Berry's novels, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

    9½ Stars.  Subtract 1 Star if you just gotta have Cotton Malone in your Steve Berry thrillers.  It would’ve been impossible to cast him as the protagonist here, although spoilers prevent me saying why.  And having co-protagonists would’ve been an awkward fit.

The Jefferson Key - Steve Berry

   2011; 508 pages.  (570 pages, if you include the ‘extras’).  Book Six (out of nine, and soon to be ten) in the “Cotton Malone” series.  New Author? : No.  Genre : Action; Thriller.  Overall Rating : 8½*/10.

    The New York City assassination attempt on the president was well-planned.  Two remote-controlled high-powered guns, from upper story hotel windows, in rooms rented a week earlier.  Plus, Cotton Malone set up to be the patsy.

    The thing is, the presidential visit was unannounced, so very few people knew about it beforehand.  That means there’s a leak somewhere.  And bizarrely enough, the perpetrators might be pirates.

    Well, privateers, actually.  It really irks them to be called ‘pirates’. 

What’s To Like...

    As with any Steve Berry novel, the action starts immediately, and never lets up.  There are multiple plotlines going on simultaneously, and a zillion cliffhanger points, which Berry uses to switch from one thread to another.  This scene-shifting can get excessive – sometimes 4 or 5 jumps in two pages – but it is an effective device to keep you wanting to see what happens next.

    There are a slew of plot twists, a slew of government intelligence agencies, and a slew of characters to keep track of.  The bad guys especially can get confusing with regards to who works for who, and that changes occasionally. All the characters are “gray” to some extent.  The POTUS has secrets he’d rather not tell, and even the baddest of the baddies has at least a couple admirable traits.  Jonathan Wyatt is of a particularly fascinating gray hue.

    The Jefferson Key is a standalone novel, but it helps if you’re already familiar with regulars – Cotton, Stephanie, Cassiopeia, and Danny Daniels.  The settings are less exotic than usual – NYC, DC, North Carolina, and Nova Scotia.  There’s just a modicum of swearing, no sex scenes, but there is some graphic violence in the form of a couple torture episodes.

    The more-recent Steve Berry novels always include extras at the end – a Writer’s Note (what’s real and what’s fictional), a short story (here, a 54-page “prequel” adventure spotlighting Wyatt), and a sneak peek at the next book in the series.  The first two are worthwhile reads; I never read the sneak previews.

Excerpts...

    He cut a glance at the two antsy agents, who held their position.

    Not to worry, he thought.  Soon you’ll both join the fray.

    He returned his attention to his dinner, a delicious Cobb salad.  His stomach bubbled with anxiety.  He’d waited a long time for this.  Camp by the riverside.  Advice he’d received years ago – and as true as ever.  If you waited by the river long enough, eventually your enemies would float by.  (pg. 206)

    “Do you love her?”

    “Not anymore.”

    The admission shocked her.

    “I haven’t in a long time.  It’s not malice, or hate, or anger.  Just nothing.”

    His mellow tone unnerved her.  She was accustomed to the booming voice.

    “Does she know?”

    “How could she not?”  (pg. 354)

 “Privateers were the nursery of pirates.”  (pg.  102)

    At times The Jefferson Key seemed a bit over the top.  The final, dashing rescue is exciting, but requires a significant suspension of belief; and Cotton has to do some fancy stepping to save the day both in Nova Scotia and North Carolina.  Not all the threads are tied up (but perhaps carry over into the next book?), and one, the “second traitor” thread, just seems to fizzle out.  In spots, it felt like I was reading a Clive Cussler novel, and that is not a plus for me.  I also don’t recall the previous books being so graphically violent, but it’s been a while since my last Cotton Malone book.

    Nevertheless, Steve Berry is my favorite Action-Thriller author, and that hasn’t changed after reading The Jefferson Key.  His style may be formulaic, but he excels at it.  His books are always well-researched and his twists to history are always original and innovative.  The idea of pirates . . . oops, I mean privateers. . . operating in present-day America is totally kewl.

    8½ Stars.  Highly recommended.  Add  ½ star if Dirk Pitt is your kind of hero.

The Emperor's Tomb - Steve Berry

    2010; 495 pages.  New Author? : No.  Book 6 in the Cotton Malone series.  Genre : Action-Advenlture; Cri-Fi.  Overall Rating : 9*/10.

    The video is chilling.  Someone is water-boarding Cassiopeia Vitt, and Cotton Malone is forced to watch.  The demand is simple – deliver the artifact that Cassiopeia has stolen and which she says she left with Cotton.  Immediately.

    Cotton has no choice but to agree; Cassiopeia has saved his life more than once.  There’s just one problem.  She hasn’t given him anything, and so he has no idea what “artifact” to deliver.

What’s To Like...
    There are three motifs to The Emperor’s Tomb.  One is the historical theme, which centers around the tomb of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi.  Another is the scientific theme, dealing with a plausible wrinkle to the energy crisis.  And finally, there’s the action theme – thrills and spills as Cotton and company battle baddies to save people.

    Steve Berry seamlessly interweaves all three motifs into a complex page-turner.  You are never quite sure where anyone’s loyalties (outside of Cotton, of course) ultimately lie.  Not all of Cotton’s plans work out, and I like that.

    Some of the story takes place in Belgium and the Netherlands, but the bulk of it is set in China.  That’s always a plus for me.  Berry hits you with a bunch of interesting facts about the history and culture of China, but it’s never overdone, and amazingly, he does it without having visited China.

    There’s a kewl “Author’s Afterword” section at the end, followed by a 25-page short story about how Cassiopeia met one of the characters in the book.  I enjoyed both, though neither is essential.  It is enlightening however, to read which parts of the book are real and which are pure fiction.

    As with all of Steve Berry’s novels, this is a standalone, despite being part of a series.  The chapters are James Patterson-ish in length, there are no slow spots, and the story builds nicely to an exciting ending.

Excerpts...
    “Faced with death, he who is ready to die will survive while he who is determined to live will die.  That thought has been expressed another way.  Shang wu chou ti.”
    He’d heard the phrase before.
    Pull down the ladder after the ascent.
    “The most common interpretation instructs us to lure the enemy into a trap, then cut off his escape,” Pau said.  “Different adversaries are lured in different ways.  The greedy are enticed with the promise of gain.  The arrogant with a sign of weakness.  The inflexible by a ruse.  Which are you, Minister?”  (pg. 50)

    There’s quite a fight happening up there,” Ni said.
    Pau grabbed his arm and they started for the terrace door.  “All the more reason for us to leave.  We can retreat to our previous position, away from the garden, and observe.  My associate will do what he can to secure the lamp.  He’s-“
    “Expendable?”
    “I was thinking capable.  But he is certainly both.”  (pg. 152)

You may rob the Three Armies of their commander in chief, but you cannot deprive the humblest peasant of his opinion..  (pg. 17)
    My only quibble with The Emperor’s Tomb is the stereotyping of the Chinese people.  No, not the baddies, and not the eunuch ninjas (“ninja eunuchs”?).  Rather, the everyday Chinese folks themselves.  They get portrayed as brain-controlled peons living in constant fear of the government.  Sorry, Steve.  I’ve been to China.  I’ve seen firsthand what a warm, friendly, and cultured people they are.

    Other than that, this is vintage thrills and kills from an accomplished writer.  Steve Berry kicks out a novel each year, and they’re always a treat to read.  Some folks criticize him as being formulaic, and that’s probably true.  But hey, he comes up with fascinating new historic and scientific angles for each novel.  And if a formula is good, it doesn’t get tiring.

    9 Stars.  Another exciting, well-researched, stellar effort by my favorite Action/Adventure author.

The Paris Vendetta - Steve Berry

2009; 472 pages.  New Author? : No.  Genre : Action.  Book #5 in Berry's Cotton Malone series.  Overall Rating : 8*/10.

    Cotton Malone's bookshop/home is crowded tonight.  Two hitmen have snuck in since he went to bed.  But they're not here to kill him.  Instead they're after an ex-Secret Service agent, Sam Collins, who also broke into Cotton's place after he went to sleep.

    Ah, but Rule #1 for bad guys is - never ever invade the home of the book's hero.

What's To Like...
    The action starts immediately and doesn't stop.  There are lots of storylines.  To wit : (01) Rommel's gold; (02) Napoleon's gold; (03) Evil finance experts rigging the global economy; (04) Henrik Thorvaldsen's revenge; (05) the world's most ruthless terrorist; (06) taking out the Eiffel Tower.

    Steve Berry does a good job interweaving these disparate plotlines, although at times it feels a bit forced.  Most of the book takes place in Paris, and that's always a plus with me.  He even sprinkles a bit of French dialogue in the book, although one gets the feeling that Berry's vocabulaire français is rather limited.  There are twists and surprises, and a well-crafted ending - precisely what you've come to expect from this author.

Kewlest New Word...
 Marplot : a meddlesome person whose activity interferes with the plans of others.

Excerpts...
    "Here's another reality," she said.  "Wars have always been financed by debt.  The greater the threat, the greater the debt."
    He waved her off.  "And I know the next part, Eliza.  For any nation to involve itself in war, it must have a credible enemy."
    "Of course.  And if they already exist, magnifico."
    He smiled at her use of his native tongue, the first break in his granite demeanor.
    "If enemies exist," she said, "but lack military might, money can be provided to build that might.  If they don't exist-"  She grinned.  "-they can always be created."  (pgs. 28-29)

    History is prophecy, looking backwards.  (pg. 49)

There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.  (pg. 124)
    For all its action, The Paris Vendetta is more of a "relationship" book.  Thorvaldsen's obsession with avenging his son's death puts a critical strain on his several-books-long friendship with Cotton, who ultimately will have to choose where his loyalty lies - with his friend (who saved his life) or with his country.

    The action itself is a little less exciting than in the previous books in this series.  First, financiers are inherently somewhat boring as villains.  Second, while I'm sure I'd be thrilled to uncover Napoleon's treasure, it pales a bit cri-fi-wise to Alexander the Great's Tomb, the library at Alexandria, and a lost city beneath Antarctica.

    So for me, this wasn't quite as gripping as the previous book, The Charlemagne Pursuit, reviewed here.  Then again, I gave that one 10*/10, and perfection is difficult to maintain.  The Paris Vendetta may not be the best book in this series, but it's still pretty darn good.  8 Stars.

The Charlemagne Pursuit - Steve Berry

2009; 540 pages. Book 4 of the Cotton Malone series. New Author? : No. Genre : Cri-Fi. Overall Rating : 10*/10.

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When Cotton Malone was 10, he was told by the Navy that his father passed away in a submarine disaster in the North Atlantic. Now, 38 years later, Cotton learns that the submarine (the "Blazek") was actually lost beneath the ice of Antarctica on a top secret mission, and that no search-&-rescue was ever launched for its crew.

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Which is puzzling enough. But what is really strange is that all sorts of people are trying to kill him now that he's learned this secret.

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What's To Like...

This is vintage Steve Berry. The action starts immediately and is non-stop. There are multiple plotlines and a well-researched and clearly-presented historical mystery ("The Charlemagne Pursuit") underpinning everything.

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The bad guys are not 2-D idiots, and at times it's hard to tell who's on whose side. And although this is part of a series, it is still a stand-alone book. Everything comes together nicely at the end, and I dare you to guess the outcome of the father/Blazek plotline.

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Kewl New Words...

Tympanum : the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance (say, to a temple), bounded by a lintel and an arch. Wiki it. Pediment : the larger triangular section above a structure, typically supported by columns. It often contains a tympanum. Yeah, Wiki this too.

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Excerpts...

Interesting how danger stimulated desire. This man, a navy captain with good looks, modest brains, and a few guts, attracted her. Why were weak men so desirable? (pg. 103)

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Commander Zachary Alexander, retired USN, had spent the last thirty years doing nothing but complaining. His heart. Spleen. Liver. Bones. Not a body part had escaped scrutiny. Twelve years ago he became convinced he needed an appendectomy until a doctor reminded him that his appendix had been removed ten years before. (pg. 144)

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Bacchus tells me that they have communicated with many people and they respect all forms of language, finding each beautiful in its own way. The language of this gray land is a flowing tongue in an alphabet long ago perfected. On writing they are conflicted. It is necessary, but they warn that writing encourages forgetfulness and discourages memory and they are correct. (pgs. 407-08)

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No people live longer than the documentation of their culture. (pg. 140)

What does it take for a Cri-Fi novel to earn a ten-star rating?

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First, there must be no slow spots. The story must have lots of action, yet also be thought-provoking. It has to keep the reader up past his bedtime turning the pages. The historical hypothesis has to make sense, even if it strains at the bounds of believability. (After all, a dinosaur theme park on an island in the Pacific isn't very believable, is it?) The bad guys ought to be a bit "gray". Except for the UE (Ultimate Evil), but he must be resouceful.

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It helps if there are more than only two parties chasing after the Ultimate Artifact/Secret. There has to be a distinct ending, not just a teaser to the next sequel. All the plotlines have to be resolved, and there have to be twists along the way. Finally, the conclusion needs to be logical, yet unforeseen.

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So how does The Charlemagne Pursuit measure up to all this? 10 Stars.

The Venetian Betrayal - Steve Berry

2007; 550 pages. Book #3 of Berry's "Cotton Malone" series. Genre : Action-Thriller; Cri-Fi. Overall Rating : A-.

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Someone's collecting a group of ancient medallions that were minted to commemorate Alexander The Great's semi-victorious campaign in India. They're doing this by stealing them out of museums, then torching the buildings to cover up the thefts. Cotton Malone becomes involved when he's included as part of the kindling at one of the heists.

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What's To Like...

It's a "busy" book, with a bunch of storylines. To wit : a search for Alexander The Great's grave; finding a cure for HIV; political intrigue in a newly-formed Alt-History nation in Central Asia made from the various "-stans" there (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, etc.); a secret order of Venetian businessmen; the re-invention of Greek Fire; and last but not least - what's so cotton-pickin' important about those medallions?

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Berry deftly interweaves all these lines. The action is non-stop, there are a bunch of red-herrings, and a zillion plot-twists. The tale teeters on having too many twists - is the one character a septuple or an octuple agent? But it keeps you on your toes.

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All this action and plot comes at the cost of character development - everyone is either black or white. Indeed, one of the main characters, Irina Zovastina, starts out "3-D gray", but towards the end she's "2-D black". One of her (wounded) soldiers heroically saves her, and she rewards him by shooting him in the head. Actually, she ends up killing lots of her fellow black-hats, yet is curiously averse to offing any of the good guys/gals.

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Kewl New Words...

Most of the new words were technical ones - dealing with architecture, medical research, etc. Some of these were : Mullioned (divided by vertical bars of wood or stone, such as a 'mullioned window'); Campanile (a bell tower, usually as a separate structure); Cartonnage (a type of material used for Egyptian funeral masks, consisting of layers of linen or papyrus and covered with plaster).

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Excerpt...

And you, adventurer, for my immortal voice,

though far off, fills your ears, hear my words,

Sail unto the capital founded by Alexander's father,

where sages stand guard.

Touch the innermost being of the golden illusion.

Divide the phoenix.

Life provides the measure of the true grave.

But be wary, for there is but one chance of success.

Climb the god-built walls.

When you reach the attic, gaze into the tawny eye,

and dare to find the distant refuge.

(pg. 130. this is the riddle to be solved)

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It was a Berry good book...

I liked The Venetian Betrayal, even if there were a couple eye-rolling moments. The cri-fi aspect (finding a cure for HIV) was done well enough to where one reviewer felt compelled to tell us why Berry's solution doesn't work. Well duh. Too many twists is much to be preferred over too few. The characters could've been developed a bit more, but then we'd have a 900-page tome. We'll give it an "A-", and note that the next book in the series, The Charlemagne Pursuit, is sitting on my TBR shelf.

The Romanov Prophecy - Steve Berry

Overall Rating : B.

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My second Steve Berry novel (the first was The Third Secret); this one is less Cri-Fi, and more action. Set in modern-day Russia, where the people have decided they want to return to having a Czar as a ruler, Miles Lord, an American Afro-American lawyer on business in Moscow, stumbles onto a prophecy that implies that not all of the Romanovs were killed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

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What's To Like...

Lots of action from the get-go. It's heavy on historical references, which suits me just fine. Rasputin becomes a prophet, and Youssopov is re-made as a good guy.

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The book is a page-turner, and Berry once again doesn't bore you with page after page of philosophical preaching. Take a note, Dan Brown.

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What's Not To Like...

If there's such a thing as TOO much action, this is it. Essentially, this is a 384-page chase scene. The bad guys, professional assassins all of them, can't seem to hit an elephant from 50 feet away (much like in the movie Miami Vice, but that's a subject for another post). The hero finds the bad guys repeatedly and incredibly picking up his trail, and never figures out that someone close to him might possibly be tipping them off.

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Finally, the plot pretty much plays itself out with no surprise twists. You gotta have surprises when you're reading Cri-Fi.

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Talk About Implausibility...

The most important parameter for any historical fiction is its believability. And TRP fails that in one key area.

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No, I'm not talking about some of the Czar's family surviving. That's been a romantic, albeit highly unlikely hypothesis for decades. Nor am I talking about the incredible shooting inaccuracy of the assassins. You can rationalize that away as being subject to the divinely-inspired prophecies of Rasputin.

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The unbelievable part is the opening premise that a majority of the Russian people would for some reason want to return to Czarist rule. Pigs will fly before that happens. Some Russians may want democracy; some may want a return to the Communist days; some may want some sort of uber-nationalism; and who knows, some may want Dubnutz to come stay with them after we throw his a$$ out of office next year. However, the one thing they can all agree on - no one wants the return of the Czar.

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The Romanov Prophecy is another solid effort by Steve Berry. If it isn't quite on the same level as The Da Vinci Code, it's still a good read while we wait for Brown to get off his butt and put out another novel.

The Third Secret - Steve Berry

Overall Rating : B.

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If you liked Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, you'll like The Third Secret. There's Vatican intrigue and nasty skullduggery as Cardinals wallow in politics to increase their odds of being the next Pope.

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What's To Like...

Berry has throroughly researched several Marian Apparitions and Catholic Prophecies; and weaves them skillfully into the plot. He concentrates on three of them : The Malachy "Prophecies of the Popes"; the Three Secrets of Fatima, and the Ten Secrets of Medugorje. The Fatima secrets are by far the most famous, and the "uber-secret" Third Secret of Fatima provides the title to this book.

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Amazingly, Berry manages to combine these three prophetic events into one coherent message, without compromising their historical background. All three are in fact non-fiction events, and can be found at Wikipedia.

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I also like the "even treatment" Berry gives God and the Church. Most authors choose one side or the other. Either their book finds nothing good to say at all about Christianity, or else its a thinly-veiled call for you to get right with God. Berry's posture falls halfway between "Heaven and Hell", so to speak.

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What's Not To Like...

If you're a loyal Catholic, you're not going to like this any more than you liked the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons.

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Also, you go through almost the entire book waiting for The Third Secret to be revealed, and when it finally does... well... it's quite the anticlimax. In fairness, it has to be said that the Vatican's official version of The Third Secret is just as much of a letdown, fueling speculation that they gave us a red herring.

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Finally, the protagonist is just too "pure evil" to be believable. I have no doubt that getting elected Pope is all about politics and nothing about seeking God's guidance, but the depths of the misdeeds here come off as too contrived.

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Mail Hairy, Gruel of Face...

The Third Secret is not gonna bump Jurassic Park and The Da Vinci Code from the pinnacle of Cri-Fi. But it's a good read, about interesting subjects, and the Mary-sightings and Papal Prophecies are well-researched.

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So we'll give it a solid "B", and refer you over to Wikipedia for some good readings on the "real" Fatima, Medugorje, and Malachy topics. The Vatican's stance on these sorts of things is surprisingly tepid.

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It should be noted that the Malachy Papal Prophecies, which in theory give visions of the (at the time) next 112 Popes have now reached #111. Which makes you wonder if there's an implied "end of the world" or "end of an era" coming just around the corner. Berry weaves this nicely into the book, but the historical prophecies are almost more captivating.