THE LIST

5 stars out of 5

Well, one of my favorite authors has come through again - most likely, at around 14 years, setting a record for the longest time a book sat in a drawer before being updated and actually seeing the light of print. It just goes to show, I guess, that excellent writing is timeless.

The story itself could have been taken straight from a John Grisham playbook; the relatively young lawyer at the heart of the story in many ways seemed interchangeable with Mitch McDeere, who kicked off Grisham's popular "The Firm" series that debuted in 2010. But the hero here, Brent Walker, is definitely his own man (even if he's not quite sure who that really is). He's just left his 10-year job in Atlanta to return home to central Georgia small-town Concord to take the job of assistant general counsel at Southern Republic Pulp and Paper Co., which accounts for the lion's share of the local employment base. Originally, he left right after his soon-to-be ex-wife died, almost smothered in guilt that somehow he was responsible.

But after his father's unexpected death - he was retired from his long-time job at the paper mill - Brent's mother's health is failing and she needs his help. So, he packed up his things and returned to the family home and a new job that puts him right at the start of negotiations for labor contracts with all three of the company's unions. The lead negotiator, Hank Reed, is an old friend; but can they maintain that close relationship when they're now on opposite sides of the bargaining table?

As it turns out, that's not their biggest concern. It seems that the three company owners, over a period of years, engineered and put into practice a deadly plan to keep the self-insured company financially afloat (unbeknownst to either Hank or Brent, of course). But one of those owners - in fact, the one who originally devised the plan - is in the midst of his own health crisis. And not only does he want to unburden his soul before he exits this world, he wants to take down his partners in the process.

For their part, Hank and Brent are free to deal with their changing relationship and Brent's rekindled one with Ashley, who happens to be Hank's daughter. But that all changes when that third partner seeks private help from Brent and Hank's illicit sleuthing in company computers turns up a list of numbers neither of them understand (and certainly were never expected to have in their possession). That, in turn, puts Brent, Hank and their families in the sights of some very powerful and dangerous people who wll do anything to keep their good thing going.

It's a wild ride right up to the end, and while I can't provide details, I can say I'm very happy that the author decided to save the story from the circular file. It's definitely a winner in my book, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to get in on the action by way of a pre-release copy.

The List by Steve Berry (Grand Central Publishing, July 2025); 384 pp.

THE MEDICI RETURN

5 stars out of 5

Cotton Malone certainly isn't getting any younger - nor am I, one who's been following his adventures for some time now (this is the 19th installment in the series). We've both long since retired - but we're both keeping our hats in the employment ring to a certain degree. Cotton has a main squeeze, and he's happy he's got her and a rare-books store to run. But when his old boss and friend, Stephanie Nelle calls, he's usually willing and able to take on whatever task she has in mind.

This one ventures into the territory of another of my favorite authors, Dan Brown, heavily - and I do mean heavily - laced with the history of the Catholic church, Italy, the famous (infamous??) Medici family and all the ties therein going back to the 1400s. The focus, in fact, is on an IOU of note - one made by the church back then, when the Medicis saved the Papal hides from bankruptcy (or whatever they did back then when they ran out of money) by way of a huge loan that's worth billions today.

By this time, though, the Medici family is extinct and that IOU exists only in the minds of a few people who still believe it exists and are determined to locate a copy of it. That includes a powerful current Cardinal and Pope wannabe, a man who wants to use the IOU to blackmail the church into adopting a new political stance and a man who always believed he's a legitimate Medici heir and is desperate to prove it.

The story follows all these factions and people, as well as characters and history related to each; needless to say, this isn't an easy book to follow. I lost count of the times I needed to backtrack a page or two (or three) to figure out which person I'm reading about, and more than once I skimmed over some of the historical paragraphs, well, just because.

Some of it was a bit implausible - like the happenings at the annual horse race in Sienna, I believe (at your age, Cotton? Seriously?), but it also added to the intrigue and overall impact. As always, the loose ends are pretty neatly tied up by the end, and the whole thing is another winner. Just know it's not one of those books you can read with one eye while keeping the other on a TV show you don't want to miss. As for me, I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Medici Return by Steve Berry (Grand Central Publishing, February 2025); 416 pp.

THE ATLAS MANEUVER

4 stars out of 5

Ah, what a tangled web! In this case, tangling the old with the new: old gold, new Bitcoin. Two cases, two sets of investigators and several possible outcomes - almost all not for the good of the country or retired Justice Department operative Cotton Malone and his small cadre of close friends and colleagues. I feel compelled to say that while both scenarios are extremely intriguing and entertaining - and I've been chomping at the bit for a long time to understand why everyone is so hot to trot (or not!) over Bitcoin - much of the very detailed explanations were way above my intellectual pay grade (that said, I know quite a bit more now than I did when I started the book).

But even if I couldn't quite grasp the complexities of something I can't see, touch or feel (a condition, I believe, called acatalepsy), there's plenty here that kept me fingering through my e-reader pages of this, the 18th book in one of my favorite series. And the ending - for which I'll provide no clues whatsoever - leaves a door wide open for the next installment. Mind you, I'm not totally sure how I feel about the specifics (regular readers of the books, I think, will understand what I mean when they finish this one).

The first (old) situation involves Yamashita's Gold, a stash reportedly worth billions of dollars that was hidden underground in the Philippines near the end of World War II. Some was recovered secretely by the U.S. government and has remained a secret known to only a few ever since; whether there is more - and where it is hidden - is a matter of conjecture. On the newer side, high-level employees at a Swiss bank have gained control of the aforementioned Bitcoin - also secretely - and are planning to wreak havoc on the world economy. Complicating the situation is that a woman who once was, shall we say, close to Cotton is a high-stakes player.

Working on the gold side is Cotton's old friend Derrick Koger, a European CIA operative who's tuned into the reports of buried treasure. He ends up working alongside Cassiopeia Witt, who now is, shall we say, close to Cotton. That in and of itself makes for an interesting situation, to say the least; but it is the action-packed goings-on (and danger) of the two scenarios - and how they end up coming together - that made me not want to put this one down. It's another exciting adventure, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry (Grand Central Publishing, February 2024); 400 pp.

THE 9TH MAN

5 stars out of 5

As a fan of co-author Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series, I was delighted to see Malone's protoge Luke Daniels, a U.S. Department of Justice Magellan Billet agent, get a book all his own. Joining forces with co-author Grant Blackwood, Berry says in the Acknowledgements, meant he'd have the time he needs to get 'er done and still work on the Malone books. Count me as one who's delighted (and for the record, looking forward to the next books in both series).

If action is your "thing," you won't go wrong with this one. It kicks in from the beginning - when old friend Jillian Stein calls to say she's in serious trouble - and he zips to Belgium to see how he can help. There, he finds a death which, apparently, isn't sufficient for a few determined killers - apparently, he and Jillian are next up. Keeping his assistance off the company books, Luke sets out with Jillian to find what her elderly grandfather and a couple of his friends were secretly working on for many years. That, in turn,  leads him to nonegenarian and Washington, D.C., "fixer" Thomas Rowland, who continues to wield power (but definitely not in a good way). That, in turn, puts the hunt - by now a collision course between Luke and Thomas, a former CIA agent - back on the official Magellan Billet books and takes him and Jillian back in time to the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

It's a battle of not only of wits, but firepower; Thomas's is virtually unlimited; but once Luke's boss, Stephanie Nelle, gets involved, the playing field levels off a bit. Still, how many battles can Luke win when he's outnumbered at every turn? Can he get to the truth - and then to Thomas - before Thomas and his for-hire goons get to him? Of course, I won't spill the beans; suffice it to say I had trouble putting the book down until I knew the outcome (which, BTW, includes a rather big, and unwelcome, surprise). Terrific book, for which I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for a pre-release copy to read and review.

The 9th Man by Steve Berry and Grant Blackwood (Grand Central Publishing, June 2023); 367 pp.

THE LAST KINGDOM

4 stars out of 5

This book, the author says, fulfills a dream; but while the plot is certainly intriguing (and timely), it was so complicated and filled with so many characters that I found myself snoring here and there. That said, though, it was engrossing enough that for the most part I didn't want to put it down (I even took it to bed to finish, which normally is a no-no for me).

The setting is Bavaria, many years after King Ludwig II reportedly drowned in 1886, three days after being deposed. But legend has it he took a few secrets with him, including the results of his search for a new "kingdom" (hence the title of the book). Another legend involves the possible existence of a 19th century deed to property that's now extremely valuable; the true owner stands to reap considerable financial benefits if that deed is found.

But therein lies the problem; no one seems to know where it might be. Luke Daniels, who was mentored by former Magellan Billet operative Cotton Malone, is in the German state, managing to infiltrate a somewhat secret group of people who are desperate to gain independence from Germany. Meanwhile, Malone - who retired a dozen years ago as a U.S. Justice Department intelligence officer - now lives in Denmark and operates a store that specializes in rare books. Occasionally, he reverts to his former profession, as he does here when he spots Luke in the middle of a tough situation. Then he meets up with old acquaintance Derrick Kogen, who asks for help on behalf of another former colleague in dealing with Bavarian Prince Stefan von Bayern, who supposedly is intent on bringing down the United States. It is then that Cotton learns about former King Ludwig's new kingdom and all the ramifications thereof.

If all that sounds a bit confusing, it is; scenes shift from one group of characters to another, and while readers can be pretty sure which side Cotton is on, shoring up the others isn't always so clear. There are chases, near misses and hits as various characters, including Cotton and Luke, chase down the truth about the new kingdom and the deed. It all leads up to an action-packed ending with a couple of twists I didn't see coming. The chases and battles are exciting, and overall it's a rousing adventure. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Last Kingdom by Steve Berry (Grand Central Publishing, February 2023); 400 pp.

THE OMEGA FACTOR

4 stars out of 5

The author of the popular Cotton Malone series has come up with a new hero who, he says, is likely to get more books all to himself. Given that Nicholas Lee, a United Nations employee tasked with protecting cultural artifacts throughout the world including those in the religious realm (the focus of this book), this first effort made me a fan, so I'm hoping that happens.

More than a decade ago, Nick was in a serious relationship with a woman named Kelsey that didn't end as planned. She's since been a nun who specializes in art restoration, and she just began work on a panel from the historic Ghent Altarpiece, a major work that's been stolen and otherwise violated many times and is thought to hold secrets that could bring the Catholic Church to its knees. She's called Nick to meet with her in Belgium and see the panel; he arrives just in time to save her from a fire that totally destroys the panel but prevents the theft of Kelsey's laptop, on which she's stored photographs of her restoration work. Everything points to a secret group called the Maidens of Saint-Michael, aka the Vultures, who have been the target of a centuries-old and so far unsuccessful search by the Vatican, which has a vested interest in learning - and debunking (if not burying) the "truth" the nuns have pledged their lives to protect.

Running concurrently is a second story line, that of an archbishop who will do just about anything to become a cardinal and a cardinal who will do just about anything to become Pope - and one of them has a side gig that involves resolution of abuse that happened before he was born. When Nick's actions to save Kelsey's laptop results in exposure of the Maidens whereabouts, the two men are charged with following up on behalf of the Vatican as they struggle to realize their own ambitions and get retribution for old wounds.

It all makes for an exciting and educational reading adventure, although if I have a complaint it's that the amount of history, while quite interesting, tends to be so extensive that it almost overwhelms the story at times. And while I find religious history - whether real or theoretical - absolutely fascinating, I suspect the hot-button issue of sexual abuse by church leaders and questions surrounding a couple of the church's most venerated saints might be unsettling to some readers.

Overall, I must say the amount of research that must have gone into the writing is nothing short of impressive. Nick's job promises to lead to other intriguing adventures, so I'm definitely looking forward to his next adventure (and I wouldn't mind seeing more of Kelsey, even if she and Nick can't be more than good friends). Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this one. Good job!

The Omega Factor by Steve Berry (Grand Central Publishing, June 2022); 464 pp.

THE LINCOLN MYTH

5 stars out of 5

This is the first of Berry's books featuring the now ex-Justice Department agent Cotton Malone I've read, and, to a certain extent, that put me at a disadvantage: It's pretty clear that some of the characters have a history with Malone to which I didn't feel privy. That said, this book manages to stand on its own fairly well.

After the first few chapters, two thoughts came to mind: First, that this one would be filled with lots of historical information - as was another excellent Berry book, The Columbus Affair; and second, that this would be a sort of Da Vinci Code meets Will Robie (a character in a series by another favorite author, David Baldacci). Nothing I read from that point on changed my mind.

At issue here is the question of whether or not U.S. states have the right to secede from the Union (to which a relatively recent Supreme Court decision answered no).  At the center of the controversy is the possibility that the right to do so was, in fact, written as a sort of addendum to the U.S. Constitution by the founding fathers in a long-hidden document  - a document known to President Abraham Lincoln, who ignored it in order to preserve the Union and thus allowed the Civil War to begin. 

Into the mix early on comes the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - more commonly known as Mormons - as remains of an early expedition are uncovered to reveal that those Mormon pioneers were murdered. The ensuing investigation brings Malone into action - he's called by his former boss to locate and bring home a missing agent. This puts him at loggerheads with two formidable enemies: A very powerful U.S. Senator and high-ranking Mormon leader who has an agenda all his own which, not coincidentally, has to do with the issue of secession - as well as a dangerous  member of the Danites, a group of radical Mormons who will stop at nothing, including murder, to achieve their goals.

The historical information is well-researched (and at the end, Berry explains which parts are factual and which were concocted by him for the novel). If anything, there's a bit too much of it; I thoroughly enjoyed learning things about Lincoln, the Civil War and the Mormon religion, but it did get to be a bit much throughout the last few chapters. Also, if you don't like books that jump from place to place every chapter or two - the action takes place in at least three locations around the world - you may not care for this one. But the biggest annoyance factor for me is that Berry doesn't always make clear his antecedents; many times I had to reread a paragraph more than once to figure out who was talking or being described.

Overall, though, my nitpicks are minor, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book; although I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've taken a book to bed to finish, that's exactly what I did here. I liked it so much, in fact, that despite my near-insistence on never going back to read earlier books in any series, I just may have to give a few of these a try. 

The Lincoln Myth by Steve Berry (Ballantine Books, May 2014); 449 pp.