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hoserlauren's review against another edition
3.0
Cotton Malone's father died when he was a child. He was the captain of a submarine which malfunctioned and was never able to be recovered, during an expedition to the Antarctic. As an adult, Cotton knows there is more to the story but has never been able to find out what happened, until now. His friend in Washington provides him with classified information stating that there was never a recovery mission except for a handful of Navy personnel. The sub was supposed to find evidence of a very early super culture, one we know nothing about.
Once Cotton gets this classified information, he is almost immediately assaulted by two people. Other people want this information two.
Cotton finds twins whose father was also on the sub and they want the truth as much as Cotton, but possibly for other reasons. The search takes them from Germany to France down to the Antarctic.
This book lays out its premise as a search that Charlemagne created. I had never heard of him and knew nothing so I'm not sure if this was why I couldn't appreciate the quest or whether it was the author's fault for making it rather convoluted. The suspense wrapped up in the last quarter of the book but the first third was tough to get through.
Once Cotton gets this classified information, he is almost immediately assaulted by two people. Other people want this information two.
Cotton finds twins whose father was also on the sub and they want the truth as much as Cotton, but possibly for other reasons. The search takes them from Germany to France down to the Antarctic.
This book lays out its premise as a search that Charlemagne created. I had never heard of him and knew nothing so I'm not sure if this was why I couldn't appreciate the quest or whether it was the author's fault for making it rather convoluted. The suspense wrapped up in the last quarter of the book but the first third was tough to get through.
k_cavacini's review against another edition
3.0
While I enjoy Steve Berry's writing and have liked all his books that I've read, I have to say that this was my least favorite Cotton Malone book so far. It may be because I wasn't as invested in the mythology of the story (I'm not that interested in Charlemagne) so the basis of the mystery was somewhat lost on me. I also didn't care for the sisters that Cotton works with; their family tension just seemed distracting and not essential to the plot. This book just felt more tedious and not as fun as the others in the Cotton Malone series. However, I do look forward to the next book to renew my interest!
spookysoto's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: Good, I liked it 😊.
Feelings/ Emotions : Intrigued, fascinated, entertained.
Recommended if you like: Thrillers, adventure, puzzles and treasure hunt, ancient civilization’s mysteries, Dan Brownesque books.
Would I read something else from this author?: Definitely yes.
I really like Berry, he is a great alternative if you run out of Dan Brown’s books.
In this one, Cotton Malone is investigating the circumstances surrounding his father death onboard a submarine, lost while executing a classified mission. Malone’s investigation sparks the involvement of twin sisters, Christl and Dorothea, their father also died in the submarine. The sisters are on a competition to find out what happened to him, the one that does will inherit their father’s fortune, as promised by their mother..
All of them are at risk because someone in the government doesn’t want them to find out what happened to the submarine nor the nature of their mission.
This novel is fast paced, thrilling and very interesting. The mystery surrounding Charlemagne and the ancient civilization was fascinating to me. The setting and the atmosphere was well crafted, and the characters well fleshed out.
Christy killed Dorothea’s husband, Dorothea killed Christy and then killed herself.
Ramsey, the general behind the conspiracy was murdered by his contract killer. McCoy was working undercover for the president. Davis killed Charlie, the killer.
The USA will now use the translator to study the stones and books from the ancient civilization.
I was entertained, it was a fast, interesting read. I recommend it.
Feelings/ Emotions : Intrigued, fascinated, entertained.
Recommended if you like: Thrillers, adventure, puzzles and treasure hunt, ancient civilization’s mysteries, Dan Brownesque books.
Would I read something else from this author?: Definitely yes.
I really like Berry, he is a great alternative if you run out of Dan Brown’s books.
In this one, Cotton Malone is investigating the circumstances surrounding his father death onboard a submarine, lost while executing a classified mission. Malone’s investigation sparks the involvement of twin sisters, Christl and Dorothea, their father also died in the submarine. The sisters are on a competition to find out what happened to him, the one that does will inherit their father’s fortune, as promised by their mother.
Spoiler
The whole quest began with their grandfather, a Nazi that wanted to find the Arian people. Then his son continued his quest.All of them are at risk because someone in the government doesn’t want them to find out what happened to the submarine nor the nature of their mission.
Spoiler
Ramsey is that person. He’s killed all the people involved in an expedition to the Antartica site, where they recoverd several carved rocks and books. He wants power, his ultimate goal is to become an us VicePresident, since he feel that role is less monitored and isn’t in the spotlight but has a lot of power.This novel is fast paced, thrilling and very interesting. The mystery surrounding Charlemagne and the ancient civilization was fascinating to me. The setting and the atmosphere was well crafted, and the characters well fleshed out.
Spoiler
Charlemagne was in contact with this civilization, very advanced and with great knowledge. They lived in Antartica, and when Malone finds the submarines and his father’s corpse, he also finds their city’s ruins.Christy killed Dorothea’s husband, Dorothea killed Christy and then killed herself.
Ramsey, the general behind the conspiracy was murdered by his contract killer. McCoy was working undercover for the president. Davis killed Charlie, the killer.
The USA will now use the translator to study the stones and books from the ancient civilization.
I was entertained, it was a fast, interesting read. I recommend it.
bmcwilliams76's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
fudgeelizabeth9's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
tuomosuominen's review
5.0
An excellent action thriller, quite on par with The Da Vinci Code! A fantastic collection of pre-historic, mediaeval and current plots, involving a number of historical mysteries, such as the Piri Reis map, the Voynich manuscript, the Nazi's search for Aryan origins, Civilization One and Cold War Pentagon cover-ups and conspirators. Easily the best Steve Berry I've read to date.
The only detail I have a problem with is the naming of the character "Admiral David Sylvian". I've been a fan of the musician David Sylvian (http://davidsylvian.com) since the late 1970's when he was a member of the group Japan. Even though Sylvian is a British artist, it seems impossible that Berry (or his editor) failed to spot him when fact-checking and still decided on using the same name. Or is this some kind of inside joke I'm not getting?
The only detail I have a problem with is the naming of the character "Admiral David Sylvian". I've been a fan of the musician David Sylvian (http://davidsylvian.com) since the late 1970's when he was a member of the group Japan. Even though Sylvian is a British artist, it seems impossible that Berry (or his editor) failed to spot him when fact-checking and still decided on using the same name. Or is this some kind of inside joke I'm not getting?
talucas24's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25