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jstamper2022's review against another edition
4.0
Reads like a Dan Brown/Robert Langdon novel to an extent.
pamelajobrownlee's review against another edition
3.0
Had a harder time following this one, for some reason.
ameliegrech's review against another edition
The book jumps from multiple perspectives and has a lot of exposition. Not necessarily a bad thing, but just not for me. Disappointing as some of my family is from Malta.
theamoeba's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
katejeminhizer's review against another edition
3.0
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series is a swashbuckling adventure. I have not read the entire series but don't feel that I'm lacking in any way by reading them out of order. This is the second title I have read in this series. The previous book, The Bishop's Pawn, I enjoyed immensely. This new title peaked my interest immediately. Any story based off hidden church secrets intrigues me. The overall plot was enjoyable but I felt the pacing of the book to be off. One minute you feel like you're going off a 100 foot drop on a roller coaster ride while the next you're casually riding down the lazy river ride. Berry writes vividly so there is no need to guess what is happening even in the most action packed scene. Visual observation scenes I found were what ruined the pace for me so I tended to just peruse those. The plot was filled with duplicity and some was a little confusing to follow. Overall the book was good.
Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series is a swashbuckling adventure. I have not read the entire series but don't feel that I'm lacking in any way by reading them out of order. This is the second title I have read in this series. The previous book, The Bishop's Pawn, I enjoyed immensely. This new title peaked my interest immediately. Any story based off hidden church secrets intrigues me. The overall plot was enjoyable but I felt the pacing of the book to be off. One minute you feel like you're going off a 100 foot drop on a roller coaster ride while the next you're casually riding down the lazy river ride. Berry writes vividly so there is no need to guess what is happening even in the most action packed scene. Visual observation scenes I found were what ruined the pace for me so I tended to just peruse those. The plot was filled with duplicity and some was a little confusing to follow. Overall the book was good.
bei_02's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
amalinka's review against another edition
5.0
Full disclosure: Steve Berry is a longtime favourite author of mine; even his books that I consider "slow" or lagging are still excellent books. The Malta Exchange is no different.
Cotton Malone is sent on what is supposed to be a fairly easy retrieval mission only to walk in on what is a very unusual situation. In the interest of keeping out spoilers, I will only say that Mr. Berry managed to make me laugh out loud even as I pondered what manner of imagination he had to come up with this scenario. It certainly isn't a scenario I had read before and I thoroughly enjoyed the predicament Mr. Malone found himself in. Therein lies Mr. Berry's real talent - he places his characters in the oddest situations, makes it seem totally plausible, injects humor into it, but keeps the narrative moving.
I really enjoyed the appearance of Napoleon in this book. I think in terms of books that use history as a backdrop to present day shenanigans, Napoleon is truly the most under utilized historical figure with just so much fun potential in him.
All in all, this book is a great read. The pacing is good, the narrative and the plot points are tight, the topic itself is interesting and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Cotton Malone is sent on what is supposed to be a fairly easy retrieval mission only to walk in on what is a very unusual situation. In the interest of keeping out spoilers, I will only say that Mr. Berry managed to make me laugh out loud even as I pondered what manner of imagination he had to come up with this scenario. It certainly isn't a scenario I had read before and I thoroughly enjoyed the predicament Mr. Malone found himself in. Therein lies Mr. Berry's real talent - he places his characters in the oddest situations, makes it seem totally plausible, injects humor into it, but keeps the narrative moving.
I really enjoyed the appearance of Napoleon in this book. I think in terms of books that use history as a backdrop to present day shenanigans, Napoleon is truly the most under utilized historical figure with just so much fun potential in him.
All in all, this book is a great read. The pacing is good, the narrative and the plot points are tight, the topic itself is interesting and I would highly recommend it to anyone.