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(478 reviews)
Author: Visit Amazon's Steve Berry Page
ISBN : 0345526546
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From Booklist
After an exciting departure from his Cotton Malone novels (The Columbus Affair, 2012), Berry returns to the series formula. When Malone’s 15-year-old son is briefly kidnapped in London, the spy-turned-bookseller discovers he has inadvertently stumbled upon an international plot that involves secrets about Queen Elizabeth I and the impending release from prison of one of the men behind the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people. It takes awhile, but Berry does forge a thinly plausible connection between a modern-day terrorist act and the last Tudor ruler of Britain. Berry populates the novel with the usual assortment of characters—the shifty intelligence agent, the stalwart investigator—and even offers us an ancient society that will stop at nothing to keep Elizabeth’s shocking secrets from getting out. Fans of the series will no doubt enjoy this one, although it breaks no new ground, holding tightly to the series format. The galley circulated for review contains a troubling chronological inconsistency—depending on which internal evidence you listen to, the story is set either in 2005–06 or 2009—but this could be cleared up when the book goes to print. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Berry’s books, best-sellers all, have been translated into 40 languages with more than 15 million copies in print in 51 countries. --David Pitt
Review
Praise for The King’s Deception “[A] perfect blend of history and adventure . . . The history enhances the main narrative and gives it an added punch. . . . Pick up this new fast-paced book by Berry and have an excellent thrill ride while you also get a wonderfully enjoyable history lesson. Education has never been this much fun.”
—The Huffington Post “Steve Berry does what Dan Brown thought he did. [He combines] a love of history with global thriller action and creates books that are impossible to put down and even educational. . . . A perfect blend of history and action . . . perfect summer reading.”
—Crimespree Magazine “Cotton Malone returns in a thriller that combines history and gunfire. . . . Readers old and new will enjoy
The King’s Deception.”
—Associated Press “A complex, rollicking forty-hour ride through a very dangerous and wild weekend in London where the betrayals collide with current events and the deceptions of hundreds of years ago, resulting in an explosive finish that no one who reads it will forget. . . . Berry is a wonderful guide as always, interweaving fascinating bits of history into the narrative. . . . I can’t give you a better endorsement for a book or an author.”
—Bookreporter “There are more twists and turns in this plot than in a 1970s disco bar. Interspersed between the modern incidents of betrayals and counter-betrayals are numerous episodes of Tudor/Elizabethan history sure to ruffle the skirts of the most avid Tudor fan. With its great plot and interesting characters, this book is a real page-turner and an enjoyable read. Highly recommended.”
—Historical Novels Review “History, mystery and murder surround perennial protagonist Cotton Malone in a fast-moving tale featuring Elizabeth I, England’s ‘Virgin Queen.’ . . . A heart-pumping adventure.”
—The Florida Times-Union “Action interspersed with unbelievable shockers from the past . . . [Cotton Malone] continues to do battle with history and those who would kill to keep its secrets buried.”
—Library Journal “All the elements of a
Da Vinci Code adventure are in place [including] undeniably fascinating historical material.”
—Publishers Weekly “Contemporary politics mixes with treachery from Tudor England for a novel filled with suspense. The detailed history of Tudor England will entrance fans of British historicals. The castles mentioned are real and worth a visit. There are assassins, traitors, spies and mystery surrounding Cotton and his son, Gary.”
—British Weekly See all Editorial Reviews
Books with free ebook downloads available Epub The King's Deception: A Novel (Cotton Malone) Hardcover
- Series: Cotton Malone
- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (June 11, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0345526546
- ISBN-13: 978-0345526540
- Product Dimensions: 1.5 x 6.3 x 9.3 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Epub The King's Deception: A Novel
I am a longtime reader of Steve Berry's books and really enjoyed his earlier efforts, especially the first few Cotton Malone thrillers. However, as often happens with series, it seems that with time they lose something. Whether this is the fault of the reader or author is hard to say. Whichever it is, I have noticed that the last few Malone books have been disappointing for me, and it is the same with The King's Deception.
To give credit where credit is due, Berry does try to stir things up, and this latest book for the most part does without the familiar cast of characters that usually flesh out his stories. And he is a good writer who does his research and ably evokes the locations which serve an important function in his historical mysteries. The book does move along at a brisk pace, and for the most part you should find it entertaining.
However, the problems I have with it really distract from the experience of reading it. First, and most importantly, the central mystery is rather flimsy and revealed early on. And then the intricate machinations built up around the plot, which involves the CIA trying to solve a mystery involving the Tudor dynasty so as to have leverage over the British Government seem to lack a certain logical consistency [without giving away too much, the CIA is searching for proof of an historical scandal which the British already know about- so why don't they just move the evidence and therefore eliminate the possible validation of any clues found by the Americans?]. And again, without giving too much away, the shadowy Daedulus Society at the center of the action has its own mystery which should be obvious almost immediately to anyone paying attention- something a few of the characters don't seem to do.