What do you think?
Rate this book
Cotton Malone #4
Carska potera
Koton Malon bio je ubeđen da mu je otac poginuo u podmornici u katastrofalnoj nesreći, sve dok nije došao do potpuno šokantnih podataka − njegov otac zapravo se nalazio na tajnom nuklearnom brodu koji je nestao ispod ledenih santi Antarktika.
Bliznakinje čiji je otac bio na istoj tajnoj misiji otkrivaju Malonu da su nacisti istražili Antarktik davno pre Amerikanaca, i to zahvaljujući tragovima iz grobnice franačkog cara Karla Velikog. Malon saznaje da grobni spisi ukazuju na to da je kobno putovanje njegovog oca usko povezano sa otkrićem koje može ostaviti ogromne posledice na čovečanstvo. Zajedno sa bliznakinjama, Malon kreće u opasnu potragu koja ga vodi do nemilosrdnog antarktičkog leda, gde će se konačno suočiti sa istinom o očevoj smrti.
Stiv Beri veoma pedantno spaja raznovrsne elemente, istorijske zagonetke i naučna saznanja u mističnu, uzbudljivu celinu. Oni koji su uživali u neizvesnosti Izgubljenog simbola, nikako neće moći da se odvoje od ove knjige.
Bliznakinje čiji je otac bio na istoj tajnoj misiji otkrivaju Malonu da su nacisti istražili Antarktik davno pre Amerikanaca, i to zahvaljujući tragovima iz grobnice franačkog cara Karla Velikog. Malon saznaje da grobni spisi ukazuju na to da je kobno putovanje njegovog oca usko povezano sa otkrićem koje može ostaviti ogromne posledice na čovečanstvo. Zajedno sa bliznakinjama, Malon kreće u opasnu potragu koja ga vodi do nemilosrdnog antarktičkog leda, gde će se konačno suočiti sa istinom o očevoj smrti.
Stiv Beri veoma pedantno spaja raznovrsne elemente, istorijske zagonetke i naučna saznanja u mističnu, uzbudljivu celinu. Oni koji su uživali u neizvesnosti Izgubljenog simbola, nikako neće moći da se odvoje od ove knjige.
427 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 2008
About the author
Steve Berry
91 books7,079 followersSteve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of twenty-two novels, which include: The Last Kingdom , The Omega Factor , The Kaiser's Web, The Warsaw Protocol, The Malta Exchange, The Bishop’s Pawn, The Lost Order, The 14th Colony, The Patriot Threat, The Lincoln Myth, The King's Deception, The Columbus Affair, The Jefferson Key, The Emperor's Tomb, The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, The Alexandria Link, The Templar Legacy, The Third Secret, The Romanov Prophecy, and The Amber Room. Steve has also co-written a novel with Grant Blackwood, The 9th Man (a Luke Daniels Adventure), and four novellas with M. J. Rose: The End of Forever, The House of Long Ago, The Lake of Learning, and The Museum of Mysteries, all Cassiopeia Vitt tales. His books have been translated into 41 languages with over 25,000,000 copies in 52 countries. They consistently appear in the top echelon of The New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestseller lists. Somewhere in the world, every thirty seconds, one of his novels is sold.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,088 reviews
May 21, 2020
This is another great Cotton tale. I enjoyed the story (it is as far fetched as the first 3 books but that is why we read!!!!) It is totally entertaining and interesting. I think Steve Berry could have given Cotton one decent night's sleep at the end? ha ha
April 8, 2024
Two stars (at least one of them being mine...) for a book which resembles too much to those by Colin Forbes or John le Carre in their bad days.
I couldn't be less interested in the "scientific part "of the novel and the adventurous part of it is linear and pathetic, as we have all the ingredients for a poor story:
- too many characters, most of them unpleasant
- tons and tons of coincidental facts
- as always in bad books, the villains are smart enough to catch the "good boys " even more than once, but instead of killing them they choose the talkative way and lose
- we see human lives priced as pairs of dirty socks, a bad example for readers, especially for youngsters.
So, Mr. Berry isn't quite my favorite author...
I couldn't be less interested in the "scientific part "of the novel and the adventurous part of it is linear and pathetic, as we have all the ingredients for a poor story:
- too many characters, most of them unpleasant
- tons and tons of coincidental facts
- as always in bad books, the villains are smart enough to catch the "good boys " even more than once, but instead of killing them they choose the talkative way and lose
- we see human lives priced as pairs of dirty socks, a bad example for readers, especially for youngsters.
So, Mr. Berry isn't quite my favorite author...
January 20, 2012
Rating: a breathless 4* of five
Steve Berry does it all right in The Charlemagne Pursuit. He starts right, in the pulse-pounding submarine accident that triggers the action in the book; he ends right, with late-night antics about to begin; he keeps his story moving at a fast clip in between, with love, murder, betrayal, revenge, more betrayal, hate, then love again.
It's a pleasure to give yourself over to a plot-drive thrill ride of a book at least four or five times a year. I couldn't make a diet of them myself, because they take so much out of me. At least the good ones do, and this is very much a good one. Cotton Malone, our main character, is a man with a bitter past: A lost father, a failed marriage, a career he sacrificed what he now knows is too much to keep. His emotional landscape is a frozen tundra, or so he wants to believe, and he works hard to sustain that fantasy for more than half this book. Why, then, is it such a pleasure to read his adventures? Because Cotton Malone's chill is real, ladies and gents; because we're clued in to his brokenness and not required to experience it with him as it happens, but asked to believe it happened as it's told, most current readers and reviewers seem to be dismissive of the character's reality.
This is puzzling. Cotton Malone develops as a rounded and complex character during the course of this novel. The knock on thrillers is that the characters are simply cut-outs that move through the paces the author has designed for your entertainment, and I have certainly read my share of thrillers that fit this description. The Charlemagne Pursuit is not one of them, and neither was The Venetian Betrayal. Steve Berry writes a whacking good story, and he tells it through the actions of well-drawn characters. His villains are motivated by things that make sense in their world, his heroes are likewise people whose reasons to do what they're doing are consistent with the story we're told about them; if readers are not satisfied by the author's technique, I suggest that the fault could easily be said to reside in them, not in Mr. Berry's writing.
This is a very satisfying read, and Cotton Malone makes my list of people I'm glad I met in 2008.
Steve Berry does it all right in The Charlemagne Pursuit. He starts right, in the pulse-pounding submarine accident that triggers the action in the book; he ends right, with late-night antics about to begin; he keeps his story moving at a fast clip in between, with love, murder, betrayal, revenge, more betrayal, hate, then love again.
It's a pleasure to give yourself over to a plot-drive thrill ride of a book at least four or five times a year. I couldn't make a diet of them myself, because they take so much out of me. At least the good ones do, and this is very much a good one. Cotton Malone, our main character, is a man with a bitter past: A lost father, a failed marriage, a career he sacrificed what he now knows is too much to keep. His emotional landscape is a frozen tundra, or so he wants to believe, and he works hard to sustain that fantasy for more than half this book. Why, then, is it such a pleasure to read his adventures? Because Cotton Malone's chill is real, ladies and gents; because we're clued in to his brokenness and not required to experience it with him as it happens, but asked to believe it happened as it's told, most current readers and reviewers seem to be dismissive of the character's reality.
This is puzzling. Cotton Malone develops as a rounded and complex character during the course of this novel. The knock on thrillers is that the characters are simply cut-outs that move through the paces the author has designed for your entertainment, and I have certainly read my share of thrillers that fit this description. The Charlemagne Pursuit is not one of them, and neither was The Venetian Betrayal. Steve Berry writes a whacking good story, and he tells it through the actions of well-drawn characters. His villains are motivated by things that make sense in their world, his heroes are likewise people whose reasons to do what they're doing are consistent with the story we're told about them; if readers are not satisfied by the author's technique, I suggest that the fault could easily be said to reside in them, not in Mr. Berry's writing.
This is a very satisfying read, and Cotton Malone makes my list of people I'm glad I met in 2008.
December 10, 2023
Din păcate acest volum nu a avut dinamica celorlalte. Ideea unei civilizații avansate, care ar fi populat planeta înaintea noastră este destul de interesantă, dar totuși povestea din jurul ei a fost destul de lentă față de cele din volumele anterioare.
January 13, 2009
Ugh, this was a total drag. Normally I really like the Cotton Malone books, but this one did not work for me. There were too many characters flitting all around the world and it took over 250 pages for any of them to end up in the same place. I felt like I was reading three different novels and all I wanted to do was read one that involved Cotton. Total disappointment
July 20, 2015
Cotton Malone is in a hunt to discover what happened to his dad - who had been a submariner and was lost in a mission when Cotton was 10. Like all in this series it involves some interesting historical twists - Berry is great at mixing history and fiction. Charlemagne figures into this as well as a diabolically ambitious Chief of Naval intelligence and some members of a wealthy German family all of them tied together in the usual complex web of Berry's story-telling. Then there is also a shadowy figure funded by the CNI character who is used to wipe out opponents or even perceived opponents.
This is a bit less subtle that some of the other Berry books I have read and there is a bit more murder and mayhem.
I've now read four of the tales. They are all involved plots that are fun to read. This one, unlike most of the novels, only incidentally involves American history. This is escapist history where you might actually learn something. At the end of each book, the author presents a summary separating fact from fiction. Berry does his research and it shows.
This is a bit less subtle that some of the other Berry books I have read and there is a bit more murder and mayhem.
I've now read four of the tales. They are all involved plots that are fun to read. This one, unlike most of the novels, only incidentally involves American history. This is escapist history where you might actually learn something. At the end of each book, the author presents a summary separating fact from fiction. Berry does his research and it shows.
February 18, 2017
Of the 4 books I've read in the Cotton Malone series by Steve Berry, this has been the most disappointing. The style was choppy, the storyline was jumbled, a majority of the characters were unlikable (or just blah) and Cotton, himself, seemed to be a side story. You know it's bad when the best characters in the book are the bad guys who are on a continent half a world away from your actual hero.
Cotton has always wondered about his father who died in a submarine accident when Cotton was 10. There has never been a satisfactory answer -- let alone an actual body to bury. Cotton wants closure and uses his connection to the Magellan Billet to get access to the classified reports of the subs demise. However, the file is completely different from the fiction that Cotton has believed most of this life and he begins searching for answers.
Unfortunately (!) Cotton isn't the only one searching for answers and he has to team up with Dorothea and Christl Oberhauser - two women also seeking the truth behind their father's death aboard that ill-fated submarine. The search will take you from Denmark to Germany to France and Antarctica. Meanwhile, another drama is playing out in Washington DC involving Stephanie Nelle.
Rating: 3.25 stars
Cotton has always wondered about his father who died in a submarine accident when Cotton was 10. There has never been a satisfactory answer -- let alone an actual body to bury. Cotton wants closure and uses his connection to the Magellan Billet to get access to the classified reports of the subs demise. However, the file is completely different from the fiction that Cotton has believed most of this life and he begins searching for answers.
Unfortunately (!) Cotton isn't the only one searching for answers and he has to team up with Dorothea and Christl Oberhauser - two women also seeking the truth behind their father's death aboard that ill-fated submarine. The search will take you from Denmark to Germany to France and Antarctica. Meanwhile, another drama is playing out in Washington DC involving Stephanie Nelle.
Rating: 3.25 stars
April 19, 2019
The Charlemagne Pursuit is my 4th Steve Berry novel and my favorite so far. It follows the typical Steve Berry adventure formula, which is tried and true. I would like to see Berry go off road and surprise us sometime. Although a little longwinded in parts, forcing the reader to wait, a strong ending made it a worthwhile experience. Some may find the conclusion far-fetched, but there are real historical examples, including one in Turkey, discovered not so long ago. I know Steve Berry does extensive research, weaving both historical facts and plausible theories into his tales.
August 2, 2013
I didn't feel that this book was 500 pages, full of suspense and adventure. I have to give it to my dad, he will love it and have to convince him to give me money to buy the other Steve Berry's book :))...
April 6, 2017
Here's another story with Berry's main character Cotton Malone.
Cotton is a semi-retired agent (semi because he keeps getting drawn into clandestine ops with the state dept he used to work for). In this story he learns about his father's fate. The action takes place in Europe too, and it's plain to see the writer visits many of the places he writes about, so you get a good feel for the time and place.
I like the fact how Cotton spends his time running a bookstore in Copenhagen. I'm a writer too, and have often dreamt about owning my own shop. But then, I wouldn't have the time to write, so I scratched that idea.
The scenes in this book describing a lost city appear based on historical information, and leaves the reader wondering if an ancient civilization was more modern than we have been led to believe. I won't spoil it for you, you'll have to read the book to learn more. It's tense, and at times felt like an Indiana Jones story.
Wasn't among my favorites the author wrote, but I do enjoy the escapades his character Cotton finds himself caught up in.
Cotton is a semi-retired agent (semi because he keeps getting drawn into clandestine ops with the state dept he used to work for). In this story he learns about his father's fate. The action takes place in Europe too, and it's plain to see the writer visits many of the places he writes about, so you get a good feel for the time and place.
I like the fact how Cotton spends his time running a bookstore in Copenhagen. I'm a writer too, and have often dreamt about owning my own shop. But then, I wouldn't have the time to write, so I scratched that idea.
The scenes in this book describing a lost city appear based on historical information, and leaves the reader wondering if an ancient civilization was more modern than we have been led to believe. I won't spoil it for you, you'll have to read the book to learn more. It's tense, and at times felt like an Indiana Jones story.
Wasn't among my favorites the author wrote, but I do enjoy the escapades his character Cotton finds himself caught up in.
September 10, 2019
“It's true that the early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.”
Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series typically involves a dose of history lesson, mixed with the modern day exploits of a former government agent. The title of this book, Charlemagne Pursuit, would imply the Carolingian (late 800s AD) middle-ages would play a central role in the novel, however it is only briefly mentioned. Instead, the story involves the pursuit of secrets once held by an ancient seafaring culture, thought by Nazis to be the original Aryan race, and the interpretation of discovered stones with cursive writing of old. The scenes bounce around from France to America to Antartica, and sometimes are a bit difficult to keep track of. Mostly, this is a story about power seekers who will use any means, including employment of hired killers, to be the first to obtain this ancient knowledge. The book was OK, but my least favorite so far in the series.
Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series typically involves a dose of history lesson, mixed with the modern day exploits of a former government agent. The title of this book, Charlemagne Pursuit, would imply the Carolingian (late 800s AD) middle-ages would play a central role in the novel, however it is only briefly mentioned. Instead, the story involves the pursuit of secrets once held by an ancient seafaring culture, thought by Nazis to be the original Aryan race, and the interpretation of discovered stones with cursive writing of old. The scenes bounce around from France to America to Antartica, and sometimes are a bit difficult to keep track of. Mostly, this is a story about power seekers who will use any means, including employment of hired killers, to be the first to obtain this ancient knowledge. The book was OK, but my least favorite so far in the series.
November 7, 2017
Decent action/adventure book. Berry knows his niche and follows everything well. Nothing earth shattering but entertaining all the same.
September 16, 2018
I love Steve Berry!
March 16, 2021
Cotton is getting busy again. This time he is on the hunt for the mystery that surrounds the fate of his own father. His father died when he was ten-years-old during a top secret mission on an experimental submarine. Cotton has many unsolved issues growing up without a father. This is personal. But he has a mysterious German family, assassins and double-crossing people from his own government that are trying to stop him from finding the truth.
Fast-paced twists and suspense are hidden in an ancient past will excite any thriller fan.
Fast-paced twists and suspense are hidden in an ancient past will excite any thriller fan.
November 15, 2016
I have been searching for a post-election tonic as I contemplate the future. My solution has been Steve Berry novels. Having just completed THE VENETIAN BETRAYAL I have moved on to THE CHARLEMAGNE PURSUIT to keep my mind from contemplating what a Trump administration might produce. Mr. Berry did not let me down as he weaves “historical license” with an imaginative mystery to keep me grounded. Berry’s protagonist remains Cotton Malone, a former naval officer and a member of the Justice Department’s top secret overseas Magellan Billet. In THE CHARLEMAGNE PURSUIT, the fourth in the Malone series we meet a more personal and introspective character as the novel begins in November, 1971, where Commander Forrest Malone of the USS Blazek, a nuclear powered submarine operating under Antarctica is confronted by a number of issues, the most dangerous of which is a leak of potassium hydroxide fluid that poisons the air on board and Malone’s twenty six year naval career, along with his crew comes to an end. Cotton was ten years old when his father died aboard the submarine and the government never offered a detailed explanation of what had gone wrong. Later in life during his naval and Justice Department careers Cotton tried to learn the truth to no avail. After a nasty situation in Mexico had transpired, Malone decided to retire and purchased a bookstore in Copenhagen. A few years later the death of his father and the lack of information continued to gnaw at Malone and he convinces his former boss at the Magellan Billet, Stephanie Heller to provide him with naval documents that might lead to the truth. After receiving an envelope while in Gamisch, Germany with a report on the USS Belzak, Malone is attacked and escapes. The report from the US Navy Court of Inquiry is nothing more than the navy’s varnished version of what occurred and the misinformation enclosed drives Malone to continue his quest.
As is usual in a Berry novel the plot includes a version of history that is suggestive of a counterfactual approach. In this case it involves Charles the Great, a.k.a. Charlemagne the King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor. Berry would have the reader believe that in 1000 AD Otto III wanted to try and reconstitute Charlemagne’s empire, and proof is offered by a small volume that was taken from Charlemagne’s mausoleum. The volume is in the possession of Dorothea Lindauer, a woman who claims that her grandfather was also killed on the USS Belzak. The plot becomes very complex in that her grandfather was a Nazi, Hermann Oberhauser, who Heinrich Himmler had placed in charge of the German Ancestral Heritage – the society for the study of the history of primeval ideas designed to unearth evidence of Germany’s ancestors back to the stone age and reinforce many of Himmler’s peculiar racial beliefs. It seems that Lindauer has a twin sister Christl Falk who approaches Malone to try and learn the truth of what took place in 1971 under the ice in Antarctica. Further complicating the story is the fact that Oberhauser took part in a Nazi expedition to Antarctica in December, 1938 designed to see if Charlemagne’s teacher and biographer, Einhard’s book was in fact correct.
If this is not confusing enough US Naval Intelligence head, Admiral Langford C. Ramsay has his own agenda when it comes to the USS Belzak. Ramsay, a man who has further career ambitions dispatches an assassin to take care of anyone who is digging into the events of November, 1971. It also seems that Edwin Davis, a deputy national security advisor to the president has an interest in learning the truth and despises Ramsay making for a series of interesting alliances among all the players involved. The question is why does Ramsay go to such extremes after thirty eight years to maintain the navy’s cover-up of the sinking of the USS Belzak? The story has reverberations of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, the pursuit of justice, the concerns of an ancient historian, the plight of the USS Belzak, the belief in the “Watchers” or the “first civilization” that the Nazis believed was Aryan in origin, and the death of Malone’s father, but what do they have to do with each other?
In addition to the above, Berry’s complex plot involves a German family with three interesting characters whose centuries old family legacy is at stake. Also, two deputy national security advisors to the president each with their own agenda, and of course the president. All of these components are blended together nicely as Berry tries to keep the reader off balance. Mission accomplished, and the result is an excellent foray into what could be a past civilization, the interests of Nazi Germany, a major cover-up by the US government, and a group of egos that cannot continence each other. Try this book and enjoy – the next one up in the series is THE PARIS VENDETTA.
As is usual in a Berry novel the plot includes a version of history that is suggestive of a counterfactual approach. In this case it involves Charles the Great, a.k.a. Charlemagne the King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor. Berry would have the reader believe that in 1000 AD Otto III wanted to try and reconstitute Charlemagne’s empire, and proof is offered by a small volume that was taken from Charlemagne’s mausoleum. The volume is in the possession of Dorothea Lindauer, a woman who claims that her grandfather was also killed on the USS Belzak. The plot becomes very complex in that her grandfather was a Nazi, Hermann Oberhauser, who Heinrich Himmler had placed in charge of the German Ancestral Heritage – the society for the study of the history of primeval ideas designed to unearth evidence of Germany’s ancestors back to the stone age and reinforce many of Himmler’s peculiar racial beliefs. It seems that Lindauer has a twin sister Christl Falk who approaches Malone to try and learn the truth of what took place in 1971 under the ice in Antarctica. Further complicating the story is the fact that Oberhauser took part in a Nazi expedition to Antarctica in December, 1938 designed to see if Charlemagne’s teacher and biographer, Einhard’s book was in fact correct.
If this is not confusing enough US Naval Intelligence head, Admiral Langford C. Ramsay has his own agenda when it comes to the USS Belzak. Ramsay, a man who has further career ambitions dispatches an assassin to take care of anyone who is digging into the events of November, 1971. It also seems that Edwin Davis, a deputy national security advisor to the president has an interest in learning the truth and despises Ramsay making for a series of interesting alliances among all the players involved. The question is why does Ramsay go to such extremes after thirty eight years to maintain the navy’s cover-up of the sinking of the USS Belzak? The story has reverberations of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, the pursuit of justice, the concerns of an ancient historian, the plight of the USS Belzak, the belief in the “Watchers” or the “first civilization” that the Nazis believed was Aryan in origin, and the death of Malone’s father, but what do they have to do with each other?
In addition to the above, Berry’s complex plot involves a German family with three interesting characters whose centuries old family legacy is at stake. Also, two deputy national security advisors to the president each with their own agenda, and of course the president. All of these components are blended together nicely as Berry tries to keep the reader off balance. Mission accomplished, and the result is an excellent foray into what could be a past civilization, the interests of Nazi Germany, a major cover-up by the US government, and a group of egos that cannot continence each other. Try this book and enjoy – the next one up in the series is THE PARIS VENDETTA.
May 28, 2012
What seems at first to be an outrageous, impossible plot (Charlemagne, US Navy, Aryan Race/Hitler, a technologically highly-advanced First Civilization of Antarctica-living Sea Kings, political intrigue & murders, and historically-documented submarine trips to the South Pole as elements), turns out to be a very intriguing and on-the-edge-of-your-seat read. All elements are skillfully and believably woven together into a non-stop action/thriller. Characters range widely in nature, motives, and profession (including the president of the United States) making the reader always unsure exactly who the "bad guys" are and how it's all going to work out. I was completely thrown off by one of the dramatic scenes near the end and was left with no idea of who was in league with who and what in the heck was going on! LOL!
Plenty of deaths, but no real gore (that i recall). Some romantic, marital, & sexual aspects but not a single explicit scene (that i remember). I learned a lot about certain aspects of history while on this wild pursuit with the protagonist (the author has kindly written an afterword that makes clear --- for those of us less-informed ---which elements in the book are actually documented and considered factual, which ones are/were theories, and which ones are total fiction from his fertile imagination), and i thoroughly enjoyed the book.
My kudos to Mr. Berry!
Plenty of deaths, but no real gore (that i recall). Some romantic, marital, & sexual aspects but not a single explicit scene (that i remember). I learned a lot about certain aspects of history while on this wild pursuit with the protagonist (the author has kindly written an afterword that makes clear --- for those of us less-informed ---which elements in the book are actually documented and considered factual, which ones are/were theories, and which ones are total fiction from his fertile imagination), and i thoroughly enjoyed the book.
My kudos to Mr. Berry!
August 25, 2015
Over zijn vaders dood weet Cotton Malone alleen dat hij omgekomen is bij een ramp met een onderzeeër. Het blijkt een nucleair schip te zijn geweest. Het schip is dan ook vermist tijdens een geheime missie. Hij is niet de enige die de waarheid wil achterhalen. De vader van de tweeling Dorothea en Christl voer aan boord van dezelfde onderzeeër. De zussen weten echter iets wat Malone niet weet: in 1938 verkenden de nazi's Antarctica nadat zij zich voor deze ontdekkingstocht hadden laten inspireren door aanwijzingen in de tombe van Karel de Grote. In dit verhaal speelt ook nog een dagboek een rol met cryptisch geschreven taal. Houd dit verband met de noodlottige laatste reis van zijn vader? De boeken over Cotton Malone weten mij altijd te pakken. Het boek neerleggen is heel moeilijk voor mij. Ik lees ze dan ook alleen als ik echt de tijd heb om te lezen. En stoor mij aub dan ook niet.....
April 29, 2010
No one writes historical thrillers like Steve Berry. I can say the same thing for all his books- they keep me turning the pages long into the night.
October 10, 2014
Fascinating theories posited here. Once again, enjoyed the mysteries, action, and history lessons. And even a little politics. On to the next one!
June 10, 2021
A riveting thriller. This was an audiobook that required my to pay close attention because it bounced around between three plot lines. Many stories do, but this was written in short punchy scenes- often changing within a minute of each other. So while riding the land tractor, like I did, the storyline kept me engaged and paying attention. Unlike many novels there wasn't much fluff in this one.
This is the second Cotton Malone novel for me and I'll read more.
This is the second Cotton Malone novel for me and I'll read more.
December 13, 2015
Why do I keep coming back to Steve Berry novels? They always sound so promising on the back of the book, but they never live up to the hype. This one is sadly another one. I think the reason why I can't get into his books as much as his colleague Dan Brown is because of the pacing and excess information. Steve Berry obvious does a lot of research for his books which is commendable but his books move so slowly that I lose track of the plot in all the historical details. Also Cassieopeia and Henrik were missing from this book which just makes me sad since I find them the most interesting. Even though this book ends with a really cruel cliffhanger I'm not in a particular hurry to read another Steve Berry book. But somehow I'll get sucked back in.
September 29, 2023
I really like Steve Berry's books about Cotton Malon! You want to read the series from the beginning! Don't miss all the facts Berry has used when writing these books!
July 10, 2013
Некогаш, тишината може да каже многу повеќе од зборови, препорака од срце........
August 20, 2012
I generally love Steve Berry books. They’re reliable action/thrillers with a great protagonist, Cotton Malone, former Magellan Billet agent and now a bookshop owner (which you have to love). Berry’s books also possess a good dose of fanciful history – meaning, he researches them, used aspects of known history and adds his own deft touches. While The Charlemagne Pursuit ticked some of the boxes in that it featured Cotton, was action-packed and had some reconstructed history woven through the plot-line, including maps and hieroglyphs, something happened between the idea and the execution; something that rendered the finished product less than satisfactory.
Ostensibly, this novel is about Cotton being given the file that reveals “the truth” of how his father, a Captain on a top-secret US submarine, died while on a classified mission. Told one version of events from the age of ten, Cotton discovers he’s been deceived (he “can’t handle the truth”) and this sends him off on a journey of self-discovery. But the truth can be a dangerous thing, especially when it threatens those who for years have relied on keeping it hidden to maintain their positions.
Learning that Cotton threatens to expose secrets kept for decades, there are those at the top of the US defence tree who will do anything to ensure secrets lay buried, even if means Cotton’s (and anyone else involved) interred with them.
The action takes place in parallel narratives and moves from part of Europe, to the USA and, ultimately, Antarctica. While I could accept most of the improbable story-line (it’s Steve Berry after all, and I’m prepared to have some fun), the part I struggled most with were the villains. It’s as if Berry found them in Villains ‘R Us. First, there were the German characters, the malevolent matriarch and her beautiful twin daughters, Dorothea Lindauer and Christl Faulk, as well as the family’s henchman, Igor, I mean, Ulrich Henn. Then there were the American baddies – two naval personnel and a hired assassin. All of these people appeared to kill willy-nilly (even those who have shown loyalty and the ability to keep secrets – why? To add to the book’s body-count? Surely, as is the case, these connected deaths simply arouse suspicion…? D’oh!), or without really thinking through the consequences of the deaths.
Co-incidentally, Dorothea and Christl’s father was also onboard the submarine controlled by Malone’s dad and, like Malone, they’re interested in separating fiction from fact but to do that, they need the file Cotton has just been handed. Hovering between aiding Cotton and trying to kill him (for really, really senseless reasons), the women in this family come across as two-dimensional clichés. They were so bland and predictable and basically, idiotic. For example, one of the sisters just kills people at random. Likewise, the sisters’ relationship is explained in such Freudian 101 terms, it was laughable. They’re forty-eight and mummy still manipulates their hearts, minds and thus actions? They seek her (and dead daddy’s) approval constantly? Didn’t buy it – not even when their massive inheritance is thrown in for good measure. Nothing they or their mother did made sense – their motivations, their insistence on mis-leading, deceiving, aligning themselves with various people (just ‘cause?), making phone calls, tormenting, whether for good or not, didn’t even propel the plot, they mostly hindered it. I couldn’t believe that Berry had constructed such pathetic, misguided, stereotyped women who were narcissistic, selfish and dull. Seen through Cotton’s eyes, we’re told the twins are beautiful, all right, but when he concedes they’re smart, courageous, conflicted, deceitful or hurting or anything else, we’re told, not shown in the writing. That Cotton sleeps with one is just ridiculous in terms of his character. While I accept he may have just wanted a shag, it wasn’t presented that way and appeared more a lapse of reason that was just plain out of character. Cotton is not a skirt-chaser.
As for the American bad guys – again, poorly constructed clichés that serve the story one-dimensionally. They were also patently obvious in their Machiavellian ways, which makes me wonder why it took so long to tumble them? I mean, one of the guys has been murdering his way to the top for years (and one of the female characters has no trouble exposing all of this when it suits the narrative – so how come every other idiot in the Whitehouse can’t do the same???), and no-one notices? That’s just silly…
I could continue, but I won’t, because it’s not all bad and there are some genuinely thrilling moments.
Evoking the spectres of Nazis, Charlemagne, Aryans, angels, heavenly language and the possibility of an advanced race who roamed the planet long before we humans were capable of such advanced exploration, never mind advanced subs, polar exploration, and dysfunctional family dynamics this book really tries to cover a great deal.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I hoped and that’s because the female characters (with the slight exception of Stephanie Nelle) pissed me off. So did all the villains. I just couldn’t believe in them in any way shape or form. Worse, I couldn’t credit that Cotton would either.
Perhaps that’s credit to how firmly Berry has established Cotton has a protagonist in fans’ minds that I found his dealings with the twins and their mother ridiculous and unlikely. Sadly, because they’re the core of this story, it renders the plot and its execution weak.
Overall, not a great addition to the Malone series, but I will keep reading them because I know Berry can also produce the narrative goods.
Ostensibly, this novel is about Cotton being given the file that reveals “the truth” of how his father, a Captain on a top-secret US submarine, died while on a classified mission. Told one version of events from the age of ten, Cotton discovers he’s been deceived (he “can’t handle the truth”) and this sends him off on a journey of self-discovery. But the truth can be a dangerous thing, especially when it threatens those who for years have relied on keeping it hidden to maintain their positions.
Learning that Cotton threatens to expose secrets kept for decades, there are those at the top of the US defence tree who will do anything to ensure secrets lay buried, even if means Cotton’s (and anyone else involved) interred with them.
The action takes place in parallel narratives and moves from part of Europe, to the USA and, ultimately, Antarctica. While I could accept most of the improbable story-line (it’s Steve Berry after all, and I’m prepared to have some fun), the part I struggled most with were the villains. It’s as if Berry found them in Villains ‘R Us. First, there were the German characters, the malevolent matriarch and her beautiful twin daughters, Dorothea Lindauer and Christl Faulk, as well as the family’s henchman, Igor, I mean, Ulrich Henn. Then there were the American baddies – two naval personnel and a hired assassin. All of these people appeared to kill willy-nilly (even those who have shown loyalty and the ability to keep secrets – why? To add to the book’s body-count? Surely, as is the case, these connected deaths simply arouse suspicion…? D’oh!), or without really thinking through the consequences of the deaths.
Co-incidentally, Dorothea and Christl’s father was also onboard the submarine controlled by Malone’s dad and, like Malone, they’re interested in separating fiction from fact but to do that, they need the file Cotton has just been handed. Hovering between aiding Cotton and trying to kill him (for really, really senseless reasons), the women in this family come across as two-dimensional clichés. They were so bland and predictable and basically, idiotic. For example, one of the sisters just kills people at random. Likewise, the sisters’ relationship is explained in such Freudian 101 terms, it was laughable. They’re forty-eight and mummy still manipulates their hearts, minds and thus actions? They seek her (and dead daddy’s) approval constantly? Didn’t buy it – not even when their massive inheritance is thrown in for good measure. Nothing they or their mother did made sense – their motivations, their insistence on mis-leading, deceiving, aligning themselves with various people (just ‘cause?), making phone calls, tormenting, whether for good or not, didn’t even propel the plot, they mostly hindered it. I couldn’t believe that Berry had constructed such pathetic, misguided, stereotyped women who were narcissistic, selfish and dull. Seen through Cotton’s eyes, we’re told the twins are beautiful, all right, but when he concedes they’re smart, courageous, conflicted, deceitful or hurting or anything else, we’re told, not shown in the writing. That Cotton sleeps with one is just ridiculous in terms of his character. While I accept he may have just wanted a shag, it wasn’t presented that way and appeared more a lapse of reason that was just plain out of character. Cotton is not a skirt-chaser.
As for the American bad guys – again, poorly constructed clichés that serve the story one-dimensionally. They were also patently obvious in their Machiavellian ways, which makes me wonder why it took so long to tumble them? I mean, one of the guys has been murdering his way to the top for years (and one of the female characters has no trouble exposing all of this when it suits the narrative – so how come every other idiot in the Whitehouse can’t do the same???), and no-one notices? That’s just silly…
I could continue, but I won’t, because it’s not all bad and there are some genuinely thrilling moments.
Evoking the spectres of Nazis, Charlemagne, Aryans, angels, heavenly language and the possibility of an advanced race who roamed the planet long before we humans were capable of such advanced exploration, never mind advanced subs, polar exploration, and dysfunctional family dynamics this book really tries to cover a great deal.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I hoped and that’s because the female characters (with the slight exception of Stephanie Nelle) pissed me off. So did all the villains. I just couldn’t believe in them in any way shape or form. Worse, I couldn’t credit that Cotton would either.
Perhaps that’s credit to how firmly Berry has established Cotton has a protagonist in fans’ minds that I found his dealings with the twins and their mother ridiculous and unlikely. Sadly, because they’re the core of this story, it renders the plot and its execution weak.
Overall, not a great addition to the Malone series, but I will keep reading them because I know Berry can also produce the narrative goods.
May 11, 2019
it's beginning to go over my head;
i guess i need a break
p38: he was discreetly positioned across the street, inside a busy cdonald's.
p252: stephanie stood beside herbert rowland's hospital bed, and devis opposite her.
p428: she pulled the trigger.
click.
he kept walking. she pulled the trigger again. more clicks.
he stopped and faced her. "i had your bag searched while we ate at the base. i found the gun." he caught the abashed look on her face. "i thought it a prudent move, after your tantrum on the plane. i had the bullets taken from the magazine."
more like replaced it with a lighter, haha
p439: now he popped the fully loaded magazine into the remaining heckler & koch usp, forcing his foggy mind to concentrate, his fingers to move.
p458: "i'm sure cotton would like to ring dyals' neck," she said.
plus a lot of missing spaces that kept me on my toes
i guess i need a break
p38: he was discreetly positioned across the street, inside a busy cdonald's.
p252: stephanie stood beside herbert rowland's hospital bed, and devis opposite her.
p428: she pulled the trigger.
click.
he kept walking. she pulled the trigger again. more clicks.
he stopped and faced her. "i had your bag searched while we ate at the base. i found the gun." he caught the abashed look on her face. "i thought it a prudent move, after your tantrum on the plane. i had the bullets taken from the magazine."
more like replaced it with a lighter, haha
p439: now he popped the fully loaded magazine into the remaining heckler & koch usp, forcing his foggy mind to concentrate, his fingers to move.
p458: "i'm sure cotton would like to ring dyals' neck," she said.
plus a lot of missing spaces that kept me on my toes
March 29, 2023
I really enjoy historical mysteries of this genre. The narrator is top knotch.
Sex: Casual sex implied.
Language: Sadly there is plenty of language. Mainly SOB and B(*&...no F-bombs.
Violence: Mild to moderate. Not overly gory or descriptive.
One pet peeve...on one hand the author bases his story on myths from various societies from all other the world saying it must be based it truth. He does ask pointed question and make the reader think. On the other end, he totally ignores other myths - like a world wide flood - by the same people calling it, well, myth. Seems quite biased.
The author seems to have a major issue with Christianity mainly. He does have very valid points...but it seems it taints all of his storylines and it feels redundant.
Otherwise, I enjoyed it.
Sex: Casual sex implied.
Language: Sadly there is plenty of language. Mainly SOB and B(*&...no F-bombs.
Violence: Mild to moderate. Not overly gory or descriptive.
One pet peeve...on one hand the author bases his story on myths from various societies from all other the world saying it must be based it truth. He does ask pointed question and make the reader think. On the other end, he totally ignores other myths - like a world wide flood - by the same people calling it, well, myth. Seems quite biased.
The author seems to have a major issue with Christianity mainly. He does have very valid points...but it seems it taints all of his storylines and it feels redundant.
Otherwise, I enjoyed it.
May 25, 2023
Cotton Malone ventures out on his next adventure, this one is personal He gets tangled up into some family drama that is not his own, but does tie in with his own agenda. I really appreciated that we brought the focus back to Cotton Malone because I was missing that in the previous entry. Steve Berry does give us a little more insight into a few of the characters we have been running with alongside Cotton. I also really enjoyed how this story was a lot more focused because again, I felt like the previous entry was a little scattered at times. All around this was another solid entry in the Cotton Malone series, but this ended with a cliffhanger, so I had to dive into book five.
February 17, 2017
The Charlemagne Pursuit by Steve Berry
Cotton Malone series Book #4
3 ★'s
From The Book:
As a child, former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone was told that his father died in a submarine disaster in the North Atlantic. But what he now learns stuns him: His father’s sub was a secret nuclear vessel lost on a highly classified mission beneath the ice shelves of Antarctica.
Twin sisters Dorothea Lindauer and Christl Falk are also determined to find out what became of their father, who died on the same submarine–and they know something Malone doesn’t: Inspired by strange clues discovered in Charlemagne’s tomb, the Nazis explored Antarctica before the Americans. Now Malone discovers that cryptic journals penned in “the language of heaven,” conundrums posed by an ancient historian, and his father’s ill-fated voyage are all tied to a revelation of immense consequence for humankind. As Malone embarks on a dangerous quest with the sisters, he will finally confront the shocking truth of his father’s death and the distinct possibility of his own.
My Thoughts:
It's not a bad book by any means...but certainly is not the best of this series. If I had depended on the description alone in choosing the book it would have rated very high as the subject was something that I am very interested in. As it turned out the characters were very hard to keep up with since the author jumped around in the time elements as well as what was taking place with each character in so many different localities. The usual team that Cotton works with were nearly all absent except for Stephanie and she was scarce and really wasn't working with Cotton. If this had not been a group read...which always adds so much to a book...I have to confess I probably wouldn't have finished it.
Cotton Malone series Book #4
3 ★'s
From The Book:
As a child, former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone was told that his father died in a submarine disaster in the North Atlantic. But what he now learns stuns him: His father’s sub was a secret nuclear vessel lost on a highly classified mission beneath the ice shelves of Antarctica.
Twin sisters Dorothea Lindauer and Christl Falk are also determined to find out what became of their father, who died on the same submarine–and they know something Malone doesn’t: Inspired by strange clues discovered in Charlemagne’s tomb, the Nazis explored Antarctica before the Americans. Now Malone discovers that cryptic journals penned in “the language of heaven,” conundrums posed by an ancient historian, and his father’s ill-fated voyage are all tied to a revelation of immense consequence for humankind. As Malone embarks on a dangerous quest with the sisters, he will finally confront the shocking truth of his father’s death and the distinct possibility of his own.
My Thoughts:
It's not a bad book by any means...but certainly is not the best of this series. If I had depended on the description alone in choosing the book it would have rated very high as the subject was something that I am very interested in. As it turned out the characters were very hard to keep up with since the author jumped around in the time elements as well as what was taking place with each character in so many different localities. The usual team that Cotton works with were nearly all absent except for Stephanie and she was scarce and really wasn't working with Cotton. If this had not been a group read...which always adds so much to a book...I have to confess I probably wouldn't have finished it.
February 17, 2017
When he was ten, Cotton Malone's father, Navy Captain Forrest Malone, was lost in a submarine accident. The body was never recovered. When Cotton is approached by a mysterious woman named Dorothea Lindauer she tells him the real truth. His father actually died on a classified mission in Antarctica along with Dorothea's father who was also on board. After requesting the classified file from former boss, Stephanie Nelle, Cotton teams with Dorothea and her twin sister, Cristl Faulk, to find out what really happened back in 1971. He's looking for his father, but they are looking for some sort of evidence that there was an advanced society that has now disappeared. Meanwhile Stephanie and deputy national security advisor, Edwin Davis, team up to try to find out why several of the men who knew about that mission are dying in different ways.
The writing was choppy and the action moved from one subplot to another. There are four or five separate plot lines going on, none of them compelling. The characters are neither likable nor their motivations believable. Charlemagne didn't have much to do with the story and I believe he was only used to provide an interesting title. I've read and enjoyed the previous three books in the Cotton Malone series so I hope this was just a bad one. Overall, I'm glad this underwhelming and tiresome book is over.
The writing was choppy and the action moved from one subplot to another. There are four or five separate plot lines going on, none of them compelling. The characters are neither likable nor their motivations believable. Charlemagne didn't have much to do with the story and I believe he was only used to provide an interesting title. I've read and enjoyed the previous three books in the Cotton Malone series so I hope this was just a bad one. Overall, I'm glad this underwhelming and tiresome book is over.
September 18, 2018
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.
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. .
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.
I was entertained, it was a fast, interesting read. I recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,088 reviews