The Charlemagne Pursuit: A Novel (Cotton Malone)

Yet Another Great Read...

I am a great Steve Berry and Cotton Malone fan. Mr Berry's books are well written, packed with historical facts, characters you can easily interact with and a well thought out plot that always comes together soundly at the end. I have to admit missing his two friends, Henrick and Ms Vitt and at first I thought the book would not be the same without them. However, as I read further I realised Cotton was on his own quest to find the truth behind the death of his father, submariner Forrest Malone. There are two plots running parallel, one involving Cotton's quest to solve his Dad's death in the Antarctic 38 years ago and the other Edwin Davis of the White House, with the help of Stephanie Nelle, Director of the Magellan Billet, set on revenge for the long ago murder of his secret love which was ordered by the now extremely ambitious Head of Naval Intelligence who intends to kill his way to the Oval Office. President Danny Daniels is once again supporting both of these endeavors which ultimately intertwine and give results that satisfy Cotton, Edwin, Stephanie and of course last but not least the President and the overall security of the United States of America. While some say it's not necessary to read the series in order, I disagree. As the series progresses it is invaluable to know the background history between the main characters to understand where the later books fit in. I understand Cotton would love to stay in retirement and no longer have to chase around the world solving intriguing cases and getting shot at but I'm sure he'd get very board tending his bookshop in Denmark and I hope Mr Malone has a few more escapades with his group of friends instore for us. I thoroughly recommend Steve Berry as a 'must read' author, whether it be the Malone Series or his stand alone novels, he makes you think about what you are reading, certainly not chewing gum for the mind ! Read more