The Paris Vendetta

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Author: Steve Berry
Acquired in: August 2018



The fifth book in the Cotton Malone series should have been quite something, but it felt as if Steve Berry got confused while penning down his plot. It's a killjoy when the subsequent novels of an enthralling series go on an entirely different tangent. I can say for sure that this isn't Steve Berry at his best. 

Former US Justice Department officer Cotton Malone has had anything but peace since his relocation from Atlanta to Copenhagen. Now a bookseller, he finds himself embroiled in his fifth conspiracy- a frantic search for Napoleon's arcana to save the world from a massive economic disaster orchestrated by a secret society of relentless tycoons- and resignedly goes off to set things right. However, he doubts an old friend, Henrik Thorvaldsen's inordinate interest in the cabal's affairs and has his work cut out trying to dissuade the Dane from his quest for revenge. Beginning in Egypt and culminating in Paris, Malone races against time to find Napoleon's elusive secret. Will he find it in time to avert a catastrophe, one that would financially cripple nations and build an empire to rule over them all?

The plot seems interesting when I put it that way, but the extensive economics playing out is a dampener. I don't care for stock markets and such things much, so understanding this book was a bit hard. As I mentioned before, the characters don't align much with those of the previous books. A kickass character, Cassiopeia Vitt is not even mentioned in a passing thought. The book sorely needed her. I see a paradigm shift in Henrik as well. The usually calm and wily Dane is a rash and grieving man in the book, something different from how he is portrayed in the preceding books. The history, though, is what made the book readable. Steve Berry's other historical fiction works I've read are excellent. 

The book didn't quite meet my expectations and I have a lukewarm affection towards it. It's okay, but not great. If there are weak spots in the series, then this is the first.


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