The Paris Vendetta: A Novel (Cotton Malone Book 5)

An easy read but there were a number of small sub plots that seem to disappear. Author should have worked harder to tie things together at the end. Example: (without giving away the story) there was an inside source of information; it was never identified or tied into ending events. Doubt if I'll read other books by this author.

Lots of action… I found it hard to put the book down… I kept wanting to read just one more chapter. I loved the description of all the places in Paris - makes me want to go back and revisit them.

This book is a great addition to the Cotton Malone series. Great all around action and narrow escapes. Emotional at times and very well written. I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great suspense novel to pass the time.

On a side note: buy my ebook, Advent of Storms, due out early 2011... Curious about it? Keep checking the store.com for more details!

I met Steve Berry last summer during a writing seminar and decided I wanted to read his books. I have bought all that he has published. Not only are they very exciting and interesting, I have learned a lot about the subjects he is writing about. Join me in reading his books, you will not be disappointed.

I read the author's book that preceded this novel. It was very good and I like it so much that I ordered this novel that
continued the exploits of the characters in The Charlemagne Pursuit. However, this book was no where near as good but some
may fine it well written and rewarding.

This book was a big disappointment and certainly did not live up to the quality of Berry's other books. Multiple story lines were not well developed and lacked good transisiton. Even when the story lines finally came together, it was unsatisfactory. New characters were thin, and characters who were "old friends" did not behave or even think the way they had in past books. All in all, I wish I had borrowed this book from the library and saved my money.

I've read of all of Steve Berry's Cotton Malone books and this was, by far, his best 'written' book. All his past novels had OVER THE TOP detail and description that pushed me to skip paragraphs at a time. This was an easier read and had better flow as I found myself skipping less, if not any. The story I wasn't exactly thrilled about, but he did keep it interesting as Steve Berry usually does. It took me 2 weeks to read the first half of the book, and 2 days to read the 2nd half so it did get better towards the end. (** spoiler alert **) There could have been more emphasis/description about the treasure, the oracle, or something to tie everything together as I felt some questions were left unanswered and the story ended too abruptly.... and to kill off one of the main characters in your series?? Either way, it was a good novel and I will continue to read Steve Berry's books. Of my favorite stories, I still rank Alexandria Link (1st), Venetian Betrayal (2nd), This (3rd), Charlemagne Persuite (4th)

I became a Steve Berry fan with his first book and have read them all. "The Paris Vendetta" is a good read and keeps you guessing "what else can happen". I was very disappointed that Steve found it necessary to kill one of the main characters, Henrik Thorvaldsen, in all the books. What happens to Cotton Malone's bookstore now since he was renting from Thorvaldsen? What happens to the business conglomerate Thorvaldsen owned? Who inherits all his wealth? And who is this new kid, Sam? Will he become a character in future books? The book was a good read but left more questions than answers in my opinion, however, I will buy the next one.

I became a Steve Berry fan with his first book and have read them all. "The Paris Vendetta" is a good read and keeps you guessing "what else can happen". I was very disappointed that Steve found it necessary to kill one of the main characters, Henrik Thorvaldsen, in all the books. What happens to Cotton Malone's bookstore now since he was renting from Thorvaldsen? What happens to the business conglomerate Thorvaldsen owned? Who inherits all his wealth? And who is this new kid, Sam? Will he become a character in future books? The book was a good read but left more questions than answers in my opinion, however, I will buy the next one.

This is my first Steve Berry book...maybe my last. It was difficult following this convoluted plot. Financial manipulations, suicide bombings, even a 911 type attack on the Eiffel Tower, threaten the world. All this with Napoleon, his hidden treasure and it's predictable bad guys and girls going after the gold. Of course, they are easliy stopped by our reluctant hero, Cotton Malone and an assortment of Cia/Fbi wannabees. The only reason I gave it two stars instead of one is that I love reading about the streets of Paris. If this goofy plot was in Buffalo, i'd have sent it to my kindle archives at the 50% mark.

Steve Berry’s “The Paris Vendetta” is fifth book in the Cotton Malone series, and I really enjoy his writing. His plots and writings are certainly in the Dan Brown or Robert Ludlum style, where each chapter is relatively short and jumps to a different character and part of the plot. “The Paris Vendetta” is a good book – just a little weaker than the previous four. The book starts strong, but then slows down and then it drags at times. About two thirds into the book, the plot begins to take off and keeps you there until the end, which holds a surprise most will not see coming.

When Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile in 1821, he took to the grave a powerful secret: his hidden treasures from places he had conquered. The story starts with a “bang” (pardon the cliché) as Secret Service Agent Sam Collins is sent by Thorvaldsen to seek out Cotton Malone (retired US Department of Justice operative). Late one night, Collins breaks into the Malone’s Copenhagen Bookstore with gun men on his trail. However, Thorvaldsen's real objective is revenge: to avenge the murder of his son by the larcenous aristocrat at the very heart of the conspiracy.

I thoroughly enjoy Berry’s hero Cotton Malone as well as many other characters who weave in and out of this series. Cotton Malone continues to develop as a dynamic and complex character during the course of this novel, and he has some complex choices he must make (knowledge of prior works helps with this!). One of these choices near the end of the book was surprising; thus I struggled with a 3 or a 4. However, due to this one dragging a little more than the others so far, I had to give it a 3. Regardless, if you like the action and international thriller genre, give Steve Berry a try. Just try not to get overly critical - just relax and enjoy the ride.

Berry's efforts to tie disparate conspiracy theories and lost treasure stories together - from Napoleon in Egypt to Rommel's gold - has the makings of a great thriller.
I also appreciate his study of history ( although some errors do make it into print - by taking on too much the research becomes sloppy at times ) and the interesting European locales that he uses for his settings. I have been to many of them - including the Cluny Museum in Paris - and his descriptions are all very good.
But the story is cluttered with competing subplots, run-on dialogue, and a strange Mexican standoff at the end that leaves the plot without a real climax or conclusion. Everyone should read the book Creature of Jekyll Island, which Berry references, but the threat presented in one of the subplots never seems credible and the reader loses interest in the outcome.

Great grammar and characters. Not one error in my Kindle version. I particularly favour Cotton Malone, he's one of the most "real" fictional characters! Imperfect and engaging. The plot was intriguing and developed well through the unfolding of the story. Mr Berry is an excellent storyteller with an eye for detail. This plot is based around the Napoleonic conspiracies. On the side, I enjoyed the character of Lord Ashby and his progression through to the/his end, what does that say of me:-) I hope to meet Sam Collins again and was sad about Hendrik at least from Cotton's point.

I'm reading this book as a part of a 7 book bundle for my Kindle. I'm putting each individual review on each book's separate product page. When I'm done with the bundle, I'll put a note on the bundle's product page to let people know to look for my reviews on the individual book product pages with a short summarization of my thoughts about the series as a whole. This book wasn't quite as good, to me, as The Venetian Betrayal, but it was good nonetheless. I won't bore you with a plot summary as I know other reviewers are fond of doing that. This book is important to read for completion and informational purposes in the context of the universe of the story's characters as well as for its own enjoyable nature. Things happen in this book that are important to know as things go forward. If you liked the previous books, give this one a shot. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Have at it! The ending is sad if you feel for these characters and appreciate them, but it's not entirely tragic as a few nice things happen as well. I wasn't really as intrigued by the "object" of this book's plot as most of history doesn't really interest me on its own. The "hook" in this book wasn't nearly as enticing to draw me in as the previous books. I can't wait to start the next book!

"The Paris Vendetta" is the fifth (my first) Steve Berry thriller to feature Cotton Malone, a former operative of the U.S. Justice Department. Malone, with some help from Danish billionaire Henrik Thorvaldsen, is now the owner of a used-book store in Copenhagen. The men became friends because Malone was coincidentally at the scene of the Mexico City shooting in which Thorvaldsen's son, along with several others, was killed. Their relationship, which began with Thorvaldsen's heartfelt appreciation that Malone immediately gunned down some of the shooters that horrible day, has grown into a close one in the minds of both men.

Thorvaldsen, however, is still consumed by the knowledge that the two men most responsible for the Mexico City massacre are still alive. He wants them dead, and he is hoping that Cotton Malone will help him make that happen. Malone is sucked into Thorvaldsen's plot early one morning when his bookstore is invaded by an American agent running for his life. Soon, the bookstore has been shot up and the two men are on the run.

Malone will learn that one of the men being sought by Thorvaldsen is a British aristocrat who is involved in a plot with a group of financial experts to undermine the world's economy so that group members can profit from the ensuing chaos. As if that were not enough, the British millionaire is also on a mission of his own to find the looted treasure Napoleon supposedly hid before his exile to Corsica. Unfortunately for him, however, he is not the only one hot on the trail of clues needed to pinpoint the treasure's final resting place.

"The Paris Vendetta" serves up typical thriller material. Cotton Malone is a likable character, as are most of those he ends up working with in his attempt to save the world from what The Paris Club has planned for it. In the manner of James Bond and Mission Impossible, Malone also finds himself dealing with a hired terrorist determined to destroy a Paris landmark. His efforts to stop the terrorist are so spectacular that Malone often seems only a step or two short of qualifying as a bona fide super hero.

The most interesting character in the book is Henrik Thorvaldsen, a good man so caught up in grief over the way his son died that he is willing personally to murder the men responsible for that death. Nothing else matters to him anymore. Malone wants to help Thorvaldsen find peace, but for complicated reasons involving The Paris Club and the U.S. Department of Justice, he finds himself opposing the efforts of his old friend.

While "The Paris Vendetta" has its moments, it is too similar to all those other modern day thrillers out there to stand out as anything very special. Steve Berry's novel is better written than most thrillers in the sense that he treats history with more respect than most thriller writers do. The problem comes from the sense one gets that plots like this one have already been written too many times.

I'm a huge fan of Steve Berry. The amount of research he does for each one is just amazing. He takes us on travels that most of us will never go on ourselves. I always learn something new.

The Paris Vendetta focuses on Napoleon Bonaparte. Most of us probably know the following facts about Napoleon:

He was short.
He stuck his hand inside his coat all of the time.
He lost at Waterloo.
He was exiled to some island.

Small bit of trivia - I had a pen pal from the island to which he was first exiled, Elba.

Anyway, I have to be honest and say that this was not my favorite book by Berry. I just didn't take an interest in the story the way I usually do. Where was Cassiopeia Vitt? Did this really take place just two weeks after the last novel ended?

The book just didn't focus enough on Cotton's life, which is what we have come to expect. While Thorvaldsen is a great character as well, there was hardly any interaction between Cotton and Thorvaldsen and that is such great relationship. Also, why is Thorvaldsen so crippled by his son's death now, but seemed okay in earlier books?

In any case, it's still better than Twilight.

I'm sad to say it, folks, Mr. Berry has let me down. Something about The Paris Vendetta, the fifth book in the Cotton Malone series, did not catch me as his previous books have. I wasn't hooked, I wasn't excited or thrilled or anticipating the next turn of events.

The Paris Vendetta follows former agent Cotton Malone as he's rudely awoken in the middle of the night by a stranger who says his good friend Henrik sent him. So begins a European cat-and-mouse game between Cotton, Henrik, and a dangerous group of wealthy semi-terrorists called The Paris Club who are searching for the lost riches of the Emperor Napoleon who hid the location in riddles in books before he died. Intriguing? Most definitely. A classic Steve Berry idea? For sure. Executed with his usual swagger and panache? Not this time.

Too many twists and turns and a convoluted plot map made the novel meander at times, tripping over its own ideas and details. A regular series character was not present, and several references were made to some trip or project Cotton had been working on over the last two weeks, but we're never told what that project was, nor what resulted from it and why it effected Cotton the way it did. If they were making veiled references to the previous book in the series, they were strange and a little less opacity would have been nice. Likewise, Cotton's son is mentioned but completely abandoned later in the book.

I'm really disappointed in the way The Paris Vendetta fell flat for me. The pulse and energy I've come to associate with his books was lacking. I usually adore Berry's books and I can't say the same about this one. Hard to know what to expect from his next, The Emperor's Tomb.

This novel was my introduction to Cotton Malone, and Steve Berry. As I began reading the first couple of chapters, I started to get confused about all the characters and the interactions between them. I started taking notes. Within the next couple of chapters, the notes were set aside as I got caught up in a compelling tale of the past (Napoleon and his treasure) and the present (those who were hunting for the missing treasure).

The Paris Vendetta covers a lot of ground, from London to Paris, the United States to Copenhagen. The players are serious in their quest to find the treasure and willing to destroy anyone in their way. The U.S. Treasury Department and others are just as adamant about bringing down an international terrorist and stopping further bloodshed. Cotton Malone and his cohorts drive themselves beyond their limit doing whatever they can to stop the catastrophic events that have been set in motion.

To say this novel is a page-turner is an understatement. I literally could not put it down after about a third of the way through. I appreciate the way Mr. Berry moved back and forth between scenes portraying the action in real time so that the reader could understand the multiple situations taking place during the same time period. I also enjoy his way with words and the way he turns a phrase. Very enjoyable read!

This may have been my first novel by this author, but it is not my last.

Well I have read all of Berry's books so far. I enjoy them very much. I like authentic history referenced and utilized. The fact is that there are treasure hunters out there, and legends have facts at their root. I really appreciate that the only people who do great spy things are the ones who are supposed to be the best of the crowd from that field and the amateurs scrape along as best they can. It is nice that the heroes aren't all 20 something or even 30 something with special powers. Not necessarily this story but his writing in general throws priests, lawyers, circus performers and other characters into the mix. There is enough believability and character development to keep my interest and the authors integrity. I had the chance to meet him when he came to our public library to speak and answer questions. He already had a bouquet of best-sellers out there and I was impressed because he did not have to do something like that. (Our town is only about 20,000 people. One thing that made me angry but also gives his stories credibility is that people who put themselves in harms way (particularly if they weren't trained for it end up dead. While I may miss a character and cuss him for a while, if he did not do that I would have been done with his books long ago. I am hoping he writes for a long time. Looking forward to more Miles Lord stories.

Cotton Malone has a problem.

The former U.S. Justice operative has just returned home from an exhausting adventure that took him from his home in Copenhagen to the frozen wilderness of the Antarctic.

It's just three days until Christmas, and all Malone wants to do is sleep. Alas, in author Steve Berry's world, Malone can never seem to catch his breath before being embroiled in the dangerous world of espionage, world economics and counterintelligence.

In "The Paris Vendetta," Malone joins forces with his friend, mentor and multi-billionaire Henrik Thorvaldsen, who is still reeling from the death of his only son, Cai, two years prior in a bloody attack in Mexico City.

In his quest to find Cai's killers, Thorvaldsen has hooked up with American Secret Service agent Sam Collins, who has recently disgraced himself by promoting the idea that there's a secret organization called The Paris Club bent on controlling the world's finances. Collins believes the group is about to launch a project that involves both the future of global economies and the secret treasure hoard of Napoleon, France's greatest ruler.

While Collins and Malone focus on the activities of The Paris Club, Thorvaldsen gains membership to execute one of its most visible members - the man behind his son's death.

Berry is the master of creating a heart-stopping plot, driven by action, mystery, and, of course, a serious history lesson.

Steve Berry has clearly taken the mantle from the diminishing icon that is Dan Brown as THE preeminent writer of historical-based fiction. His novels,most featuring former Justice Department operative, Cotton Malone, are well-researched without being dull and packed with believable characters and international crisis.

With his latest effort, THE PARIS VENDETTA, Berry has jumped on the Napoleon bandwagon as he features the infamous international group known as the Paris Club and their search for the unfound treasures left by the late Bonaparte. Several of Berry's recurring characters are packed into this novel that deals with revenge, spy games and international terrorism (with several Paris landmarks including the Eiffel Tower as potential targets).

The book is long and packed with plenty of action. However, Berry may have raised the bar too high with all of his prior, outstanding work. THE PARIS VENDETTA feels rushed (even at 400+ pages). I never really conntected with any of the characters as there were way too many included in the muddled climax. I also would like to know why Berry chose to turn out ultra-small chapters and paragrahps (in the style of the disgracefully trite James Patterson novels)? A good read, but no where near his previous work. I can only hope this one was under an unrealistic publisher's deadline and that Berry gets to spend more time developing his next book.

I'm so glad I didn't buy this book--I checked it out from the public library instead. I think the author made the mistake of venturing into the Napoleon treasure nonsense. It would have been much better if the author had stuck to the theme of global financial manipulation as it is so relevant to today--and scary.

Also, I have to note one of my pet peeves about international intrigue books with American main characters. It annoys me to no end when American characters on foreign soil are always the heroes while the locals are given minor background roles. While American security personnel do have some clout with it's allies, I have no doubt in my mind that the French authorities would ever allow an American agent to virtually "call the shots" much less be the first to look upon a lost treasure of Napoleon.

I waited a year for this book, and the night that I came home from work and my wife gave it to me, I ran to the bedroom and read the first 20 pages. I was hooked right off the bat. Anyone who is a Steve Berry fan will relish this book. I contains most of the same characters that are in the Malone series, but he has added a couple new ones also. There is a lot of different things going on, however it does not confuse at all like some other books that I have read. This book has a different feel to it too.

I must admit (I hate doing this but I must) after reading the last book, even though I loved it, it just seemed lacking. If anyone else who read it feels the same, let me tell you, this one packs a punch. I could not wait to get home and read this book everyday. I really can't describe the new feel in it but I love it. It was sad to see one of the regular characters go too, but it was time, and the way he did it was amazing!

To wrap this up, I conclude, if you love fast paced, lots of intrigue, and lots of action, this is the book for you. You will not be able to put it down. His best work to date. The only thing I hate is now I have to wait a year for the next novel to come out. Keep up the good work Mr. Berry, you are the best. I think James Rollins said it best, "When you read a Steve Berry Book, you don't just read it, you live it."

Cotton Malone is once again awakened by a break and enter into his Copenhagen bookstore and thrown into an action packed mission before he even knows all the details. This time, his old friend Henrik Thorvaldson is looking to avenge his son's murder. In order to do this, he needs to gain inside knowledge of the Paris Club, a group of wealthy financiers looking to manipulate world financial markets using old secrets and the lost treasure loot of Napolean. One of this group is responsible for the killing and Henrik plans to take advantage of the present affiliations and goals of the group to exact his revenge.

I thought this was one of the more exciting Cotton Malone novels. The Paris Club and their goals were interesting as well as the insight into Henrik Thorvaldson. I felt there was less of an emphasis on history in this one, with the Napolean story playing only a small part, but the overall story was smoother than some of the others in the series where too many subplots were included. There was also some interesting new characters introduced that I hope will make appearances in future novels.

I was really looking forward to finally picking up this book, even though it came out a while back. I ignored the reviews, but now feel compelled to write one. The main character Cotton is dull and static, and one of the better characters (HT) gets killed, along with two main "bad guys"; another highly sought-after "master-mind" gets to walk because the Secret Service didn't have any evidence on her. this leaves the reader disappointed at the end, because the characters spend so much time, put themselves in extremely dangerous (and unbelievable) situations for what seems to me Not Much as far as results go. Yes, they found the treasure everyone was looking for, and even though, the treasure was the main story, it lost its importance with all the "chasing", and once found, appeared to be more of an afterthought. If you're on a plane with nothing else to read, go for it, otherwise you can definitely skip this book.

I picked up a copy of The Paris Vendetta in an airport book store. For reading to while away the time during a long flight it serves its purpose, but I am frustrated that all the "bestsellers" seem to follow the same formula: Impossibly conniving, ridiculously wealthy protagonists and villains alike, action constituting the main plot line with little connection to real life situations, and totally fictitious omnipotent governmental agencies. Steve Berry is very skillful in using the device of parallel plot lines with chapter after chapter ending in suspenseful moments, all designed to motivate the reader to go on to the next chapter just to find out what is happening. Nevertheless this is just another in a long series of very forgettable books with much form and no substance, the historical references notwithstanding. If you are looking for a good "beach book" or a quick read to redeem some empty time this fits the bill. Sadly it is nothing more than that.

I've read most of Berry's books now and not in chronological order. I do find the use of historical mysteries interesting. However, Berry's technical review team leave a lot to be desired on the most simple levels. For example in a previous book he mentioned the "magazine" on a revolver and I winced, but let it slide. On page 4 - as I start the Paris Vendetta, Napoleon "could still smell the cordite..." which is interesting. Apparently, Napoleon had a futurist sense of smell. Napoleon died in 1821 and cordite wasn't developed and produced until 1889. I know this is fiction, but if you are going to use a historical backdrop, but aren't going to check out your historical technical details you lose narrative credibility - and Steve you lost yours here on page 4. Too bad. Hire some decent technical reviewers.

Excruciatingly dull; too many characters introduced, too much jumping back and forth, and way too much non-relevant historical details. I tried, but stopped listening after #6 out of 12 CD's.
Picked this one up (audiobook, unabridged), on a recommendation from another author I do like. Will not likely try another, life is too short to waste time on boring books..... The reader, Scott Brick, is technically very good, but is rather monotone, and could put you to sleep.

I read my first Steve Berry book, The Charlemagne Pursuit, last week. When reviewing it, I mentioned that it wasn't the genre I usually read and that, although I enjoyed it, I would only read another Berry if someone loaned it to me. Someone did just that--the just finished The Paris Vendetta. The race to discover Napoleon's lost cache of treasure, a family's vendetta against all things Napoleonic, a father's quest to revenge his son's death, a terrorist plot to manipulate global economy--all these plots were skillfully interwoven.

This book was far, far better than The Charlemagne Pursuit. The last one-third of the book was a page-flipping delight of action. At this point, I will buy Steve Berry's next novel. I enjoy action adventure, but some of my favorite authors like Cussler and Rollins seem to be putting out cookie-cutter novels. I hope Berry doesn't fall into this same category.

This review is for the unabridged audiobook.

I definitely felt this book could have been abridged. It seems about 25% too long. Some others have said it was fast paced. Later on, perhaps. But for a thriller, I think much of it plodded on, getting bogged down with long insertions of historical context, intricate descriptions of people and places, and some soapboxing about such things as global warming. While some of this added legitimacy to the story (it's a little like historical fiction), it is not something that makes you hang on your seat for the next action. In the last couple of hours of the narrative, I'd say action came quicker and there was more mystery and less background. Unless you have an abridged audio-book or book, or can scan through the slow passages in the regular book, I'd say skip this.

THE GENRE
Most Steve Berry novels are in the secret societies, conspiracies, and hidden treasures action-mystery genre. In the best of these novels (e.g., "The DiVinci Code"), facts and supposition are clearly differentiated, so that most readers are likely to learn some real history, while recognizing and evaluating the speculations in the novel on their own. However, in the "The Paris Vendetta"--except for a few historical facts, much of the alleged historical background fails to ring authentic--or at least the fabric connecting the desperate, often dubious, fragments feels newly manufactured. In an "afterword", Berry graciously separates the curds from the whey, and as suspected, virtually all of the "interesting stuff" (secret societies, conspiracies, and hidden treasures) is purely fictional. One would not complain about this situation in a James Bond novel, but readers expect something different from Steve Berry.

THE TEASERS
A teaser is a loathsome literary device designed to catch bookstore browsers with up-front action, albeit out of context. The usual effect is to confuse and mislead the reader. Berry begins "The Paris Vendetta" with a freaking SERIES of THREE teasers. In the first, in 1799 Napoleon visits a seer in the great pyramid of Giza, and orders the seer killed. In the second, man apparently stumbles on a street massacre and is shot after having shot two of the gunmen himself. That turns out to be a dream, to which he awakes to discover that someone has broken into his home and that "someone" is being pursued into the house by assassins. Whew!!

THE THEME
Rare for a fantasy-action novel, "The Paris Vendetta" has a theme, i.e., that moneylenders (specifically the Rothschild's, their predecessors and their descendants) are the source of all evil in the world. Moreover, Berry asserts the thesis that Napoleon's "greatness" resulted from his distrust of such individuals.

THE SETUP
The first section of the novel is severely disrupted by numerous tedious convoluted independent storylines and "tales", told from multiple points of view. Short "action sequences" are thrown in to keep the reader awake, but are mostly irrelevant to the story, such as it is. Major new characters, motives, and story-threads are introduced late in the novel which makes any sort of summary, without spoilers, impossible. So, the following describes is the "initial setup".

The leading protagonist is ex-patriot American semi-former (Department of Justice) agent Cotton Malone, who is semi-retired in Copenhagen, Denmark, nominally as a bookseller. Cotton is under the protection/friendship of Danish multibillionaire aristocrat Henrik Thorvaldsen. Thorvaldsen blames British aristocrat billionaire Lord Graham Ashby (among others) for the death of his son, Kai in a terrorist attack in Mexico City, and therefore Thorvaldsen is determined to first ruin and then kill Ashby.

Ashby, a financier, is a member of a financial cartel, "The Paris Club" (founded and led by billionaire Elisa Laroque), which is a nefarious organization bent on global domination. In his spare time, Ashby is a treasure hunter and is searching for "Rommels gold" a shipment of antiquities lost in Corsica in 1943.

For no particular reason (other than to introduce a new character into the series) U.S. Secret Service Agent Sam Collins joins which Malone and Thorvaldsen in attempting to thwart the "Paris Club".

CAVEATS
"Suspension of disbelief" is a a given. But Berry asks too much of his readers. For example, early in the book, two assassins succeed in breaking into elderly (79-yrs old?) Thorvaldson's vast estate and 41-room mansion, and the elderly Jewish man with a deformed spine personally kills both of them. Yeh, sure. An individual worth a stated 50 billion dollars cannot afford minimal security?

Speaking of those assassins--who were they? There is no suspicion of Thorvaldsen by any of the members when he much later joins the Paris Club, and Ashby doesn't know who Thorvaldsen is when they are introduced. So who sent the assassins to kill Collins, Malone, and Thorvaldsen? and why?

Why does Laroque put herself and her scheme at great risk by recruiting a dozen or so individuals into the Paris Club to raise a lousy 100 million dollars or so--when she herself is said to be worth 20 billion or so, and expects to have access to many more billions soon (Napoleon's hoard)? The basic thesis makes no sense.

It is poor story-telling technique to introduce major characters past the mid-way point in the novel. Doing so strips the reader of any sense of direction, anticipation, or participation in the story.

THE VERDICT
Even for a fan, such as myself, fond of the returning characters, and fully prepared to cut Berry an extra measure of "suspension of disbelief", the first half of the novel fails to engage, for various reasons, as discussed above. Once you've lost the attention of your audience, waking them up is tough. Or a bored audience, such as myself, may seek entertainment looking for flaws (see above) which would go unnoticed in a more engaging novel. So, while the second half was better, that's a moot point.

> Click on “Stoney” just below the product title to see my other reviews, or leave a comment to ask a question.

But the first half was soooooo slow. This isn't Berry's best work overall. The second half gets going pretty good, but the first half takes just to long to set up. Too many parts to put together and get in order so you can get the second half to work out. Maybe part of it is that I'm not that into Napolean.

If you're thinking about this book and haven't read the rest of the Cotton Malone series, then stop... go find the Templar Legacy and start with it. In this book, you get plenty of that "Cotton Malone" style, some of the old characters, plus a couple of new ones that may stick around. You also get a guest appearance from "The Third Secret"...and not who you are expecting.

The bottom line: If you're into the Cotton Malone series you'll read this anyway. The second half makes it worth it, but skim the first half...cause its slow.

The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry is an international mystery thriller that has a lot to offer. While some scenes take place in Denmark and England, the majority of the action takes place in and around Paris. Cotton Malone is a former US Agent who now runs a secondhand bookshop in Copenhagen. However he doesn't spend much time in his new career within the story. Expelled Secret Service Agent Sam Collins comes seeking Malone on behalf of their mutual friend Henrik Thorvaldsen. Collins has convinced Thorvaldsen of the dangers of a group of wealthy Europeans who meet under the moniker of The Paris Club. Their intent is to reap great profit by wreaking havoc on the world financial markets. One of the members of the club is also the focus of Thorvaldsen's personal quest for revenge for the murder of his son. These two main plot lines play out as numerous characters wind up playing two sides against the middle for their own purposes. The story takes a little while to get going in full force, but I was sucked in before part 1 (of 4) was complete. There were points where I had to put the book down because my allotted time was up, but I often found myself wanting to keep reading instead. In my mind this is always one of the measures of a good book.

There are a lot of historical references to Napoleon as his rumored treasure drives many of the characters in The Paris Club. I was not familiar with a lot the history, and I appreciated the author's notes at the end that separated fact from fiction.

I also thought that Berry did a good job of drawing the reader out of black and white. It is difficult to put a label of "good guy" or "bad guy" on some of the characters such as Thorvaldsen. In many ways he is the tragic figure of the novel as someone who has mostly done good in his life but he succumbs to hate and revenge that arguably drive him mad.

The Paris Vendetta has plenty of action and suspense, and I would say that the feats the characters accomplish don't stretch reality more than what is typical for books in this genre. I found it had a lot of similarities to The Book of Spies by Gayle Lynds if you are looking for a comparison. I did not find it to be a fast tread. The Paris Vendetta clocks in at over 400 pages, and the typeset seems dense compared to other books. It took me a solid week to finish while most books are in the 3-4 day range.

Overall, I would say that The Paris Vendetta is satisfying read for those who like international spy/thriller novels. While it doesn't break much new ground, I still found it very enjoyable. This was my first Steve Berry novel, and I intend to check out some of his previous works.

Overall: B

I prize books that entertain me. I especially prize books that are so interesting that if there are implausible portions I overlook them. "The Paris Vendetta" is such a book.

This book is the first by Steve Berry that I have read. The advantage is that I have no preconceived notions about Mr. Berry's writing. Conversely, I learned during background research for this review that Cotton Malone appears in other Steve Berry novels. The character of Cotton intrigues me enough that I will likely be seeking other Steve Berry books to catch up on the history of this character.

At the very beginning of this book (after the background prologue that introduces useful information about Napoleon Bonaparte), Cotton Malone is in danger from an apparent assassin, who had followed Sam Collins into Malone's bookstore. We quickly learn that Cotton Malone is more than a bookstore owner, and Collins, for his ineptitude and continual ability to put himself into dangerous situations requiring others to save him, works for a U.S. government intelligence agency. Strangely, none of this information is very important.

What is important is that Sam Collins has information that Malone's friend Henrik Thorvaldsen is in danger. If anyone has a chance of getting to Thorvaldsen and saving him, assuming that Thorvaldsen needs saved, it is Cotton Malone. What follows is a complex rollercoaster ride that does not let up until the final pages of the book.

We learn that a secret society has plans and more plans to gain wealth and generally be more powerful. Yes, the powerful secret society is cliché. Having the powerful secret society located in Paris (or in France) is a cliché. What if someone in the secret society, or perhaps two people, has schemes and plans of their own? What if part of those plans involves Nazi gold and a fabled Napoleon treasure? What if the plot is far more complex than I could ever possibly explain and just leave it at that?

Leaving the details of the complexity to an intrepid reader, I will note that I loved the complexity. I wondered how Mr. Berry ever kept track of all the details. I suspect he has copious notes on his computer that helped him keep track of who was doing what, when, where, to whom and why. I know I struggled to keep up with numerous multiple plotlines and almost wondered whether I should have taken notes. Reading the novel quickly, in a few days, helped minimize confusion and I recommend reading this novel as fast as possible.

On the plus side, Mr. Berry keeps a frenetic pace to his story. As I noted earlier, the pace of the story is so fast that the numerous contrivances, which Berry heaps on each other generously, I overlooked because of the need for speed. Also on the plus side is that there is factual basis for many of the contrivances. Berry may have amended the factual basis to help provide background for this novel, but that is another matter.

One of the pluses is also a negative, the complexity of the story. A reader needs to keep the multiple plot lines straight for a long time. I think I lost more than a few details along the way, though in the end the details I lost were probably not very important and did not affect my ability to understand the ending. In order to obtain the complexity, Berry had to modify history and stretch some things, which in the back of my mind, since there was little time to focus on issues, I recognized were highly improbable or implausible, but I was too busy keeping the story straight to over-analyze. I should point out that character development is minimal, but this is an action novel and one should expect the focus to be action.

In an afterward, Berry provides information regarding research for this novel. I was intrigued that many of the places mentioned in the novel are - or were at the time Berry wrote this novel - real places. As the title suggest, much of the novel takes place in Paris (or over or under) and Berry's research was clearly profitable. A fan of Berry might wish to use the afterward as a road map to locations in Paris that were critical to certain scenes in this book.

As I reached the end of this book, I thought to myself that Berry reminded me of early Koontz and Clancy during his middle period. Berry provides lots of well-researched action that pulls you from beginning to end. Of course, I do not have any history with Berry and some Berry fans have been negative in their remarks regarding this book. I have to wonder what they are talking about because I found this book fast-paced and entertaining, so much so that if you enjoy adventure stories with strong doses of conspiracy theories and a decent basis in history, I recommend this book.

Enjoy!

This is my first time reading the Cotton Malone series. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read them in order. There seems to be a lot of backstory between several of the characters. I also had some trouble following the various switches of POV but that may have been partly due to reading it on Kindle rather than the actual book - the switches may have been a little more visually obvious on paper. However the plot was historically interesting and toward the end quite action-packed.

Treasure hunts have been a popular literary theme at least since Treasure Island (Puffin Classics) first published in 1883. Merging the hunt with the elements of what are loosely called international thrillers is nothing new-Clive Cussler has been doing it for years and so has Dan Brown of late. Both of the aforementioned authors suffer from predictable plots and in the case of Brown, a strange obsession with Masonic conspiracies.

Steve Berry provides us something more, and something much better than his contemporaries. The prize which is being sought is on one hand a vast hoard of gold stolen by Napoleon and secreted somewhere in Paris. Yet there are other prizes as well. Henrik Thorvaldsen, the Danish multi-billionaire is on a personal quest to kill an English lord and entrepreneur responsible for the murder of his only son in Mexico two years early. Sam Collins, a young, slightly deranged Secret Service agent, is seeking redemption after being banished for his off-time activities publishing a monetary conspiracy blog, which may have been elements of truth. Those elements of truth are supplied by a new villain, Eliza Larocque, the descendant of a Corsican opponent of Napoleon, whose place in the dustbin of history is a source of personal angst. Peter Lyon, a South African terrorist, engaged by Lord Ashby to murder his competitors, has drawn the attention of the Americans, who together with Berry's quintessential hero Copenhagen dealer in antiquarian books joins the fray.

The plot rockets along from one near disaster to the next. It is a "thriller" in every sense of the word, full of action and surprises. This is Steve Berry's best yet.

HB/Code Thriller: This Cotton Malone book starts right after the last book, The Charlemagne Pursuit The Charlemagne Pursuit: A Novel. It is mess. Steve Berry needs to stop writing a book a year and do more research before writing. The FIRST paragraph had a huge historical error that a noob like me caught. I even looked up the year cordite was invented. The French didn't use a smokeless propellant until 1884. Napoleon died in 1821. When I looked at other reviews, (Solider Boy's) there were two more historical errors in the first paragraph I didn't catch. Berry does site any dramatic license at the end of his books, but does not site the first paragraph.
As for the story, this is uses dramatic license to the trip Napoleon made to Egypt. It has to do with the seers he believed in and a treasure he may have accumulated.
I used to really enjoy Steve Berry books. Cotton Malone is so empty and has become a static character. There is nothing but chasing, running and double-crossing. Skip it.

The ultimate irony is that the author has started a foundation to honor history when he has done so little to fact check this book and make the setting commensurate with historical facts. In the third paragraph of the first page of the prologue, he commmits three egregious errors that forever destroy the illusion for me.

First he mentions that Napoleon brought 34,000 troops and 100,000 rounds of ammunition to Egypt. First, 'rounds' didn't exist in 1801 when Napoleon was in Egypt. Cartridges, 'rounds', weren't invented, developed or used until 60 or 70 years later. Second, even if one assumes that he meant musket balls, flints, wadding and the associated powder as a 'round', that figures out to about 3 'rounds' per soldier for an extended campaign; clearly an arithmetic and fact-checking mistake. Third, Napoleon Bonaparte muses about the smell of cordite; he must have quite an advanced sniffer because cordite wasn't invented until 89 years later.

I recieved this book as part of a first reads giveaway. Overall, I really enjoyed it. It's pretty fast paced, action packed. I also really enjoyed the characters. This book reminded me a bit of a Dan Brown novel, in the way that history becomes an integreal part of the story. I really enjoyed the parts about Napolean!

My one real problem was that this book is in the middle of a series. And I've never read the other books in the series! I'm sure that if I had already read the other books, I would have enjoyed this more, and probably have given it 5 stars. Of course, that's not the books or the authors fault! Just the way the giveaways sometimes happen. But I really enjoyed this book and have every intention of going back and starting the series from the beginning!

If you are a Dan Brown fan, check out this author!

I have enjoyed Steve Berry's books since I first picked up "The Amber Room" several years ago. In his latest Cotton Malone thriller Berry has once again hit upon a winning formula that seems to get better with each book that he writes. In The Paris Vendetta Cotton Malone once again finds himself unwillingly entangled is a series of deadly plots and adventures, though he'd rather be back at his rare bookstore in Denmark enjoying a quiet life. The Paris Vendetta weaves a story of intrigue, revenge, terrorism, and financial corruption in a tightly woven novel that hinges on a Napoleonic legend involving treasure that Napoleon looted from countries he invaded, and may or may not have hidden. Several of Cotton's friends and associates are back for another roller-coaster ride, specifically Stephanie Nelle from the Magellan Billet and Cotton's closest friend, Henrik Thorvaldsen. The book takes many twists and turns and will definitely surprise readers new to Steve Berry's books as well as fans who look forward to his newest novel. Once you pick it up you definitely won't want to put it down.

This story was quietly good. Some readers are easily pleased and I'm one of them...until I examine a story more closely. The Paris Vendetta was well organized, the plotting spread evenly throughout, the characters seriously developed, with a few left and right turns but nothing screamed out loud that excited me to continue reading. Continue reading I did to the last page, with a few hoo hums and oh Wells.

Many scenes were predictable, and the characters' reactions were pedestrian...but that was fine. What distracted me were a few syntax errors. Sentence structure is important in a spy/adventure/mystery novel. A writer should preview the copy/edit aftermath. A writer can produce a One, Two, Buckle My Shoe and a Baa Baa Black Sheep, yet the writer must apply Hark, Hark, The Dogs Do Bark, creating the best communication possible within their story.

I'm easily pleased, therefore, I enjoyed reading The Paris Vendetta. I'll preview Steve Berry's other works before I continue reading him. Meanwhile I'll be reading Rock Paper Tiger by Lisa Brackmann.
I'm the author of DUBROVNIK. Purchase this adventure novel here: DUBROVNIK

Long time fans will be overjoyed to see the return of much-loved Cotton Malone in Steve Berry's newest twist, "The Paris Vendetta". Circling multiple storylines, this is easily the most fast-paced volume in the series as Berry focuses on the long-lost treasure of Napoleon Bonaparte. Cotton is duty-bound to make a choice between helping his closest friend, Henrik Thorvaldsen or taking down a terrorist plot with his former employer Stephanie Nelle.

Bringing together the best of both worlds, Berry skillfully weaves his readers between truth and fiction like none other. While reading these treasures, you can't help but to speculate on what might be historically true and what nuggets have spun from the imagination of Berry. Waiting until the end of the book to find out what happens is often too much, and it takes strong willpower to keep from sliding to the final pages where all is revealed.

With a keen understanding of his readers and brilliant research skills, "The Paris Vendetta" is an intelligent and exciting escapade.

When I picked this book up, I'd seen reviews saying that it wasn't like Berry's previous novels. Some of the reviewers liked it, some didn't. I have to admit, they were right- the book isn't much like any of Berry's other novels. Rather than focus on the pursuit of some forgotten bit of history, the main focus of the book is about revenge, politics & pride. It reads more like a spy mystery mixed in with a crime drama than anything else.

The story finds Cotton Malone's bookstore home being broken into by an eager young agent by the name of Sam. Sam claims that he's working for Cotton's old friend Henrik Thorvaldsen, which Cotton initially doubts- but since there's several baddies trying to kill Sam, Cotton follows along in order to keep alive as well as discover the truth. What he discovers is that Henrik is on a path of revenge against the people who killed his son Cai so many years ago. As Cotton is pulled into this scheme, he also discovers the existence of an organization (The Paris Club) bent on controlling the world's wealth & power as well as the plans of several organization members (Erika & Ashby) to uncover a secret cache of wealth hidden by Napoleon himself.

Seriously, the whole hidden treasure thing was a back story. The main focus of the book was Thorvaldsen's quest for revenge & Erika's (leader of the Paris Club) quest for power as well as her desire to also get revenge on past wrongs done against her ancestors by Napoleon. The treasure was just Erika's way of getting said revenge.

The book had two serious flaws. One is that for the average Berry reader, this was sort of a bait & switch. I can understand that eventually Henrik would have to get his revenge, but the plot just wasn't what I'd come to expect from one of Berry's books. It wasn't terrible, but since I wasn't expecting it, I didn't get into the book at first. After a while I got into it enough to give it the rating I did.

The second flaw of the book is that there's just too freaking much going on in it. Too many characters, too many plot arcs bouncing around... too much of everything except the one thing I wanted from one of Berry's works- history treasure hunting. I just didn't really feel enough for the characters to really want to keep track of all of them & honestly... I kind of struggled to finish the book. I enjoyed it well enough to give it three stars, but I can safely say that if Berry's next work doesn't improve I'll won't be rushing out to buy any of his books anymore. I'll be waiting for the paperbacks.

Now let me justify my 3 star rating. When the book *does* go well, it's usually during the times that the actual treasure hunting or history building is underway. That's one thing that Berry does well & the Napoleonic history & treasure in this book is no exception. I did like seeing Thorvaldsen's desire for revenge, although that's pretty much the only emotion he truly showed in the book. (It almost seemed out of character for him, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt, given how much he cared for his son.)

Fans of the series will be a little disappointed by this book. New readers will be slightly lost by all of the references to previous books, but they may actually fare better as they don't have any prior expectations for Berry to live up to.

This was much better than The Charlemagne Pursuit. The Paris Vendetta does have it's problems but it is very readable and takes the reader for a little adventure ride so I give it 3 stars. Not too bad. I'm not trying to be some overly critical reader here, but I hate it when the pieces don't fit together very well. Again he uses Book Store Cotton as his main driver to move the story ahead but it may be time to kill off Cotton or retire him for awhile. Gggeezzzz this poor guy is getting older and some of the antics he's doing are beyond impossible and the scenes with poor Cotton and the helicopter and the runaway plane at the Eiffel Tower must have worn the guy out. As usual Berry throwns in a some history and speculation and some invention to spice up the story and although Napoleon's Treasure is a very central point it does seem to get lost in the action mish-mash and seems to just be an afterthought; which helps to make this a very average middle-of-the-road-thriller.

I don't see any problems with some of the shortened chapters, afterall they clearly avoid chapters crammed with too much.

There are also points where it really drags because it Steve will go into the travelogue mode and overdescribe some details about geography, history or architecture. Not a bad read but not a great read. I like a thriller to put me a bit more on the edge of my seat.

If you like some thrills and some history I'd recommend this book for you to read.

I found this book strangely unsatisfying and disappointing, and I say that as someone who has read, and enjoyed all the previous Cotton Malone stories. Additionally, as someone who is an ardent student of Napoleon [having read over thirty biographies of the Corsican], I really looked forward to this novel with its historical subtext which deals with a missing Napoleonic treasure, and therefore the letdown was especially steep.

A first time reader will probably find the allusions to previous stories and characters irritating if not worse, a hazard with any ongoing series. However, my criticisms pertain to the fact that this just wasn't very well written. Intimations of interesting story elements are handled in an abrupt and truncated manner if not just dropped entirely. Characters are never developed, and the villains of the plot are two dimensional and boring at best. And while there are some good action sequences, and serious attempts to confuse the reader by juxtaposing time and story lines, the truth is the narrative is very straightforward and transparent, with no real surprises or revelations to periodically grab you or keep you turning the pages long after you should be sleeping.

And to make matters worse, this seems to be an introduction to a new series, and I just hate "pilot" stories, unless they are especially well done or promise a new prospective on the narrative's universe, neither of which is true here. Thus we get the death of a major ongoing character and the introduction of a couple of new ones, and as a result a "passing of the baton" feeling is prevalent. However, it is a new leg of the race which I have no interest in following.

Therefore I give this book a mediocre rating, while feeling sad at the passing of a series whose books I had come to look forward to. Perhaps I am wrong and Berry will continue to pen Malone stories, but if they are no better than this one it would be best if it ends here. At least I will still have fond memories.

If you like these types of books, I think you'll enjoy this one.

Unfortunately, I am biased and actually really like Steve Berry books.
So each one just seems to hit the spot.

I read each one cover to cover as fast as I can.
Can't seem to put them down.

Grab a glass of wine or a good gin and relax with one of this books.
Haven't been disappointed yet.

Cheers to you, Mr. Berry!

What a shame. Steve Berry has a magnificent mind and comes up with the most intriguing ideas. Unfortunately he is falling into the James Patterson dilemma: keep turning out a book on a regular schedule because the public demands it, quality be-damned.

I have been critical of Berry's tendency to take his protagonist, Cotton Malone, and place him into far-fetched situations for the sake of reaching a conclusion. Fortunately he forgoes much (but not all) of that technique in this book and keeps his hero more secure in the realm of reality. In doing so, however, Malone becomes a much more secondary character as does the search for Napoleon's treasure... what I thought was the premise of the book.

Paris Vendetta appears to be the bridge to his next book by introducing a new, young secret service agent, Sam Collins (original name, huh?) and connecting him to Malone's previous employer. Watch for the new series starring Sam Collins near you coming soon.

Berry's books are easy reads, mostly accurate, interesting, but often deflating due to the simplest of faults. You won't be overtly disappointed when you read this book, but I doubt that it makes your best-read list.

This was my first introduction to Steve Berry and his writing. I enjoyed the story line, the historical information and the fact that most of the action takes place in Paris (one of my favorite cities).
It's not one of the stories like the James Patterson stories, but it has enough thrill & suspense to keep the reader intrigued. I specifically liked the last 1/3 of the book when most of the action took place. It's a good read. Will probably continue reading some of other S.Berry novels.

Cotton and his former governmental agency as well as new European friends engage in an effort to stop a multi-national financial cartel. The usual sub-plot involves an effort to avenge the death of the son of Malone's Danish friend. If you like history, the arts, and a European setting, you will like The Paris Vendetta.

Cotton Malone has captured my imagination. I am completely invested in the outcome of his adventure. Steve Berry's writing makes even the implausible seem probable. Cotton has to face a great loss that can never be rectified, but he continues the mission. I don't know how he can consider himself retired!

The most grievous crime of The Paris Vendetta is the editing, and as a result, the pacing of the novel.
The historical research is there, MY GOD, it's there in spades, but so is too much of every character's backstory, interspersed with pointless flashbacks, both historical and personal (to the cast of characters). The constant switching back and forth between real time, history lessons, personal flashbacks (for 4 or 5 of the primary cast) prevents the first 50-60% of the novel from reading smoothly, and therefore couldn't hold my interest. The first half of the book is an utter disaster of storytelling gone awry for these reasons (and a painful waste of time).

About 60% of the way through it finally finds its footing and that's when it starts living up to its potential. Unfortunately, I didn't pay 40% of the list price so it was too little too late.

If you'd like some history with your action rather than the reverse, then skip this one.

Steve Berry is a remarkable storyteller. Each of his books are more complex than the previous one, developed along multiple, action-packed plotlines that are based on little-known though fascinating historical mysteries and legends. Yet Berry keeps the reader on a straight and narrow path, advancing each storyline just a page or two at a time before switching elsewhere. He continues to fulfill and exceed his own standards with each successive work, particularly since the introduction of Cotton Malone in THE TEMPLAR LEGACY.

Henrik Thorvaldsen, an enigmatic Danish industrialist of almost unimaginable wealth --- and Malone's closest friend --- is on a mission of vengeance in Berry's latest thriller, THE PARIS VENDETTA. He has the means and opportunity to murder Graham Ashby, the man who engineered the death of Thorvaldsen's only son, which indirectly brought Malone into Thorvaldsen's life. Ashby, a British aristocrat, is a member of a shadowy international financial group known as the Paris Club. In order to maneuver himself closer to Ashby, Thorvaldsen engineers an invitation to join the club --- and at the same time recruits Malone to help him carry out his revenge. But Malone barely interjects himself into the mix when he is intercepted by Stephanie Nelle, his former supervisor at the mysterious Magellan Billet.

It appears that Ashby is working as a double agent for the United States government. The members of the Paris Club are formulating and executing an ingenious plot to target the global economy, financed in part by a fortune hidden from view for centuries: the treasure trove of Napoleon Bonaparte. Ashby is on the trail of the treasure and believes he is on the verge of discovering its location. Meanwhile, Nelle makes it clear to Malone that he cannot permit Thorvaldsen to succeed in his quest. When Thorvaldsen finds out that Malone's actions have been hamstringing his efforts, he feels utterly betrayed by his best friend but redoubles his efforts to bring some rough and final justice to Ashby.

Assisted at times by a young, renegade Secret Service agent named Sam Collins, Thorvaldsen comes closer and closer to exacting from Ashby the ultimate cost of his son's death, even as Malone attempts to balance loyalty to his dearest friend against the greater good. As the stories play out from Denmark and London to the better and lesser known landmarks of Paris, Malone will be tested physically and emotionally to his limits as all involved head to an unexpected climax.

Berry's exhaustive research serves him well in THE PARIS VENDETTA as it has in his other works, and his development of the enigma known as Cotton Malone moves the series along incrementally without impeding the furious pacing of the plot. Berry also continues to develop his always formidable ability as an action writer; there is one scene in particular that should carry a warning label, especially if one has a fear of heights and a tendency to forget to breathe. Given the ending of THE PARIS VENDETTA, Berry's next book will almost certainly take him in new, though no less exciting, directions.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

First, I am a Steve Berry fan, but I rate books in accordance with the capabilities of the author, not some scale comparing all literary works (as other reviewers often do). So, before I blast this one, let me assure you I have enjoyed many of Mr. Berry's other novels. That said, The Paris Vendetta is an overly tangled mess of subplots, none of which satisfied me. It was as if Mr. Berry originally thought he'd use the Bilderbergers or the Trilateral Commission (aka The Paris Club here) and then throw in terrorism and back-reference war to add danger to the economic intrigue and manipulation. Sounds like a good start, just one minor problem... seems none of the legendary historical stuff he's known for was in the first draft. What to do? Find something fast and shoehorn it in.

Solution? Mr. Berry selects Napoleon Bonaparte, an ancient seer, a prophetic and magical book, an alleged treasure, and a descendant of Pozzo di Borgo (a Count, who Berry describes as "instrumental" in leading to Napoleon's downfall) in order to fill the glaring hole in his novel. And in the Writer's Note section, Mr. Berry describes most of these elements as ones of his own invention. Really? These additions are strikingly similar to those found in The Secret of Kings, written by a woman who is truly a descendant of the Count (not the Duke, aka Wellington) most responsible for Napoleon's downfall. I wonder if the real Eliza Larocque received remuneration for so many coincidences? Her work of fiction predates 2008.

Next, the idea to bring in new characters, who will no doubt show up in future Steve Berry works, clutters this story. The flashbacks about Sam would have been better saved for his next appearance. (However, I'm guessing Mr. Berry is keen to develop an alter ego sans the ridiculous name, Cotton.) Malone functions as almost an afterthought. Henrik's fate will irk many readers. And to complicate things further, there is too much coming and going, head-hopping, and scene shifting. Moreover, there are at least two different styles of writing in this book. Which leads me to ponder... Has Steve Berry sold out? Has he hired others to pluck away and write chapters? Do underlings scour the globe for history's mysteries? It's hard to adequately complete the research we'd like to think Mr. Berry has done and still hit those darned deadlines publishers love. What to do? What to do?

Mr. Berry, if you now employ a private staff to complete your novels, may I please suggest the following: (1) Hire a better crew or a better editor. (2) If someone else is doing your research, make sure what they provide to you is their own work. (3) Don't risk your reputation just to retire a larger mortgage -- let Dan Brown do that.

What makes this adventure novel interesting is the whiff of plausibility which permeates the text. One can buy the notion that there is a cabal of rich men and women who manipulate the markets during times of war and disaster to make more money. This plausibility helps to gloss over the parts of the novel that are less believable. All in all, an enjoyable and entertaining read, especially if you were to vacation in Paris since it covers a number of sites there.

It could be that Steve Berry's recurring protagonist, Cotton Malone, has started to grow on me. The sixth and latest thriller to feature the former Department of Justice hero is titled The Paris Vendetta, and reprises the Danish billionaire Henrik Thorvaldsen who wants to find out who killed his son. So, Cotton is hauled out of his Copenhagen bookstore on another adventure. Along the way there's a search for Napoleon's secret treasure. Berry isn't a terrific writer, but readers who like a quick-to-read thriller might find a few entertaining hours reading this one.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)

I'm going to let off some steam towards Mr. Berry, but only as an example of a current trend in fiction. More and more authors are representing themselves as being well-educated, often with a background in history, and having completed a great deal of research to ensure accuracy in their (otherwise) fictional works. Perhaps I'm being nit-picky when I therefore expect to read a book without encountering laughable mistakes.

Unfortunately, either the author(s) aren't really that knowledgeable or they tried to save a few dollars by skipping any part of the editing process that involves actual fact-checking.

I'm going to cite just one error from "The Paris Vendetta" and let it represent the many that you will find in the book. I chose this one not because it's inarguably an error, but because it's on the very FIRST PAGE. (That's right, I didn't even get through the first page before throwing the book aside and shaking my head.) Mr. Berry takes you back to 1799 as a sort of prologue to the events of the story. He describes the "smell of cordite" as the Napoleonic troops triumph over some enemy. Mr. Berry, cordite is a smokeless propellant developed in the latter part of the 19th century. Nobody would have used cordite in 1799, and it certainly wouldn't have been called "cordite" if they had. The Napoleonic troops would most likely have been using (excellent) French gunpowder.

I don't get it? Why do authors think they are so smart? I realize they work hard, and they certainly write better than I do, but where (or why) would Mr. Berry think that Napoleon's troops used cordite in their field pieces? I do have my suspicions (i.e., Mr. Berry is trying to show off a bit, and he doesn't know as much about military history and weaponry as he thinks he does.)

Other than that, the book is formulaic. Not much to it, but entertaining. Berry has a light style that's good for summer vacation. If you can get over the numerous errors in fact, you might just like it.

"The Paris Vendetta" is a great read, threading together historical facts, myths and places as the basis for a fascinating story. I previously read "The Templar Legacy" and the "The Charlemagne Pursuit" and each of these novels is better than the previous. Note that this book actually starts on the last page of the Charlemagne Pursuit, though the stories themselves are unrelated so the order is not really critical. "The Paris Vendetta", in combination with the other Steve Berry titles I've read, has made me into a Steve Berry fan and I now plan to read the remainder of his previous works.

4.5 Stars. I have enjoyed the development of Cotton Malone through Steve Berry's series of historic thrillers. He has developed several characters through these books who have helped Cotton Malone through the many historicaly based trials and tribulations he has been forced to face. Malone is supposed to be a retired goverment agent living in Europe as a seller of old books in his own store in Copenhagen, Denmark. New and exciting adventures seem to come his way with each new adventure. Each book in the series builds upon the next. You can read this series from the lastest installment the Paris Vendetta or from any other books in the series in any order. I think which each subsequent adventure they get better and better. I really like at the ned of each book as he interjects what is real and what is not conserning historical details and locations. Many would be surprised as too how much is real in these exciting enjoyable novels.

I've been a fan of Steve Berry since I read The Amber Room. In his later books he introduced Cotton Malone and I find his character original, reluctant, lost, heroic, family-man all rolled in one. The Paris Vendetta is a fast-paced book that sends the reader on yet another adventure as Cotton works with the help of friends and semi-friends. The enemies are real and a reminder of how heroes like Cotton are at work to thwart them from reaching their goals. Good job, Mr. Berry!

David Lucero, author of THE SANDMAN

I found myself compulsively turning the pages. If you haven't encountered Cotton Malone in previous books, don't start with this one. You will not get the depth of character to which Berry/Malone fans have become accustomed. If you ARE familiar with Malone, by all means, read the book. Although I didn't particularly care for Collins, a newly-introduced character that I'm sure we'll see more of, his flashbacks were the most moving part of the storyline - exceedingly well-written. The book gets a mere three stars only because the two antagonists clearly get a reprieve only so that they can show up in subsequent volumes to create further havoc. Berry is usually not that obvious.

I've been a fan of Steve Berry since I read The Amber Room. In his later books he introduced Cotton Malone and I find his character original, reluctant, lost, heroic, family-man all rolled in one. The Paris Vendetta is a fast-paced book that sends the reader on yet another adventure as Cotton works with the help of friends and semi-friends. The enemies are real and a reminder of how heroes like Cotton are at work to thwart them from reaching their goals. Good job, Mr. Berry!

David Lucero, author of THE SANDMAN

I found myself compulsively turning the pages. If you haven't encountered Cotton Malone in previous books, don't start with this one. You will not get the depth of character to which Berry/Malone fans have become accustomed. If you ARE familiar with Malone, by all means, read the book. Although I didn't particularly care for Collins, a newly-introduced character that I'm sure we'll see more of, his flashbacks were the most moving part of the storyline - exceedingly well-written. The book gets a mere three stars only because the two antagonists clearly get a reprieve only so that they can show up in subsequent volumes to create further havoc. Berry is usually not that obvious.

Too many subplots, poorly defined characters, and action that doesn't start until more than half way through the book. Couple this with Mr. Berry's poor grammar ("he'd wore his heavy coat" and "they gave it to he and Stephanie") and you have a book that I should have passed by.

I've read all of Steve Berry's books, and I think this was my least favorite. As it is emphasized in the book, Napoleon is one of the most written about figures in history, but this plot didn't offer me any new insight or feel very conspiratorial. This is another Cotton Malone book and we encounter some familiar characters, but I didn't feel emotionally invested in any of them. There are four forces driving this story: Henrik Thorvaldsen's obsessive need to avenge the death of his son, Cotton and his justice department cohorts attempting to capture an international assassin, a covert group of super-rich industrialists plotting to manipulate global markets for their own gain, and a fortune hunt seeking Napoleon's lost cache of treasure. There weren't any major thought provoking or scandalous aspects that kept me engaged. The history of Napoleon and his final days in exile was the most intriguing, and the idea of his lost wealth could have been developed more. The theme of vendetta was persistently annoying and I found it hard to believe that the French government would give an American unit such authoritative jurisdiction over criminal events taking place in Paris. In general, this book is what people have come to expect from the genre, but Berry has provided better in the past.

This is a romp through Paris, with excitement and intrigue. Berry keeps you in suspense through the whole book, not just a snapper at the end. A fine read, especially from the library on your Kindle for free.

Awakened by a housebreaking stranger who is revealed to be a friend of Henrik Thorvaldsen and the father of a young man he once tried to save, Cotton Malone flees with the intruder when they are pursued by a shadowy organization that is hiding a dangerous Napoleon secret.
There is no doubt that Steve Berry does a tremendous amount of research when writing his novels. This one not only entertained but educated and enlightened me about Napoleon and the city of Paris. I did struggle quite a bit at the beginning in what seemed an elaborate and complicated plot. I kept at it and somewhere towards the second half it just took off.
The action I come to expect from this author is all there, he's just added a few more characters, some I'm not sure why, and a little more of a perplexing plot.

I became a fan of Steve Berry's work with the publication of his first novel, and since have read all of his subsequent work. In my opinion, what started off as a series of great novels really stumbled with two of his more recent works, "The Charlemagne Pursuit" and "The Venetian Betrayal". However, "The Paris Vendetta" sees Berry getting back to the quality of his earlier works. His formula is the same as Dan Brown, using historical events and landmarks as a background for the storyline, but this book is less redundant than what I find with most of Brown's books. With this latest Cotton Malone novel, the plot is more focused and the secondary characters are more engaging than some of his weaker efforts. The only reason that I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 stars is because the book really seemed to slow down as it worked its way towards the conclusion, but once it arrived there, the ending was definitely satisfying.

Aside from that minor issue, this is the type of novel that the latest Dan Brown novel "The Lost Symbol" should have been.

A decent historical thriller, but I was disappointed that this book relied more on the thriller aspect than the historical aspect. In previous works, Berry has more successfully integrated the historical mystery being solved with the modern action. In this one, the mystery of Napoleon's hidden treasure felt tacked on to a story about financial conspiracies and terrorism to throw Berry's loyal readers a bone. That said the story kept me interested and provided a few hours of solid entertainment.

The author rambled on about details that didn't matter and were not interesting, while at the same time failing to create depth in any of his characters. Truly, I didn't care what happened to any of the characters. I was never engaged or excited about the search for the treasure, either. Tiresome, tedious and boring book. One quick question: Why were we subjected to memories of Sam's old "teacher" and the fact that Sam was not adopted as an infant? I expected this part of the story to be tied up by the revelation (gasp!) that the old, wise teacher was his father. But no, it was just another shallow part of the story line, without any reason for existing.

Steve Berry's style is a good mashup of Dan Brown and Clive Cussler. This book had me thoroughly entertained all the way through. Highly recommended for anyone who likes adventure mixed with spies and history.

Steve Berry's books are like candy; you read them quickly because the plot is compelling, and you have a pleasant aftertaste. This is the latest in a string of books written about Cotton Malone, the American ex-pat bookseller now living in Denmark. No matter how hard he tries to be retired, just like Michael Corleone "They keep dragging me back".

This is another quest for something valuable, in this case the fabled "lost treasure" of Napoleon. The quest takes us to various interesting places, but most prominently to Paris, where most of the action is centered.

A few new characters for the "good guys" are introduced (and I suspect we may read about them again in the future), and there are the usual coterie of "bad guys". The plot may be a bit "out there", but the book is a very good way to spend a few pleasant hours, finish the book, and wait expectantly for the next Cotton Malone book.

Too bad, Steve Berry has slid into ensemble writing in which the same cast of characters appear in the stories. It is a lazy author's way of getting those multiple book deals closed and it fleeces the buyer. Mr Berry is quite capable of producing exciting, informative, action/mystery novels. See the Templar Legacy, for example. But this book, the Paris Vendetta, is terrible. No character development, a confusing cast of villains and heros, and a plot I lost track of half way through the book. I have to admit I tossed the book into the recycle bin before getting past chapter 68. I have a Grafton book waiting.

I have three tiers of authors I read. Grafton, Grisham, Kellerman, Hillerman, Childs, and Crichton are typical Tier 1. Robert Parker, Michael Connelly, Sandra Brown, Coben, Vince Flynn are Tier 2. Tier 3 is Robin Cook, Steve Berry, and David Baldacci, etc. Tier 4 I don't waste time reading: Clancy, Patterson, Clark, Dale Brown, Scarlotti, etc. I am afraid I have slipped Mr Berry into that latter tier based on this latest book.

This book is the best in the series. the action and suspence
never stops.Here is a great story teller, Steve Berry giving
us all we could ever want in a book. It will make a great gift
even for ones self. Buy this one you want be sorry.!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Danish billionaire Henrik Thorvaldsen obsesses over the terrorist incident in Mexico City that left seven dead including his son. He cannot move on as the brain behind the assault has remained free although he now knows who he is.

Henrik sends apparently fired Secret Service Agent Sam Collins to break into the Copenhagen bookstore owned by former United States Department of Justice (DOJ) operative Cotton Malone. The grieving Dane hopes to obtain Malone's cooperation to help bring down the killer Lord Ashby who has ties to a financial cartel the Paris Club planning an assault on the global economy for avaricous gains that the DOJ hopes to counter. The starting point in the plan is a plot to destroy a landmark that could kill hundreds; war is usury profitable for the finance community.

With terrific ties to Napoleon in Corsica and an exciting action packed story line, the latest Cotton Malone thriller (see The Charlemagne Pursuit) is a fun read. Filled with twists and over the top of the Eiffel Tower villains, fans will enjoy Malone's newest retirement caper mindful of War, Inc and If Looks Could Kill although not a satire. Malone teams up with a grieving angry father and a First Amendment conspiracy buff to thwart the latest capitalist plot to have the masses finance war with money and blood so the affluent can make outrageous profits.

Harriet Klausner

I couldn't imagine that Steve Berry could do it again... another heart-stopping adventure with Cotton Malone? Intelligent, fast paced, full of action and yet detailed and developed enough to invest me in the characters and in the emotion of the book? Yet, he did it. Again. Steve Berry is the master. Buy this book... buy ALL of Steve's books. You will not be disappointed.

Unlike other reviewers, this is my first Steve Berry book. I was not familiar with Cotton Malone, and only found out from the other reviewers here that Berry had written previous books with Malone as the lead protagonist. Not knowing that going in, I had no clue that he was the main character. Berry tells the story from so many points of view (changing voices and continents at each new chapter) that I was miserable for the first half of this book. No one single character is fleshed out enough for me to care, even Malone. Call me simplistic, but I find it difficult to jump around so much in point of view and location. I did find the historical information about Napoleon interesting, but the info started boring me after awhile. The plot really drags in parts. Berry ramps it up towards the end, but I'd already decided that this book was average long before then. Unfortunately, I'll have to think twice before I read another Steve Berry book.

I have loved all of Steve Berry's books, especially the Cotton Malone series. Mr. Berry perfectly blends suspense and intrigue with fascinating historical elements to create fast paced intelligent thrillers. I would highly recommend this book and all of Mr. Berry's other books. Well done!!!

In search of a fun book to read, I happened on The Paris Vendetta. I'd never before read a book by Berry, thought I'd give it a try. It was a fight, but I lasted until page 37. Now I know why traditional publishing is in such disarray. But rather than dwell on what's wrong with the writing, let me instead enumerate all that is right:

If you buy this book, you have no one to blame but yourself.

I'm afraid I didn't get very far into the book before giving up on it. The use of "transition" as a verb early in the book ("He risked a peek and saw a man transition from the third-floor landing to the fourth floor.") annoyed me so much I could only read a few more pages before tossing the book. Transition? Aside from not using a noun as a verb, surely the author could have found a verb that described the intruder's ascent to the fourth floor - was he being stealthy at this point, or was he rushing up the stairs?

I'm afraid I didn't get very far into the book before giving up on it. The use of "transition" as a verb early in the book ("He risked a peek and saw a man transition from the third-floor landing to the fourth floor.") annoyed me so much I could only read a few more pages before tossing the book. Transition? Aside from not using a noun as a verb, surely the author could have found a verb that described the intruder's ascent to the fourth floor - was he being stealthy at this point, or was he rushing up the stairs?