The 731 Legacy (The Cotten Stone Mysteries) [Paperback]

Joe Moore (Author), Lynn Sholes (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Cotten Stone Mysteries | Publication Date: October 8, 2008

A dying man, ravaged with disease and bleeding from his eyes, nose, and mouth, makes his way to SNN headquarters, where he delivers a mysterious message to Cotten Stone with his final breath — "Black needles." Black Needles was the code name for an ultra-secret Japanese WWII experiment using a deadly — and ghastly — ancient virus. Now Cotten must race against time to find those responsible for unleashing the virus upon the world once again. While battling the forces of evil, Cotten fights for her soul as the Nephilim attack the person she loves most in the world — Cardinal John Tyler.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A superb blend of science, myth, history, and imagination. Strap yourself to the chair and get ready for a heart-thumping ride. Joe Moore and Lynn Sholes are clearly ahead of the pack, able to satisfy even the most finicky of reader. The 731 Legacy is a labyrinth of mystery, crisply plotted and paced, with throat-grabbing twists. Enjoy." -- Steve Berry

About the Author

Joe Moore is a former marketing & communications executive and two-time EMMY® winner with 25 years experience in the television postproduction industry. Joe serves on the International Thriller Writers board of directors as Co-President. He writes full time from his home in South Florida.
 

Lynn Sholes has worked as a writing trainer for Broward County Schools and Citrus County Schools in Florida. Before writing thrillers her interest in archaeology led her to write historical fiction under the name Lynn Armistead McKee. Lynn is a member of the International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and The Authors Guild.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: MIDNIGHT INK; 1 edition (October 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738713171
• ISBN-13: 978-0738713175
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #84,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The devil hits North Korea...., June 8, 2008

By 

Debra Hamel (North Haven, CT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The 731 Legacy (The Cotten Stone Mysteries) (Paperback)

The forces of evil are hard at work again in The 731 Legacy, the fourth installment in Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore's series featuring Satellite News Network correspondent Cotten Stone. This time, the North Koreans are plotting to unleash an Ebola-like hemorrhagic virus on the world. The virus is the dirty work of Chung Moon Jung, an embittered, Japanese-born doctor who is eager to carry on her parents' work: during World War II they had been part of Japan's covert Unit 731, which conducted research into biological and chemical warfare and, notoriously, was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of their human guinea pigs. The North Koreans are being helped in their gruesome enterprise by Cotten Stone's nemesis, the Dark Lord himself, Lucifer: as regular readers of the series will be aware, Cotten isn't just a reporter; she's also the daughter of Furmiel, one of the Fallen Angels, who rebelled against God but later repented of it.

As in previous installments, Cotten's relationship with Cardinal John Tyler is central to the story. The two are a couple in all but deed, devoted to one another but, his position being what it is, incapable of acting on their affection. John winds up needing saving from the bad guys more than once this time around, and Cotten risks everything to rescue him. She in fact gets herself into trouble so deep that extrication from it seems impossible.

The 731 Legacy, just as the authors' previous books, starts with a gripping first chapter. The rest of the book is good too: it's well written, and the plot keeps you reading. I have no complaints about the book at all up until its denouement: the final battle between good and evil, because it's fought on an extra-human plane rather than by the protagonists, feels remote and anticlimactic. In addition, the book's last chapter is, frankly, shocking: the plot development it announces is wholly unexpected and, I think, far too sudden. It feels, in fact, like a series-ending conclusion, but there is no indication that this is the last outing for Cotten Stone. Assuming there's a book five, it's going to be a very different animal indeed!

-- Debra Hamel

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A CHILLING TALE, December 15, 2008

By 

Nancy J. Cohen (Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 731 Legacy (The Cotten Stone Mysteries) (Paperback)

This fourth book in the Cotten Stone saga is chilling in its reality, depicting a secret Japanese facility dating to WWII where heinous medical experiments were performed; a bioterrorist plot that is horrifyingly plausible; and a critical confrontation between good and evil at the grande finale. I loved the ending! I won't spoil it for you, but needless to say you'll be left with a smile on your face and a warm glow in your heart. The authors's breakneck pacing and tension-elevating style will have you asking for more.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cotten Stone's darkest story yet..., December 20, 2008

By 

Daniel S. Boucher "God punishes us for the th... (Portland, ME) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The 731 Legacy (The Cotten Stone Mysteries) (Paperback)

It happens millions of times every day: while you're waiting in line at the grocery store, at the bank, or while you're getting a cup of coffee at your favorite haunt. Most of the time we don't even pay attention; other times we follow it up with a `bless you'. Nobody ever really gives a second thought to a sneeze or a cough, in spite of the stories of how The Bird Flu spread rampantly that way. THE 731 LEGACY will make you rethink all of that.

I have read all the novels on the Cotten Stone series and hands-down THE 731 LEGACY is the scariest and darkest in the series. The scariest because it is the most plausible; the darkest because it has Cotten questioning her own faith when forced to make a choice that will decide the fate of the man she loves or forever seal her own.

The story opens with a man rushing the local SNN building, calling out for Cotten Stone. Right before the man dies, he whispers two fateful words: Black Needles. While at first these two words don't seem to mean much, Cotten soon learns that they will come to have a significant impact on the US and its allies.

You'll follow Cotten as she travels to the cold, wintery Transnistria Mountains, venturing through the stone walls of Vlad Tepes III himself -- in a scene that unfolds like something out of a Jerry Bruckheimer movie -- to the depressed lands of Korea as she struggles to uncover the mystery behind Black Needles.

Along the way Cotten's faith will be tested and her past will be brought to the forefront as never before, when she's forced to make a decision that can change everything she's ever done. In the end, the last five-words brought tears to my eyes, as I'm sure it will to any of you Cotten fans out there.

Solid characters, surreal settings, political conspiracies and a truly compelling, if not down-right terrifying plot makes THE 731 LEGACY one of my favorite reads of 2008.