From the mountains of Bavaria to the secret tunnels under King Ludwig II's castles, no one is safe when they search for the Secret Crown.
Hidden among the crates in a recently discovered World War II bunker are documents stamped with an elaborate black swan, the insignia of the murdered King Ludwig II. According to legend, Ludwig stockpiled a massive treasure in the years before his death, a cache of gold and jewels that would finance the construction of the largest castle of all time. But in the years since his death, no one has found any evidence that Ludwig had hidden anything. Until now.
Jonathon Payne and David Jones are pulled into the mystery by a colleague of theirs, a former supply sergeant in the U.S. military who asks them to investigate. They agree to help and quickly find themselves in a life-or-death struggle to uncover the truth about Ludwig's murder and his mythical treasure.
Chris Kuzneski is the internationally bestselling author of the acclaimed thrillers The Prophecy, The Lost Throne, Sword of God, Sign of the Cross, and The Plantation. Originally from Indiana, Pennsylvania, he now lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida.
CHRIS KUZNESKI is the international bestselling author of six novels. His latest thriller, THE SECRET CROWN, will be released in America in January, 2012.
Chris grew up in Indiana, PA, with his parents and three siblings. As a fourth-grader, he wrote his first book, The Monster Cookbook, a work of fiction that detailed the culinary and nutritional needs of a dozen creatures that he'd created. The school's librarian was so impressed that she had it hardbound and placed in the school's library with all the books that his classmates enjoyed. Unbeknownst to her, a career in writing was born.
Chris attended Indiana High School where he was voted Class Clown of his senior class and anchored the offensive line on a team that won back-to-back CENPAC championships. He continued his football career at the University of Pittsburgh ― playing with future NFL stars Tony Siragusa, Jeff Christy, Mark Stepnoski, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, and many others. Unfortunately, a freak foot injury ended his athletic career.
While studying at Pitt, he wrote for The Pitt News, the Indiana Gazette, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, eventually earning his B.A. in writing and his M.A. in teaching. From 1992 until 1998, he taught English and coached football in two western Pennsylvania school districts and was selected to Who's Who Among America's Teachers. But in his mind, he still wasn't doing what he wanted to do. He wanted to be a writer, so he quit his job and took a leap of faith . . .
His first novel, THE PLANTATION, was praised by James Patterson, Nelson DeMille, Lee Child, James Rollins, and several of the top writers in the genre. His next thriller, SIGN OF THE CROSS, was released in 2006 and became an international bestseller. So far, it has been translated into more than fifteen languages. SWORD OF GOD climbed even higher on the charts, hitting the New York Times and London Times bestseller lists. His fourth book, THE LOST THRONE, debuted in the UK Top-5 and stayed on the charts for several weeks. It was also his first American hardcover. His latest book, THE PROPHECY, reached #4 on the UK charts and was released by Putnam in the summer of 2010. The paperback version will be available in July 2011.
Chris currently lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida. When he's not enjoying the sun, surf, and hurricanes, he's working on his next Payne & Jones novel, which will be the seventh in the series.
For more information, please visit his main website: chriskuzneski.com.
It is rare that an author can bring more than a chuckle out of me. However, Kuzneski manages to make me "belly laugh" rather often throughout his books. Jones and Payne have a great relationship, and provide comic relief at all the best times. Kuzneski should be a billionaire with the level his story telling acheives. He is a true Master of the Thriller Novel! This one will not dissapoint. As long as you have a brain and a sense of humor, you will love it!
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I have been waiting for this new entry in the Payne and Jones series for a year now and it was well worth the wait. There are afew authors whose books i buy every year: these used to be Sydney Sheldon, Mary Higgins Clark, Steve Berry, David Baldacci, James Grippando, Sam Bourne (after having read every Earle Stanley Gardner (perry mason) book and every Agatha Christie book. Every now and then i try a new writer but usually it turns out to be a downer. But not Kuzneski. Finally i can add a writer to my list. His book all feature the heroes Payne and Jones, 2 ex army buddies, and their friend who is the head of Interpol. The first book, The Plantation, was not that good (thank god i didn'r read that one first, but from the second book onwards the series keeps getting better. This new entry in the series is also good and features the usual heroes and wisecracks and good plot. If you like Dan Brown, Steve Berry, sam Bourne and or Indiana Jones, you will love Chris Kuzneski
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So glad I discovered this author! This story has all the ingredients for a page-turning thriller: historical fiction, likeable characters, fast paced adventure, good vs evil and unexpected humor.
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