Customer Reviews

The Secret Crown

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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

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.

Chris Kuzneski is the best new writer I have found in years. His discriptions are always insightful but not to long as to be boring. This book, his latist in the Payne & Jones series, does not disapoint.

This is one series of books I don't lend out for fear of them not being returned but I do tell people who want to read them where they can find them.

If you havn't read one of his books yet start with his first the Plantation, you won't be sorry.

I have just discovered Chris Kuzneski, and I love the first two books i have read. I will buy all the rest of the series.

As always, Kuzneski strikes a good balance between historical facts and fictional creations, while crafting his latest entry in the Payne/Jones library of adventures. This novel tracks Payne and Jones search for a lost treasure hidden some 130 years ago by Mad King Ludwig of Bravaria not long before his assassination (he might not have been assassinated in the real world, but was in the book).

I have to admit that I didn't know much about Ludwig prior to reading this book, but it peeked my interest enough that I have since read several historical accounts about the man. If anything, Kuzneski doesn't go far enough in portraying the king's strangeness. I think the book would have been a little better if the author had crafted a few "flashback" sequences of Lugwig, perhaps contrasting some of his stranger behaviors with his Black Swan plans. (IMHO) This method of exposing the king's motivations, oddness, and intelligence would have been more effective than the present day characters relating historical information.

As usual, there's no shortage of action. The most memorable being a running gun battle ranging down the side of a mountain in the Bravarian Alps. Payne and Jones display their usual great chemistry, though some of their verbal jousting felt a little forced in this book...not terrible, but as if Kuzneski had to reach a little for the dialog, rather than it simply being the normal flow between best friends.

Even with these very minor flaws, this was a thoroughly enjoyable book, which I have already recommended to several friends and co-workers. As usual, the only major complaint I have with Kuzneski is that his publisher releases his books first in England and then in the US a year or more later. I really do not understand the logic behind this approach and to be honest, it pisses me off.

When I got a notice that a new Chris Kuzneski was coming out I ordered it to my kindle. It was this hardback book, The Secret Crown. As soon as i started reading I thought it was familiar and it was. I had read the paperback edition that came out in 2010. Why was the book released as a new book, (just because it is now in hardback)? I read so many books that I don't always remember the titles I've read. If a hardback comes out with a current publication date I think most people assume it is a new book. Why the paperback two years early and now the hardback? It was a really good story and I would give it 4 stars, I am just disappointed when it was released in hardback it wasn't noted as first time in hardback, previously in paperback.

OK, I admit I am a huge fan of Chris Kuzneski. THE SECRET CROWN was a page turner in every sense of the word. Full of history, mystery and of course sarcastic humor among friends. Well thought out and just total enjoyment. I cant wait for his next novel. Thanks Chris, my hat is off to you sir

Prior to reading the last few chapters, I was prepared to give Chris Kuzneski's "The Secret Crown" three stars. But given how it ended and the book's title...I mean, c'mon. Let's just say it's analogous to "The Empire Strikes Back" being titled "Vader is Luke's Dad" or "The Sixth Sense" being called "The Doctor's Dead."

The novel tells of retired special ops buddies Jon Payne and David Jones, a wise-cracking duo who have a knack for treasure hunting. Care to guess what treasure they're hunting for in "The Secret Crown?" But that's the problem. It's one thing if we or the characters already known what they were looking for, and it was just a matter of unraveling various puzzles and traps. But all we know is there's a treasure. Once we find out what it is...well...duh. It's also extremely anti-climactic.

I liked the humor between the two main protagonists, although they were rather one-dimensional. The action was relatively well done, but there were long periods of explanation of King Ludwig II's eccentricities that really slowed down the book. So pacing was a significant problem here.

Payne and Jones are called to the aid of a quasi criminal/friend, Kaiser, who needs their skills to hunt for this unknown treasure. But Kaiser, a former US supply sergeant (who now supplies other stuff to the highest bidders) has a severe problem with a competitor. However, we really find nothing out about this competitor other than he sends "goons" after our heroes. Kuzneski's constant use of "goon" for the bad guys was extremely annoying. Goon? Really? This isn't a 1930s Chicago gangster story. Can't you think of another term?

I might have better enjoyed the book had I read the previous stories of Payne and Jones (as their adventures are referred to often). But unless a novel clearly states it's part of a series, it's not the reader's responsibility to go back and read earlier works...especially if he won the book as a part of LibraryThing.com's Early Reviewer program.

When it comes down to it, "The Secret Crown" is a history lesson about Ludwig II with a little action, wise-cracking, and puzzle-solving thrown in.

The Secret Crown by Chris Kazneski is a fast-paced adventure that reminded me a lot of a Clive Cussler novel.

Payne and Jones are ex-members of the MANIACS, a secret, highly trained group of soldiers. A call from a somewhat shady but trusted friend sends them on their way to Bavaria where they discover a clue to a long-rumored treasure hidden by King Ludwig, II, the Swan King. They, of course, are not the only ones on the trail and have to solve the riddles left behind by the long-dead King while also doing battle with the armed forces set out to stop them.

This book was a lot of fun and didn't take itself too seriously. The banter between Payne and Jones reminded me of Cussler's Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino and was one of my favorite parts of the story. The historical tie to the real King Ludwig, II was a very interesting foundation to the story, and the description of the real life places in and around Bavaria was fascinating. It added a lot to the story. (Once you are finished with the book, go to the author's website and check out photos of the real-life locales described. But don't go before, because it contains spoilers.)

The action sequences were well-done and kept the pace of the book moving along quickly, which is what I look for in a good thriller. The riddles and solutions were clever and the real-life antics and achievements of King Ludwig added a lot of flavor to the story.

My only complaint, and it's a mild one, is the way in which some of the background information, including the history of King Ludwig, was revealed. It was almost entirely related through characters lecturing about it rather than shown in flashbacks to the time in question. The jeopardy of the heroes themselves never seemed too serious, although the battles were realistic and the outcome never entirely assured.

All in all, this book is a fun, light-hearted adventure with exciting action sequences and a very interesting back story. It made me look forward to reading other books in the series.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book through LibraryThing.