Customer Reviews

The Venetian Betrayal: A Novel

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

If you aren't familiar with a historical timeframe, by the end of a Steve Berry adventure you will feel you are an expert in the field...
Berry's current outing deals with Alexander the Great - who died in 323 BC literally the king of the world. We know he was mummified and eventually was entombed in Alexandria Egypt - but the tomb was destroyed and his remains disappeared -
Cotton Malone is in the middle of a raging fire - that's how we found him in the Alexandria Link - which was about the Library of Alexandria - in Alexandria which was named that in honor of Alexander, so we have some synchronicity there -
The fire isn't just any fire - it is Greek fire - which was lost when the great civilizations were lost - but someone's got the formula and is using it - trying to find medallions circa 323 BC - they show Alexander fighting in India -
Enter Irina Zovastina, a politician who has united a lot of the 'Stans' and has a plan to take over other countries with germ warfare - She also thinks of herself as a modern day Alexander the Great and is in a quest to find Alexander's tomb and the long lost remedy Alexander's physician had used to instantly cure him -
Clues remain to find the tomb - history tells us that -
Where Alexander went, what he admired - all clues - what you will find is Zovanista is no Alexander -
But you will find a book that solidifies in the last half to be a great adventure - As always, Berry gives you a what-if scenario -
But much thought went into this adventure -
Cotton Malone is an excellent character with excellent supporting characters - Total package is thoughtful research by Berry coordinating history with cloak and dagger - Every Berry offering gives you more than just a spy book - you get in and play with history -
Good read -

I've read every book Steve Berry has published... so I know the guy can write. But not this time. I don't know if he was under pressure to make a deadline, or if he's just hoping to get Cotton Malone and Cassiopeia Witt optioned by Hollywood. The book suffers from just too much of a muchness... if one evil overlord's lair isn't enough, how about two? If one ancient secret hidden away for centuries isn't enough, how about three? If a double-cross or triple-crossing agent isn't enough, how about a quadruple-cross?

Throw in some boats and an orange dive watch, and this book could have been churned out by Clive Cussler. And that's not a compliment. "The Venetian Betrayal" would probably make a fun movie, but it's not a very satisfying book.

I hope that Berry chooses to give his Malone series a rest for a while and goes back to stand-alone books like "The Amber Room" and "The Romanov Prophecy."

After reaching a peak with The Templar Legacy, I thought Mr. Berry slipped a little with his last outing, The Alexandria Link. Fortunately, he seems back on the right track with The Venetian Betrayal. If this one doesn't quite live up to The Templar Legacy, it certainly was much more fun for me than the last one.

Back for his third outing is one of my favorite characters in thriller fiction, Cotton Malone, that spy-turned-bookseller-turned-reluctant-hero. This novel also sees the return of many of Mr. Berry's regular cast of characters, including some of my other favorites like Cassiopeia Vitt and Henrik Thorvaldsen. In fact, at this point, Mr. Berry is well into creating his own little alternate universe, peopling the White House and Vatican with his own characters and changing the geopolitical landscape to suit his needs.

For those of us that have followed Mr. Berry's progress, it works fairly well. Not that you have to read previous novels to enjoy this one but it doesn't hurt. What's new this time out is the Central Asian Federation, a new mega-state of former Soviet Republics like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan ruled by an interesting new character, ruthless and intelligent, Irina Zovastina. It is her obsession with finding the tomb of Alexander the Great that drives the plot forward, taking us from Denmark to the borders of China.

Zovastina seeks the tomb for the political power associated with a claim on this world conqueror; however, there is another reason to seek the tomb. Apparently, there is a miraculous cure associated with the tomb which brings in the interest of an international pharmaceutical company (which also produces biological weapons). But I don't want to unravel too much of the plot. There are many layers here and Mr. Berry does a good job of keeping things moving with action, surprises, and double-crosses.

If there is a weakness in this book for me, it is that the topic just isn't as inherently interesting as the previous two. The missing tomb of Alexander just doesn't do as much for me as the missing treasure of the Templars or the missing library at Alexandria. But that is, in the end, a matter of personal taste. Mr. Berry handles this idea very well and develops a solid thriller from it. I'm already looking forward to the next one.

This book is one of the worst I've ever read. The plot is terrible, convoluted an absurd. While one might describe it as a international action packed thriller, I would call it a boring chase/action sequence with uninteresting characters and highly predictable fight scenes. In fact the only think I found unpredictable about this book was that I bought it and did not toss it out half way thru. Steve Berry, you get no more of my money.

I did find the one tidbit about Alexander and St. Mark interesting - this was the only redeemable quality.

If you like action and thrillers there are better choices, try something by Ken Follett or even Robert Ludlum.

Mr. Berry is quickly becoming the master of the "look for something" genre. By that I mean a group of people are searching for an artifact or item of value that has been missing for many years, and may or may not exist. As he does that in this book, he weaves a political tale through it, and many double and triple-crosses. Sometime it's difficult to know who's on who's side, but the author always makes it clear when it counts. The action as usual is fast and furious, with short chapters, perfect for reading a few, putting down the book, doing something else, and then getting back to it. The charactgers are fairly well drawn, although a few appear to be simply cardboard cutouts (mere "cannon fodder"). Once I started the book I was hooked on the plot and spent most of New Year's Day finishing it, to my satisfaction. Now comes the wait for the next Berry book!

Ah I really wanted to like this book but it was terrible. So bad in fact that I only made it half way through, it's a mess. The characters don't even begin to make sense...what is up with Zavastina...a really annoying character. I fear it's his idea of the strong female, she's just ridiculous. There's plagues (never clear if it's AIDS or AIDS & another plague), intricately carved discs, lesbian lover, chases all over the place, etc. Absolutely no cohesion whatsoever. By the middle of the book I started feeling angry that I spent money on it, the characters, the mash of huge themes. I cannot ever remember leaving one in the middle and being so utterly annoyed with it. I read Mr. Berry's Amber Room which was ok but that's it for me and Mr. Berry, I won't bother with any more of his books.

Okay, I have read every Steve Berry book and have the same issue with each one. I like the storylines however farfetched. However, he uses the word "scamper" over and over again to describe Cotton and/or his cohorts as they are running from danger and it just stops me cold every time. It's like finding a bunch of typos in a book that has gone through many editors. I've polled quite a few people and we agree that the word "scamper" conjures up images of covorting forest animals such as deer and bunnies (Bambi), not the good guys running away from the bad guys. He now has used the word "nestled" to describe Stephanie trying to listen at the door to see if they could escape before being consumed by Greek fire. Does he just need a new Thesaurus? For all the high-power adventure and danger building up throughout the course of the story, there must be better choices to describe running. It kind of takes the oomph out of the situation when you use a word like "scamper". It sounds a little girlie for Cotton Malone. Of course, now that I've mentioned it, it will probably drive you nuts too.

I am a fan of Berry so I am a little biased but I thought this book was right in line with the others with Cotton Malone as the central character. An enjoyable read for sure. I enjoy the way Berry continues to build his characters. This one is involves a fun look at history with a nice blend of conspiracy, action, and mystery!

Steve Berry's 'The Venetian Betrayal' opens with and makes use of the story of the death of Alexander the Great, one of my favorite historical figures, and to propel the events of another entertaining story. Though not Berry's best, in my opinion, this book has all the usual elements of an evil villain, a hero's quest, and a race against time.

In the opening of Berry's third novel featuring former Government Operative Cotton Malone, the death of Alexander, and the idea that he could have been saved by a 'magical' draught that his physician could have administered, play a key role in setting up the premise of the story. Fast forward thousands of years to Cotton Malone and present day Denmark, where Malone is called out of 'retirement' for a third time to assist his friends Henrik Thorvaldson, Cassopeia Vitt, and former boss Stephanie Nelle...all key players in his past two novels featuring the same protagonist.

This time around, the quest is personal to Cassiopea, as she and Thorvaldson track a shadowy group trying to collect all the known 'Elephant Medallions' minted at the time of Alexander, in conjuncture with a secret that the medallions supposedly can reveal....the final resting place of Alexander himself, and the miracle 'cure' once administered by Alexander's personal physician which purportedly had the ability to stave off death itself, from virtually any internal malady you were afflicted with.

Cotton accepts the request for assistance, even without knowing exactly why he's helping or where he's headed, and joins his friends as they pursue the coins, the cure, and the truth behind the legend.

Though not as full of 'secret societies' and underground caverns as both
The Templar Legacy and The Alexandria Link; Venetian Betrayal is an entertaining third romp with Cotton Malone and his friends. While the past two novels featured a more indepth look at the past, this one remains primarily in the present day, and examines the issues of greed, betrayal, and disease.

Not quite as highly recommended as the past two Cotton Malone adventures, but still an entertaining way to spend a few days time to read this book...and anticipate another to follow.

This was a very exciting story with many twists and surprises. I hope Steve Berry does more in the future with Cotton Malone.