The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry

On April 27, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Thriller3 Comments

The Atlas Maneuver Cover

Publisher: Hachette Audio (Audiobook – 20 February 2024)

Series: Cotton Malone – Book 18

Length: 13 hours and 21 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The always exciting Steve Berry continues his long-running Cotton Malone series with the intriguing and addictive novel, The Atlas Maneuver, which once again blends modern plots with historical riddles.

Over the last few years, I have been having a wonderful time getting to know the works of acclaimed thriller author Steve Berry. Known for his intricate and complex works that dive into the past, Berry is an amazing author whose style and story focus really appeals to me. I have had a wonderful time getting through the last several books in his main series, the Cotton Malone books, as well as his standalone novel, The Omega Factor. Cotton Malone is a particularly fun series following the titular Cotton Malone as he attempts to stop sinister modern-day plots that have their roots in ancient conspiracies and secrets. All the Cotton Malone books I have read have been extremely epic in their own way, including The Malta Exchange, The Warsaw Protocol, The Kaiser’s Web, and The Last Kingdom (one of my favourite books of 2023), and I cannot recommend them enough.

As World War II entered its final phase, the retreating Japanese hid vast quantities of looted gold and other stolen valuables throughout the Philippines. Stored in hidden underground bunkers, the gold was supposed to be used to rebuild Japan after the war and expand its interests. But with the location of the vaults lost, most of the gold remained hidden, except for a small fraction recovered by the United States government and the nascent CIA, who kept it for themselves in secret.

In the present day, retired Justice Department agent Cotton Malone, is in Switzerland, working for an old CIA friend to keep a potential asset safe. However, when someone tries to take his target out, Cotton soon finds himself thrust into the middle of a dangerous battle between a shadowy branch of CIA and the Bank of St. George, one of the world’s oldest financial institutions, with whom the recovered gold was entrusted.

Forced to act, Cotton begins to unravel a dangerous conspiracy and discovers that the directors of the Bank of St. George are seeking to initiate a radical plot involving bitcoin, the elusive online currency, which could destabilise the entire financial world and leave them in control. Working with a skilled Japanese agent, his lover, and a ghost from his past, Cotton seeks to stop the plot before it is too late. But with a deadly team of CIA assassins also closing in, no-one is safe and everyone is a target.

This was a pretty interesting novel from Berry that I had an excellent time with. Thanks to its unique thriller story combining historical secrets with contemporary mysteries and plots, The Atlas Maneuver proved to be an amazing and intricate novel that I found to be quite impressive.

I really enjoyed the compelling story that Berry came up with for his latest novel, especially as he once again successfully blends an elaborate historical conspiracy with an exciting modern thriller story. This story came together extremely well and overall proved to be quite an exciting read as Berry comes up with several compelling story arcs that you become absorbed in. Starting off with a glimpse at the origins of the hidden Japanese war loot, The Atlas Maneuver soon jumps to Cotton Malone as he finds himself drawn into a plot to disrupt the world economy by a powerful bank through bitcoin. Working with an old flame whose financial brilliance is behind much of the bank’s plans, Cotton desperately tries to keep her safe, while also contending with a relentless Japanese agent. At the same time, Cotton’s partner Cassiopeia Vitt and old CIA associate Derrick Koger attempt to discover the location of the lost wartime gold that was supposed to be in the bank’s possession. Their inquiries lead them into conflict with the bank, as well as a shadowy arm of the CIA that attempts to take out everyone associated with the case.

The alternating thrusts of the hunt for lost gold and the attempts to stop the elaborate financial attack make for great reading, and Berry continuously raised the stakes while also dragging the story back to the past with the fun historical inclusions. While the story did drag in places, especially around the middle, I honestly couldn’t turn away from this book at times, especially when the action got particularly intense and there were multiple fun figures to follow. Berry perfectly sets up the big conclusion of The Atlas Maneuver, which has surprisingly more devastation than expected. I loved the dark and ironic ending to some of the storylines that emerged, and I felt this strong finish enhanced the entire book as a result. Berry also leaves the story on an excellent emotional cliffhanger, that I feel is really going to pay off later in the series, and I will ensure I come back for the next Cotton Malone book.

I really liked how Berry set out his methodical and intense story as he once again relied on his classic style that prioritised historical inclusions, while also ensuring that the new book is accessible to all readers. Thanks to the author’s excellent use of multiple perspectives, you get a great wide-angle perspective story, which allows you to understand the motivations, desires and actions of most of the opposing parties. I always love books that show the story from the antagonist’s perspective, and this was a great example of that as you got to see the leader of the evil bank manipulate one of the other main characters, while also trying to implement her wider plan. Berry utilises these multiple perspectives to tell an excellent overarching story, and while the parts focusing on Cassiopeia Vitt and Derrick Koger felt a little too detached from Cotton Malone’s storyline, for the most part this was a very cohesive tale. The writing is also very tight and fluid in The Atlas Maneuver as Berry does a great job moving the story along, while also including his trademark historical lectures and flashbacks. The mixture of modern-day action, elaborate schemes and examinations of the past was pretty on-point for this latest Cotton Malone book, and you really get drawn into the story as a result. There were also some fantastic character interactions, especially as the protagonist is forced to interact with a love interest from his past who looks set to change the status quo of the series. I had such a good time reading this book, and it proved to be an excellent addition to Cotton Malone series.

I always love the elaborate and compelling dives into various parts of history that Berry takes the reader on in the Cotton Malone series. Berry, who clearly does his research on all things history, once again set his new novel around a unique piece of history, which has intriguing implications for the modern day thriller storyline. In this case, much of the story revolves around Yamashita’s gold, the infamous treasure hoard supposedly located in the Philippines. The author does a deep dive into the subject highlighting all the history surrounding it, as well as mentioning many of the intriguing details that followed it as people attempted to find it. Much of the plot of The Atlas Maneuver revolves around the fate of this gold, and Berry really does a great job of highlighting its importance and the cultural implications surrounding it. While certain elements of Yamashita’s gold featured in The Atlas Maneuver were exaggerated or changed for narrative purposes, you really get a good grounding in history surrounding it. I found this focus on the lost treasure to be highly fascinating, especially as it wasn’t something I was too familiar about before. However, this only proved to be the tip of the historical iceberg, as other intriguing historical events were also cleverly featured throughout the book. compelling examinations about the early days of the CIA, banking history, the financial affairs of Switzerland and Luxembourg, and post-war recovery of Japan are also covered in interesting detail, much of which helps to give context to the current story and which are cleverly inserted into the modern-day plot. These historical elements are truly fascinating, and I love the unique conspiracies and hidden secrets that Berry creates utilising them.

In addition to this 20^th century history, Berry also chooses to dive into something a little more modern with a detailed look at bitcoin, which also has a significant impact to the plot of The Atlas Maneuver. Berry dives into the history surrounding bitcoin, how it came into being and how it eventually expanded out in a major currency. While some of this history is altered for the book, there is still a lot of detail about its origins and how it become prevalent throughout the world, which I honestly didn’t know a lot about, and was quite fascinating. Berry also tries to capture other aspects of bitcoin, such as its function, how it is mined, and how it is currently viewed throughout the world. There is a focus on bitcoin’s potential, and how it can be used to change economies and grant financial freedoms to people. I liked how Berry took a neutral, if hopeful, stance around bitcoin, as while certain characters are critical of the cryptocurrency, many see its potential and hope to make the world a better place through its usage. I honestly found the entire inclusion of bitcoin to be highly interesting, and the focus on its manipulation, creation and exploitation drove the plot to some cool places.

Another aspect of all Berry’s books that I really enjoy is his highly detailed examinations of various intriguing places that his protagonists end up in. These background settings are always a key part of the book, and I like how well Berry incorporates them into the story, especially as the history or unique locations are invariably explored or utilised in the plot. While The Atlas Maneuver lacks some of the grandiose sites that I enjoyed in the previous books, there is still a range of cool locations featured here that are well done. This includes deep looks at several cities and locations with Switzerland and Luxembourg, as well as a lengthy excursion to Morocco. Berry loving describes all the historical cities, lakes and other key locations in high detail, and it is always very clear when he is working from memory, especially as some of his characters’ reactions clearly mirror his own. These detailed depictions always allow the reader to effectively envision the locations quite clearly, and it is a lot of fun imagining the daring exploits taking place in these picturesque locales. I always love Berry’s descriptions of these locations, not only because I find the history fascinating, but because there are so many places featured in these books that I want to visit. As such, this is a great part of The Atlas Maneuver, and I cannot wait to see what cool locations Berry features in his next book.

As has been my custom with most of the Cotton Malone series, I ended up listening to The Atlas Maneuver on audiobook, which ended up being a pretty great way to enjoy this book. Coming in a nearly 13 and a half hours, this is a moderately long audiobook, so it took me a little while to get through it. However, I felt that the way it helped to portray the intense action and thrilling storyline was very impressive, especially as having the story read out to me engrained the elaborate historical details a little better. The Atlas Maneuver once again featured the fantastic voice work of veteran audiobook narrator Scott Brick, who has lent his voice to all the previous Cotton Malone books. Brick has a very serviceable voice that works well for the thriller books he usually narrates, especially as it helps to highlight the great action sequences and elaborate conspiracies. Thanks to his good voice work, the plot of The Atlas Maneuver moves along at a brisk pace, and I really got swept up in the elaborate story. As such, I feel that the audiobook version is a great way to enjoy The Atlas Maneuver, and I had an excellent time getting through it.

Overall, The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry was an amazing book that I had an outstanding time getting through. Once again successfully combining intriguing and elaborate historical conspiracies with an exciting thriller storyline, The Atlas Maneuver was a blast from start to finish and will be deeply appreciated by both fans of the long-running Cotton Malone series and new readers experiencing Berry’s writing for the first time. A compelling read that comes highly recommended.

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The Last Kingdom by Steve Berry

On May 27, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Historical Fiction, Thriller12 Comments

The Last Kingdom (Steve Berry) Cover

Publisher: Hachette Audio (Audiobook – 21 February 2023)

Series: Cotton Malone – Book 17

Length: 14 hours and 20 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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Prepare for a remarkable and captivating mystery from out of history as acclaimed thriller writer Steve Berry presents another outstanding and riveting novel in The Last Kingdom.

Ever since I started reading thrillers a few years ago, one of my favourite authors in the genre, as well the most consistently entertaining, is the fantastic Steve Berry. A veteran author who has been producing compelling reads since the early 2000s, Berry has over 25 books to his name that blend intense modern thriller narratives with intriguing history elements. His most iconic body of work is his long-running Cotton Malone series, which follows a US Justice Department agent as he investigates unique historical conspiracies or secrets whose revelation will have major implications in the modern world. I first fell in love with Berry’s writing back in 2019 when I read The Malta Exchange. Since then I have gone on to read several more Cotton Malone novels including The Warsaw Protocol and The Kaiser’s Web, as well as the standalone novel The Omega Factor, each of which have contained some addictive stories that I’ve deeply enjoyed. As such, I made sure to read his 2023 release, The Last Kingdom, as a soon as I could. The 17^th Cotton Malone novel, The Last Kingdom presented the reader with another brilliant conspiracy from history that was pretty awesome to behold.

There are many strange tales scattered throughout the history of Europe, but few are more unusual than that of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. An unstable and fanciful figure who loved stories, solitude, and magnificent castles, King Ludwig dreamed of a magical kingdom, one far different from the lands he ruled. Determined to find such a kingdom, he despatched agents throughout the world before his murder in 1886. History suggests that he never found what he was looking for, but what if he did?

Now, in modern day Bavaria, freelance intelligence agent Cotton Malone has been hired by his old friend and protégé Luke Daniels to help him infiltrate a small group of radical separatists with dreams of securing Bavaria’s independence from Germany. The focus of Luke’s investigation is the prince of Bavaria who seeks to usurp his older brother, the duke, and restore the ousted Wittelsbach monarchy with himself as king. But to achieve his dreams, the prince needs the ultimate leverage, the Last Kingdom of King Ludwig II.

Following clues throughout several significant sites in Bavaria, Cotton and the Prince’s men are soon caught in a race to find a mysterious deed, one that Germany, China and the United States would kill for and which could greatly shift the balance of power in the world. With the White House, Chinese intelligence, a mysterious Bavarian secret society and a rogue group of former CIA agents all vying for the prize, Cotton desperately attempts to solve the puzzle of the Last Kingdom and the terrible legacy it holds. But can Cotton once again defeat the odds and keep the word safe from another historical mystery, or will the world be irrevocably altered by a secret form another century?

Well damn, now that was a pretty awesome read. I have so much damn love for Steve Berry’s work, and The Last Kingdom is probably one of my favourites so far. Perfectly combining an excellent thriller storyline with an elaborate and deeply captivating tale of history, The Last Kingdom was an exceptional read and one that I honestly could not stop listening to.

Berry has produced an amazing and addictive masterpiece of a thriller in The Last Kingdom with a particularly strong story behind it. Like most of Berry’s books, The Last Kingdom is primarily a modern day thriller that introduces an original conspiracy that took place in history and has remained hidden until Cotton Malone wanders along (that man finds ancient mysteries wherever he goes). As such, what starts as a simple infiltration at a famous Bavarian palace soon devolves into an elaborate treasure hunt for unique piece of history. This latest historical mystery revolves around the eccentric and tragic final kings of Bavaria, and their desires to either retain power or find their own place in the world. Berry expands on this historical detail throughout the entire course of the book, providing a good combination of real facts and some exaggerated fictional elements, which works into the main plot extremely well. This modern day storyline gets some legs really early on as the protagonist and his companions are dragged into a major shadow war with several different factions attempting to take advantage of the situation and the hunt for the historical mystery. Cotton soon finds himself working for several old colleagues, including a reckless CIA agent, while other groups, including the Bavarian prince and a rogue group of former CIA agents, start to use deadly force to solve the clues and find the hidden deed.

Berry keeps the pace of The Last Kingdom quick and compelling by raising the various stakes of the book while still showing off the entirety of Bavaria and its historic beauty. There is a good reveal of why everyone is after the deed about halfway through which sets everyone on the road to a big confrontation. While the full details of the conspiracy are a little over-the-top, Berry fits it into the story well, and the examination of modern and historical concerns surrounding is quite clever and intriguing. The final half of the book is an intense thrill ride in several great ways, as Berry loads up the story with fun reveals, clever twists and so many betrayals. I loved how the mystery of the King’s deed unfolded, and Berry really mixed the various original puzzle pieces of his conspiracy with the overlying historical detail to create a fantastic scavenger hunt. The modern day thriller elements flitted around this extremely well, and watching the various participants in the hunt betray or outwit each other to try and get the prize was deeply exciting and led to some big moments. The conclusion to the story is very good, and readers will come away extremely satisfied, both with how the story came together, and with all the extra knowledge Berry leaves you with.

I have a very deep appreciation for how Berry writes his outstanding novels and I think that The Last Kingdom was a particularly impressive example of this. The blend of a high-intensity modern thriller storyline wrapped around a mystery loaded in historical detail is always entertaining, and I felt it turned out well again in The Last Kingdom. The way that Berry splits the story out using alternate perspective chapters is particularly useful, as you get to see each of the characters interpreting the historical elements from different perspectives. At the same time, several of the chapters are set in the 19^th century and provide some deeper historical context to the story, which I felt was particularly useful and fun. Berry really excels in simultaneously showing the different aspects of his story, and readers come away from The Last Kingdom having had fun with the thriller elements, while also learning so much more about some fascinating topics. I really think that The Last Kingdom had one of the better thriller storylines associated with it thanks to inclusion of spies, disaffected royals, and several warring governments, and the way that story element unfolded had me pretty damn hooked the entire way through. Like most of the Cotton Malone novels, The Last Kingdom can be read as a mostly standalone book, and readers don’t need to have any real knowledge of the previous entries in the series to enjoy this great novel. While there are references to previous adventures and mysteries, the relevant details of these are well explained and new readers won’t be thrown by them. However, long-term fans of the series will appreciate the continuation of several recent storylines, especially around Cotton’s feud with the US President, and I liked how that unfolded.

As I have mentioned a few times already, one of the best things about The Last Kingdom, and indeed all of the Cotton Malone novels, is the way that Berry dives into unique and intriguing parts of history to really give his stories a captivating kick. In The Last Kingdom, this takes the form of a focus on the unique history of the kingdom of Bavaria, specifically the last 19^th and early 20^th century and the last three monarchs of the Wittelsbach line. I have to admit, this was an area of history that I was not familiar with, but that changed after reading The Last Kingdom. Berry conveys an immense amount of detail about this period and the relevant kings to the reader throughout the course of the book, so by the time you are done, you know so much about them. However, Berry does it in such a way that ensures that the reader don’t get bored with it, as he showcases the more compelling elements of their reigns and the nation’s history around it, while also hinting at how it ties into the big conspiracy/mystery of the story. I particularly enjoyed the detailed and fascinating examination of eccentric King Ludwig II. Berry covers so many parts of his compelling life in this story, including his complex reign, his unusual outlook on the monarch, and his infamous end that saw him deposed and murdered. The mysteries of Ludwig II and his search for a new kingdom proved to be a deeply compelling centre for the entire plot and I am really glad I got to learn more about them. Another nation’s history, which I mention for spoiler reasons, is also concisely featured here, and I liked how Berry tied it together with Bavaria, resulting in a cool mixture that perfectly fed into the modern-day thriller. The author clearly has so much fun researching and utilising all this historical detail in his books, especially if the extensive author’s notes section at the back is anything to go by. Featuring all this historical detail works to create a great story, and I cannot emphasise how awesome it can be, especially in Berry’s capable hands.

In addition to all the historical elements of the book, I also really need to highlight how well Berry showcased Bavaria as a whole throughout the course of The Last Kingdom. Many of the Cotton Malone novels act like a tourist brochure as the protagonists travel from one picturesque area of the country to the next, visiting all manner of historical sites. This is very much the case for The Last Kingdom as the characters are forced to travel to several impressive locations throughout Bavaria, including iconic cityscapes, famous cathedrals, and beautiful landscapes. Berry really spares no detail when it comes to describing these locations, and you can easily visualise them in all their stunning glory. Some of the best descriptions are the iconic three castles that King Ludwig II built, which were strongly connected to his life story. These castles form the basis for much of the plot’s historical scavenger hunt, and Berry really goes into the history and layout of them, even describing the furniture and the decorations. You really grow to appreciate these locations around Bavaria, and I know that if I ever get the chance to visit, several of them are going to be on the top of my list of places to check out. However, it is not just these iconic locations that are explored. Berry also spends substantial time trying to show off the intangible nature of Bavaria, including its politics, its current attitudes, the state of its old monarchy, its place within larger Germany, and various other elements of its culture, including a real secret society dedicated to King Ludwig II. All these elements are masterfully researched, examined, and showcased throughout The Last Kingdom, and all of them add to the authenticity of the story in immeasurable ways.

Aside from the excellent story and complex historical details, I also need to mention the great characters featured throughout The Last Kingdom. Berry always writes fantastic figures, and it was awesome to see more of his central protagonist, Cotton Malone, as well as recurring supporting character Luke Daniels. Both are well utilised throughout The Last Kingdom, and it was always great to see them working, especially as they have some major veteran presence at this point and work well against the various forces coming for them. I did think that there was not a lot of development between the two, as both are essentially the same people they were in their last appearances, but they still make solid and likeable central focuses for the story. However, there was some fantastic character development occurring outside of these main characters, especially as Berry introduces an amazing supporting cast of aging spies, angry deposed royalty, intriguing members of Bavarian society and deadly foreign agents. Several of these characters have key roles in the book and Berry utilises them perfectly as great alternate perspectives for large swathes of the plot, producing a complex and powerful extended plot. I loved the utilisation of Derrick Koger, a veteran CIA agent who has history with Cotton and has worked with him/against him in the past. The funny and morally ambiguous Koger plays off the honourable Cotton perfectly as they work together in this book, and it was interesting to see them teaming up. I liked how several of the antagonists, as well as Koger, shared a compelling character theme of people who believe they were overlooked or betrayed by their peers or people, and it serves as a great driving force for them to do bad things. This group of characters and their conflicting priorities are an excellent part of The Last Kingdom and I had an outstanding time following them along this powerful quest.

I once again chose to check out this latest Steve Berry novel on audiobook, which is always a pretty epic experience. Coming in at nearly 14 and a half hours, The Last Kingdom is medium length audiobook, although once you get caught up in the compelling story it flies by extremely quickly. I personally love the Cotton Malone audiobooks as the narration really enhances all the elaborate detail of the story, especially the historical background, and ensures that they stick in the mind. Hearing the key historical facts again and again really drives them home and I find that this helped me get even more fixated on the narrative as I was extremely eager to see how everything came together. It helps that The Last Kingdom once again features narration from Scott Brick, one of the premiere thriller audiobook narrators out there who has lent his voice to all the previous Cotton Malone audiobooks. Brick has a great voice for thrillers and I find his narration really fits Berry’s cool stories, especially as he gives some gravitas and complexity to both the modern day events and the historical elements. Brick also has a great array of accents that he employs to full effect throughout The Last Kingdom, which I deeply appreciated. His various American accents, which includes one from the wilds of Tennessee, are very well done, and I was once again extremely impressed by his dazzling array of German and European tones. Even his Australian accent, something I am particularly sensitive about, was passable, if slightly stereotypical, and this fantastic choice of voices enhanced the audiobook experience. Due to this outstanding voice work, as well as the great impact this format has on some of the key parts of the book, I would strongly recommend The Last Kingdom audiobook, and it is always one of my favourite ways to enjoy a good Steve Berry novel.

Steve Berry continues to impress with his latest outstanding Cotton Malone novel, The Last Kingdom. Featuring his typical blend of exciting and intense thriller storylines and fascinating historical detail, The Last Kingdom is a brilliant read that powerfully showcases Bavaria in all its glory. Examining key elements of the state’s past, as well as its current beauty, and perfectly working them into an excellent story, this was an exceptional outing from Berry and one that I had such an amazing time reading. Highly recommended!

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