The Charlemagne Pursuit

A Novel

By: Steve Berry

Narrated by: Scott Brick

As a child, former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone was told his father died in a submarine disaster in the North Atlantic, but now he wants the full story and asks his ex-boss, Stephanie Nelle, to secure the military files. What he learns stuns him: His father’s sub was a secret nuclear vessel lost on a highly classified mission beneath the ice shelves of Antarctica.

But Malone isn’t the only one after the truth.

Twin sisters Dorothea Lindauer and Christl Falk are fighting for the fortune their mother has promised to whichever of them discovers what really became of their father–who died on the same submarine that Malone’s father captained.

The sisters know something Malone doesn’t: Inspired by strange clues discovered in Charlemagne’s tomb, the Nazis explored Antarctica before the Americans, as long ago as 1938. Now Malone discovers that cryptic journals penned in “the language of heaven,” inscrutable conundrums posed by an ancient historian, and the ill-fated voyage of his father are all tied to a revelation of immense consequence for humankind.

In an effort to ensure that this explosive information never rises to the surface, Langford Ramsey, an ambitious navy admiral, has begun a brutal game of treachery, blackmail, and assassination. As Malone embarks on a dangerous quest with the sisters–one that leads them from an ancient German cathedral to a snowy French citadel to the unforgiving ice of Antarctica–he will finally confront the shocking truth of his father’s death and the distinct possibility of his own.©2008 Steve Berry; (P)2008 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"In bestseller Berry's fourth thriller to feature ex–Justice Department agent Cotton Malone (after The Venetian Betrayal), Malone embarks on a search for answers about his father, Capt. Forrest Malone, after learning that instead of dying in 1971 in a nuclear sub accident in the North Atlantic, his father actually died while on a secret submarine mission to the Antarctic. Meanwhile, bad guy Adm. Langford Ramsey schemes to become the next ranking officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The two story lines merge as a group led by Malone races to Antarctica, where they find a strange underground city belonging to the Aryans, an advanced race who inhabited the earth at the dawn of our own civilization. A meticulous researcher, Berry carefully integrates such elements as Charlemagne, Nazis, ancient manuscripts, historical puzzles and scientific surprises into the plot. Those who relish suspense in the Da Vinci Code vein will snap this one up, the best yet in the series." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Berry outdoes himself in his latest Cotton Malone adventure (after The Venetian Betrayal ). Using his connections in the federal government, Cotton asks to see a classified file that details the mission that resulted in his father's death. He knew his father died on a submarine but none of the shocking details about where or why he died. But Cotton is not the only person who wants this file, and they kill to get it. Nazi missions to the Antarctic, ancient societies, and a valuable artifact from Charlemagne's tomb all play key roles as Malone uncovers the truth. So much is going on that there is enough material for two good books, let alone one great one. Mixed in with the complicated action, Berry finds the time to explore the characters as well, making this his most personal and best book to date. For all fiction collections." - Library Journal

Another great history/mystery/action Berry Novel

Steve Berry's ability to weave genujine mysteries of history into a tale of intrigue, suspense and action is well displayed in this latest novel. Cotton Malone, ex government operative turned book seller, is back and uses his physical training, eidetic memory and skills to solve the riddle of his father's death. His pursuit of this information involves Naval Intelligence, ancient civilizations, Nazi Germany's interest in antartica, and a domineering German matriarch who manipulates the people around her in way that leads to many deaths. There is also a large number or murders in this story...the murders are in Europe, the US and antartica - no one seems safe from the killers in this story. Also, the President of the United States involves his top national security advisors in completely illegal activities to undercover political plots that happen to interset with Cotton's quest..

The book starts a bit weakly as it was clear to me why and how mysteriies around the reign of Charlemagne would have anything to do with the death of Cottons' father...they seem to be just trying to solve the mystery without any idea of what the answer to the riddle would supply. However, the different threads of the story eventually tie together - although it requires a good healthy suspension of belief.

At the end of the book the author tells what's true and what isn't true about the story. As always, much of the interesting historical facts that are used are real...this makes the reading particularly enjoyable as Berry concocts his own story around these mysteries....makes you want to travel to the places in the book to see for yourself.

I thought, overall, this was the best Berry novel yet.

The only negative comment I have is that the reader's rendition of the German accent for the matriarch reminded me of Cloris Leachman's rule in Young Frankenstein...

Cotton Mellon the reluctant Hero got me again!

I feel like Im getting a Histoy and Geography lesson in the form of an Adventure with a character from America that gives James Bond a run his money. Fun read and hard to turn off.

Love Steve Berry

This is one of the finest books in the series. I loved this history and the story. #history #CottonMalone #Tagsgiving #Sweepstakes

Book jumps from scene to scene w/o telling us

I don't know who made this mistake however in the recording of this book, someone should have edited it so that it would have been easier to understand as a listener. Many, many times the book jumps from scene to scene without giving the listener any idea that it has jumped. By just adding a long pause and then telling us the new location the writer has jumped to, would have made the listen much easier. With the rise of audio books I am shocked this was not done. All writers need to do this, since by adding a new paragraph may let the reader know the scene has changed but it does nothing for a listener. This problem took away from the enjoyment and I would say this Berry book was ok 3 out of 5.

Decent Diversion- A Stretch to Compare to Davinci

Every book seems to want to duplicate the formula of the Davinci code and play off of the magic. This book is okay and could probably be made into a movie that is much better than the Davinci Code movie, but that isn't saying a lot. This book really ends up being closer to the Hunt for Red October than it does the Code anyway.

It is okay, but it isn't spectacular either.