The Lost Order

Cotton Malone, Book 12

By: Steve Berry

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 32 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

This program contains two versions of The Lost Order- one is the complete unabridged text, and the other is the writer's cut, which includes Steve Berry's behind-the-scenes commentary at the ends of some of the chapters. If you'd like to listen to The Lost Order WITHOUT Steve Berry's comments, just play the program from the beginning. To listen to the writer's cut version of The Lost Order WITH Steve Berry's commentary, start with Download Part 2 or Chapter 89.

The Knights of the Golden Circle was the largest and most dangerous clandestine organization in American history. It amassed billions in stolen gold and silver, all buried in hidden caches across the United States. Since 1865 treasure hunters have searched, but little of that immense wealth has ever been found.

Now, 160 years later, two factions of what remains of the Knights of the Golden Circle want that lost treasure - one to spend it for their own ends, the other to preserve it. Thrust into this battle is former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone, whose connection to the knights is far deeper than he ever imagined. At the center is the Smithsonian Institution - linked to the knights, its treasure, and Malone himself through an ancestor, a Confederate spy named Angus "Cotton" Adams, whose story holds the key to everything. Complicating matters are the political ambitions of a reckless Speaker of the House and the bitter widow of a United States senator, who together are planning radical changes to the country. And while Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt face the past, ex-president Danny Daniels and Stephanie Nelle confront a new and unexpected challenge, a threat that may cost one of them their life.

From the backrooms of the Smithsonian to the deepest woods in rural Arkansas, and finally up into the rugged mountains of Northern New Mexico, The Lost Order is a perilous adventure into our country's dark past and a potentially even darker future.

©2017 Magellan Billet, Inc. (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Critic Reviews

"Narrator Scott Brick's smooth voice flows with the twists and turns of Berry's political thriller... Secrets unravel, and tensions rise as Brick shifts vocal focus from the historical secret society to contemporary conspirators who include corrupt politicians and judges." ( AudioFile)

History Lesson … So’s You’ll Enjoy It!

If you are looking for lyrical prose … look elsewhere. Each time I start a Steve Berry audiobook, his awkward writing style drives me nearly to distraction for a while … until I loosen up my pedantic OCD a bit, and resign myself to just enjoying the story’s plot. If good writing matters to you, but you also love intelligent thrillers, then here is your dilemma: Steve Berry is not a natural-born writer, like, say, Cormac McCarthy, or Elizabeth Peters, or James Lee Burke. However, he is a natural-born historian, and his passion for history shines through in his Cotton Malone thrillers. If, like me, you had a history allergy in school, let Steve Barry make it fun and exciting for you. Each Cotton Malone episode teaches us a fascinating history lesson by way of a hair-raising, nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat adventure. At the end of each story in the Cotton Malone series, Mr. Berry provides us with an author’s note revealing which aspects of the plot were drawn from actual historical events, and which aspects derived from his imagination. I predict that this revelation will surprise you: Frequently the most far-fetched parts of the novel turn out to have actually happened. In “The Lost Order” I learned more about the Civil War, the Smithsonian Institution, and the United States Government than I ever absorbed in school. As an extra, added bonus for Cotton Malone fans: We finally learn, here in “The Lost Order”, how Cotton got his moniker! So, here is my advice to all thriller-lovers contemplating purchasing “The Lost Order”: Temporarily forget everything you learned in English class, and prepare yourself for a Dan-Brown-esque thriller, with cryptic maps, puzzles, codes, clues, cyphers, multi-generational secret societies, and even a secret hand-shake. BTW: This Audible version of “The Lost Order” offers you two renderings of this audiobook: the first one without Mr. Berry’s interspersed commentary, and the second with it. I listened to both renderings, and recommend that you consider doing so, too, in the prescribed order. Mr. Berry’s commentary supplies both enlightening and entertaining historical insight into the story.

Fabulous Read! Many historical facts:

Steve Berry has given us another exciting story with Cotton Malone. Steve included so many descriptions of the Smithsonian Institution that one will want to pack their bags and vacation in Washington. DC for a month. I especially like the director's cut. Steve inserts explanations throughout the story filled with historical information. I'd love to see Mr. Berry write another novel with Cotton Malone with NATO as the central component. I highly recommend this book to those that love action and history!

Cotton and the Deep South!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Lost Order to be better than the print version?

Didn't read the book version, but this audio version is outstanding!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Danny Davis is always a fascinating study in contrasts, and he does it again in this offering.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Consistently one of the best performers in Audible, and nothing different ( meaning, well done ) in this one. I would note that sometimes he is somewhat overly dramatic, but his Southern accents and professional approach makes up for it.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Maybe not moved, but made me do some research into topics I didn't otherwise know about.

Any additional comments?

Cotton, the Director, Cassiopeia, and the Billet continue to explore the nuanced corners of history. This is a strong, well researched and compelling offer from Mr. Berry. SB does a command performance, and overall this is a fine continuation of this durable series.

Highly recommended.

Great!

This book was a great read. Amazing, because it was a page turner, and it was a great thrilled to read. I wonder sometimes how Steve Berry does it. But, he has done it again. Scott brick, a great narrator, performed this book really well. His knowledge of foreign language seems really good. He pronounces it amazingly. All in all, for a picky person, it was awesome.

Excellent as Always

Love Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series and this newest edition is no exception. As always Mr. Berry takes a little know historical event or group and weaves a fascinating story. Can't wait to revisit the Smithsonian Castle to view with new eyes. Great story...enjoy!

Another Great Book

What did you love best about The Lost Order?

This book thrills to the very end.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot is both historical and compelling.

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favorite?

Scott Brick does a superb job as usual.

Another great novel

I listened to the Auther's edition and enjoyed it very much. I have all of Mr. Berry's cotton Malone series and I enjoyed this novel just as much as I have any of the others

Standard Steve Berry

It's hard to criticize Steve Berry. His books are well written. His characters are colorful. I always learn a little something. If your a fan of his work you will not be disappointed. On the other hand, the main characters are always saved by fate at the very last second, the stories adhere to a formula that had been very successful for him, this one was a bit of a slog for me and reminded me why I stopped listening to his novels. Granted I listed to 4-5 of them. No surprises here. If you are a fan you will enjoy this story. If your new to Steve Berry you may love this story.

Another excellent history lesson

I truly enjoyed this book which brings back the major characters of previous stories. Hard for me to imagine becoming so thrilled with a governmental spy series as a whole but they are wrapped around incredible history lessons and the writer's cut version with its extra tidbits of information is an added bonus. The writer's notes which separate fact from fiction is something I look forward to after hearing these action-packed missions of protagonist Cotton Malone. The voice of Scott Brick is a real pleasure and his speed, character nuances and overall performance are among the best in the audio world.

Another Great

I've been reading Steve Berry's books for years now; and I have to say this is one of the best.
Great plot lines and history linked into everything.
This one touched home to me as well as a Southerner myself it brought back memories of running around in the woods looking for civil war artifacts and treasure.