The Venetian Betrayal

A Novel

By: Steve Berry

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

After narrowly escaping incineration in a devastating fire that consumes a Danish museum, Cotton Malone - former Justice Department agent turned rare-book dealer - learns from his friend, the beguiling adventurer Cassiopeia Vitt, that the blaze was neither an accident nor an isolated incident. As part of a campaign of arson intended to mask a far more diabolical design, buildings across Europe are being devoured by infernos of unnatural strength. Born from the ashes is a new Eastern European nation whose ruthless leader will soon draw Cotton into an intense geopolitical chess game against a shadowy cabal of power brokers. The prize lies buried with the mummified remains of Alexander the Great - in a tomb lost to the ages for more than 2,000 years. Trekking from Denmark to Venice, to Central Asia, Cotton and Cassiopeia are determined to solve an ancient puzzle whose solution could destroy or save millions of people - depending on who finds the lost tomb first.

©2008 Steve Berry (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“[Steve Berry] has a genuine feel for the factual gaps that give history its tantalizing air of the unknown.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“There’s nothing tastier than a globe-spanning mystery...Berry’s books excel at bringing out fascinating tidbits of history.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Ok, not great

A dictator, obsessed with Alexander the Great wants to find a cure for AIDS to help her dying lover. She also has amassed a sizable collection of viruses which she intends to use to bring the world to its knees.... Can she be stopped?

I found this story to be merely OK. Mostly because I just didn't care about any of the characters. The protagonists were rather bland, and the dictator, though evil, was just someone I felt sorry for. The story switches between various characters and they all were rather cardboard. I liked the backstory of Alexander the Great, but I felt some parts such as the crossbow wielding agent a bit silly and over-the-top.

Nothing that trully excited me. It lacked characters I could really connect with.

Early novel in the wonderful Cotton Malone series

Book 12 in Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series titled The Lost Order will be released in three weeks. Here I go back to Book 3 released in audio in 2007. Cotton Malone is a US agent and rare book dealer in Denmark. The Venetian Betrayal is a solid 4 star espionage/suspense thriller. The story is an intricate and long one, but so are all novels in the series. This series does not get the attention that it deserves, For those listeners that enjoy novels that involve international intrigue, references to historical situations and outstanding character development this series is ideal. Scott Brick's narration of all novels in the series except the first one makes the Cotton Malone series in audio even better than the print versions. More recent novels in the series earn 5 stars.

hard to follow

i am a very experienced many year memeber of audible and i found this book very hard to follow, the author switched between first and last names, and had almost no character development in the beginning for the listener to use later as a basis for their relationships with each other, i often got lost and had to re listen

Another winner!

This book is another winner by Steve Berry! Exciting with all the twists and turns you don't expect!

The Reader Betrayal

This is another story involving the interesting Cotton Malone. Part Indiana Jones, part Robert Langdon, part James Bond. Berry again spins a story around historical information that is very clever if not all that plausible. The clues and solutions to the ancient secret that are uncovered are not as clever as in his other books.

Slow and Confusing

Scott Brick is always an excellent narrator, but I found this book slow and confusing. Clarity comes at the end, but at the high price of listening to all the previous material.

Not up to standards

The adventures of Cotton Malone are told in several Steve Berry books. He is an interesting thriller hero with a past in a highly secret federal service but retired to Denmark where he runs a small, peaceful rare book store. Peaceful except when Cotton Malone is called back to save the world once again. He always succeeds but needs the help of several friends from around the world. The Venetian Betrayal follows the formula with the villain being the dictator of a Mid Asia nation recently constituted and all the friends coming back to help. However hard this might be to believe, it gets a lot worse as Cotton and his friends have to stop an evil plot to spread biological weapons and in doing so find possible cures for some of the world's worst epidemics. When you add all this to the search for the burial grounds of Alexander the Great, it gets too much even for this genre. Read it if you have the time but there may be better ways to spend your time.

Pretty Good

This book wasn't a struggle to finish and had an interesting premise. It was not a book that I thought about for a week afterwards, but I enjoyed it while it lasted.

Another Great Book in this series

I discovered these books about a Cotton Malone and started following them. I love all the characters. I love the real history with added fiction. These books, in the genre of historical fiction, teach you history while adding a fictional adventure, making it a fun read. I recommend this book to all who love history with a creative license giving you a “ what if” scenario. Kudos to the author.

Don't waste your time or credit

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I can't imagine. It was so silly and disjointed and there was no character I could really care about.

What was most disappointing about Steve Berry’s story?

Where do I start, the plot was strange and felt ludicrous at many points, which really put me off.

What three words best describe Scott Brick’s performance?

I'm not a fan of his, but I suppose he tried his best.

What character would you cut from The Venetian Betrayal?

Everyone! The "hero" Cotton Malone doesn't even seem to have a starring role except in the last quarter of the story.

Any additional comments?

I don't like to give such negative reviews, but this was just so disappointing, and with a title like the Venetian Betrayal, I was hoping for something better.