In New York Times bestseller Steve Berry’s latest Cotton Malone adventure, a secret dossier from a World War II-era Soviet spy comes to light containing information that, if proven true, would not only rewrite history — it could impact Germany’s upcoming national elections and forever alter the political landscape of Europe. Two candidates are vying to become Chancellor of Germany. One is a … of Germany. One is a patriot having served for the past sixteen years, the other a usurper, stoking the flames of nationalistic hate. Both harbor secrets, but only one knows the truth about the other. They are on a collision course, all turning on the events of one fateful day — April 30, 1945 — and what happened deep beneath Berlin in the Fürherbunker. Did Adolph Hitler and Eva Braun die there? Did Martin Bormann, Hitler’s close confidant, manage to escape? And, even more important, where did billions in Nazi wealth disappear to in the waning days of World War II? The answers to these questions will determine who becomes the next Chancellor of Germany.
From the mysterious Chilean lake district, to the dangerous mesas of South Africa, and finally into the secret vaults of Switzerland, former-Justice Department agent Cotton Malone discovers the truth about the fates of Hitler, Braun, and Bormann. Revelations that could not only transform Europe, but finally expose a mystery known as the Kaiser’s web.
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The Kaiser’s Web by Steve Berry is the sixteenth book in the Cotton Malone series. This is a political thriller and suspense novel with some historical fiction meshed into it. As always, Berry does an excellent job of combining fact and fiction in an action adventure thriller that is superb. In the Author’s Note, he delineates what incidents and places are real.
When the previous president of the United States, Danny Daniels contacts Cotton Malone and asks for his and Cassiopeia Vitt’s help, they accept. Despite Cotton being retired from the Justice Department and now owning a rare book store in Copenhagen, he and Cassiopeia are eager for some excitement. A secret dossier has come to light that could not only rewrite history, it could impact Germany’s national elections. Of course this goes back to World War II and what really happened on April 30, 1945. What could possibly go wrong with trying to validate the dossier?
Cotton is a strong protagonist with a lot of depth. His resilience, courage, and love for Cassiopeia as well as his love for history and truth shine in this story line. The secondary characters had varying degrees of depth with a couple of familiar faces and many new characters to enliven the tale.
Berry does a great job of world-building and makes the locations in the book come alive. He also adds cultural and historical aspects to the places and people making the reading experience an immersive one. This takes talent when the book covers multiple countries and sometimes multiple locations within those countries. The plot is full of history, intrigue, lies, mystery, and twists and turns.
Overall, this was an entertaining and fast-paced novel and a great addition to the series. I look forward to the next book. I have read 10 books by this author and own several others that are on my to-be-read bookshelf. If you enjoy a mixture of history, action, and intrigue, then this may be the next series for you.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and Steve Berry for an ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for February 23, 2021.
432 pages
5 stars
First I must admit that I am a sucker for “alternate” history. This is a wonderful “what if” story.
Cotton Malone and girlfriend, Cassiopeia Vitt are involved in German politics in this story along with former president Danny Daniels.
What if Martin Bormann and Eva Braun Hitler survived the war? How about Hitler himself? What proof do we really have that they died in the bunker in Berlin?
Cotton and Cassiopeia get involved in a duel between two candidates for German Chancellor. Both elderly, the current Chancellor Marie Eisenhuth has received intelligence that her opponent is really the son of Martin Bormann. Theodor Pohl is a very right wing isolationist, vociferously opposed to immigration and stoking the flames of violence in his followers.
This book is intense. Cotton and Cassiopeia’s quest take them on a trip around the globe in search of answers about Bormann and Braun Hitler. There is drama, betrayal, tension and surprises. It is a very good novel and I truly enjoyed the twists and turns in the what if scenario. This turns out to be a story for our times. A cautionary tale if you will. As does Mr. Berry, I, too, see the way the lie of the land is ever changing – and not for the better. And I fear for our own nation here in the US.
I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for forwarding to me a copy of this possibly prophetic book for me to read, enjoy and review.
I always learn a boat-load of history when reading Berry’s Cotton Malone series. He’s a master when it comes to history based thrillers.
Written with classic Steve Berry aplomb, THE KAISER’S WEB spins a devious tale of historical intrigue. Cotton Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt have met their match as they tackle ignoble and unpredictable Nazi ghosts. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone Uncovers Germany’s Dark Secrets in “The Kaiser’s Web.” I enjoyed interviewing the author on Charlotte Readers Podcast.
I always like Steve Berry. This book is informative for looking at today’s political environment inThe USA. There is nothing new in the universe obviously holds true.
Cotton is retired. But he is called upon to uncover the truth about one of the candidates vying for chancellor of Germany. He and his partner, Cassiopeia, uncover more than they bargain for.
This story takes you all over the globe, Chile, Africa, Germany. And, of course, each country has a new piece to the puzzle. Did Eva Braun die in the bunker? Is one of the candidates up for chancellor of Germany her descendant? Leave it to Cotton to find out.
I have been a fan of this author since his very first book. And I have read them all. I have not missed a single one. (The Amber Room is his best!) I love the history and the action which is in every book. And this story is full of all of the above. Steve Berry is one of the best at historical mysteries!
Cotton Malone books are not to be missed! Grab this one today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
I have read every book in this series , I think. They are wonderful if you like a lot of action and mystery . The character development keeps you hooked. I have stayed up all night to finish them.
Some will like The Kaiser’s Web and some won’t — primarily because at its base, it is political. I loved the history, I loved the story and I love the evolving relationship of Cotton and Cassiopeia. Unlike most of Berry’s Malone series, this one takes place in recent history — right after WWII up to present day. The message in it is clear -— we must all be vigilant if we choose to not end up where Germany was under the reign of Hitler. The Kaiser’s Web is a fascinating tale rooted in history with a subtle warning of what can easily happen again. Berry quotes Hitler, “The masses have little time to think. And how incredible is the willingness of modern man to believe.” I’ll leave it to you to determine the meaning for you. But all said and done, this is another masterful novel by Berry who can write dialogue like no other, and who delves into historical fact with a diligence too few bother to do. He never writes to make us comfortable; he writes to make us think. Thank you, Steve, for another fabulous read.
The Kaiser’s Web by Steve Berry is another in the Cotton Malone/Cassiopeia Vitt thriller, this time taking place in the modern country of Germany. As always it is based on an urban legend. This time, the birth of a son to Nazi bug wig Martin Bormann, who is now running to become chancellor of Germany, Theodor Pohl. Ex US President, Danny Daniels has called in a favor from Cotton to chase the veracity of this accusation as he and the US) are supportive of the current chancellor, Marie Eisenhuth. This is sure to be an exciting investigation as one of the first things to happen is that Cotton and Cassiopeia are forced to parachute out of a plane Cotton is piloting, the problem being there is only one parachute. Things get even more exciting from there as they travel to South America and then to Africa to chase the leads on the Nazis who had fled all those years earlier. As always it is dangerous work and many surprises are uncovered.
Berry is so good at this. It is easy to love his work. He is a master at writing a story and embedding in it his own political beliefs, so subtly that many readers probably never notice. It is an entertaining book with an enthralling topic but he interweaves his own political agenda and leads the reader to believe it is all about his fiction, not his politics. Cotton is getting older and these things are not as enjoyable as they once were. In fact, the best thing about this adventure was Cassiopeia, who would have gone home from her long weekend with him, but had stayed to enjoy the adventure. We know these characters so well there is really nothing to say about how well they are written. Cotton, on vacation from his bookstore in Denmark, and Cassiopeia, on break from her multi-national corporation-together again, pushing boundaries and outsmarting the opposition. It is mental exercise for both of them, as well as physical. A terrific adventure.
I was invited to read a free ARC of The Kaiser’s Web by Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thekaisersweb
This, the 16th in the series, was exactly the escape I needed. The perfect blend of history and fiction with politics, spies, secrets from WWII and the future of Germany hanging in the balance.
Former POTUS Daniels asks Malone and Vitt to investigate an age old question which has come to light and tied to the battle for the next German Chancellor. The question that has kept many wondering is what actual proof was there that Hitler and Braun died April30, 1945? What if they escaped? What happened to them if they lived to start a new life?
Covering history and the present and several countries and continents, Malone and Vitt search for the answers before Germany has a chance to repeat history. It’s a great read, full of the trademark twists and turns that are sure to keep one reading well past their bedtime. My only complaint is that once I have enjoyed the challenge presented to Malone and Vitt, I have to wait for the next book.
My thanks to the publisher St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
The Kaiser’s Web starts off quickly and the pace never slows. The book is captivating from the start!
Former President Danny Daniels, out of office six months, has been asked to interview a woman being held on the direct orders of the current German Chancellor, Marie Eisenhuth. The woman has information pertinent to the upcoming election for Chancellor in Germany. Eisenhuth has served as Chancellor of Germany for sixteen years and would like to continue to do so. However a strong right opponent is gaining a lot of ground with his rhetoric of hate and plan to return to the tenets of German nationalism popular during the Nazi regime. The outcome of the German election will no doubt influence the upcoming European elections at well. There is a lot at stake here.
Cotton Mallone is drawn out of retirement as owner of an antique book store in Copenhagen at the request of Daniels. There is a secret dossier that has information pertinent to the election and Eisenhuth wants to know its contents. Cotton Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt are soon off to Belarus, and will travel to Switzerland, Chile and South Africa to find the dossier, give the information to Daniels and Eisenhuth, and get to the bottom of what really happened in the German bunker where Hitler, Braun, and Borner supposedly died.
Berry continues to demonstrate his finely tuned skills at writing intricate, twisty storylines filled with well-developed and realistic characters. As Berry fans have come to expect, there is plenty of action, adventure, espionage, and political intrigue as well.
This is a fast-paced thriller and I highly recommend it.
My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for allowing me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel scheduled to be published February 23, 2021. Opionion expressed in this review are my own.
In the 16th book in the Cotton Malone series, he and Cassiopeia Vitt are asked to find a WWII Soviet spy after a secret dossier who seems to have been embedded in the upper echelon of Hitler’s regime. The people who have seen the dossier are certain that if the dossier’s information is, in fact, true, it will change history.
Steve Berry once again takes a bit of history and writes a book about it as if it were true. In this case, the persistent rumor that Hitler and Eva Braun had a child. There’s little doubt that Berry did his research because, as usual, he does information dumps throughout the book to let us know he knows his subject matter. However, he might have been better served had he developed his characters, old and new, more.
While the book is about events that took place eight decades ago, the parallels are disturbingly current both in the US and in Europe today due to the rise of right-wing extremists and few in a position of power are standing against them today just as those in power 80 years ago didn’t when Hitler rose to power.
Fans of Cotton Malone will surely enjoy this addition to the series.
My thanks to Minotaur and Edelweiss for an eArc.
Whenever someone says that they enjoy Dan Brown or Tom Clancy, I’ll ask them if they’ve read Steve Berry… and I get so happy when they say they haven’t because I know they are really going to enjoy the Cotton Malone series.
Berry always does a fantastic job incorporating true historical events and facts into his fiction, and I always read his extra bit at the end where he tells you what is all true.
The Kaiser’s Web takes a look at Hitler and WWII which happens to be very timely subject matter for the United States. It made some of the recent events in our government even more interesting to think about after reading book 16 in the Cotton Malone series.
While I still really enjoyed The Kaiser’s Web and it does have the great twist at the end that I have come to look forward to, it seemed to me that this one wasn’t quite as good as previous ones. Now Do Not let this stop you from reading it because it’s still very good, but the thing that I thought was not as enjoyable throughout a lot of the book was that you already knew who all the players were. In previous books there would be big surprises in regards to various characters turning out bad (or good) that I didn’t see coming. But this one had no surprises in that regard.
And this is just a teeny tiny thing, but it really stuck out to me. A previous book had a very intense scene with a bear and Berry has an animal scene again which just didn’t have the impact and felt a bit recycled.
But these are just my observations, and I still think fans of the series will still enjoy it. If you are new to the series you should start with book one, The Templar Legacy.