In New York Times bestseller Steve Berry’s latest Cotton Malone adventure, one by one the seven precious relics of the Arma Christi, the weapons of Christ, are disappearing from sanctuaries across the world. After former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone witnesses the theft of one of them, he learns from his old boss, Stephanie Nelle, that a private auction is about to be held where … to be held where incriminating information on the president of Poland will be offered to the highest bidder–blackmail that both the United States and Russia want, but for vastly different reasons.
The price of admission to that auction is one of the relics, so Malone is first sent to a castle in Poland to steal the Holy Lance, a thousand-year-old spear sacred to not only Christians but to the Polish people, and then on to the auction itself. But nothing goes as planned and Malone is thrust into a bloody battle between three nations over information that, if exposed, could change the balance of power in Europe.
From the tranquil canals of Bruges, to the elegant rooms of Wawel Castle, to deep beneath the earth into an ancient Polish salt mine, Malone is caught in the middle of a deadly war–the outcome of which turns on a secret known as the Warsaw Protocol.
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THE WARSAW PROTOCOL by Steve Berry is the fifteenth book in the Cotton Malone series. While it works well as a standalone, you will get better insight into Cotton’s character if you have read prior books in the series.
Cotton Malone is a former Justice Department intelligence agent who now owns a rare book shop in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is in Belgium to attend Europe’s largest antiquarian book fair. While there, he decides to go to the Basilica of the Holy Blood, a 12th-century building that is more to one of Europe’s most sacred reliquaries, the Holy Blood, one of the relics comprising the Arma Christi. When three men steal the relic, the thriller accelerates in pace and Cotton is pulled into another adventure.
This is a well written novel with action taking place in Belgium, Poland, and Slovakia. As a reader we learn about history, religion and politics at the same time as we experience lots of thrills, action, adventure and suspense. The characters and situation are memorable and the story line is exciting and entertaining. Berry’s descriptions bring the places and characters to life better than most writers today without detracting or slowing down the action.
He always does a great job at the end of each book sharing what was fiction versus reality for events, places and people. The amount of research that went into this book is extraordinary. This was my fifth book by this author that I have read in 2019 and I can’t seem to get enough of the series. I am looking forward to reading more of them. I highly recommend this book and the series to those that like political and historical thrillers.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Steve Berry for a digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
4 stars
This is yet another great entry into the Cotton Malone historical/political/archeological series. In this episode Cotton is on a book buying mission for some of his customers in Bruges, Belgium when a priceless artifact is stolen from a church Cotton is visiting. After a wild chase, a boat crash and jail time, Cotton is released to Stephanie Nelle’s (his old Justice Department boss), supervision.
What follows is a wild romp through several countries in search of a relic that could get Cotton into a private auction of the remaining relics that have been stolen all over the world. But more importantly, on auction is devastating information about the President of Poland. This could have serious ramifications for the current political climate, especially between the United States and Russia.
This book has actual history combined with Mr. Berry’s fantastic imagination and talent for story telling. It has political tension between the major superpowers and a race to find the missing relics and obtain the secret information before it all disappears – or the other guy gets it.
This book is very well written and plotted with only a few minor grammatical errors. It moves along quickly and smoothly. Mr. Berry has a talent for using colorful descriptions to illustrate not only the action but the scenery of the story. The reader is there with Cotton, taking the risks, running and scheming right along with him. He comes up with fascinating situations for Cotton to try to wriggle his way out. While the books always contain his historical/contemporary outlook, the stories are so varied and provide a constant source of entertainment. I really appreciate the obvious research that goes into his novels. And oh, by the way, I love the author’s portrayal of the current leader (cough), of the United States.
I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.
Learned a lot of history about Poland.
I enjoy Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone novels (and his stand-alones). The suspense, mixed with interesting history and worldwide adventures, make for a good read. And it doesn’t hurt that Cotton owns a bookstore, too.
WARSAW PROTOCOL, the latest in the series, is set in present day with nods to present-day politics. I enjoyed Berry’s details about Poland’s history and culture. And he does a good job of depicting the tumultuous history of the region. His descriptions are detailed, and I felt like I was walking the streets of Warsaw or Krakow. And now I have to try a Dame Blanche.
Add Steve Berry to your TBR pile.
The Warsaw Protocol is the 15th entry in author Steve Berry’s long running, wildly popular Cotton Malone series. Malone is a former Justice Department agent with a knack for finding international trouble. He still has contacts in the agency and does free-lance work and you never know where a job will take him.
Intrigue, danger, non-stop action, foreign agents, conspiracies, politics, history, a little bit of romance – what more could you want? Cotton is likeable, capable and always surrounded by a rich cast of characters. You can read the series in order but you can always just drop in for a book or two. You’ll be glad you did. Thanks to Criminal Element and audiobooks.com for providing an audio version of The Warsaw Protocol for my listening pleasure. I thoroughly enjoyed it, highly recommend it, and all opinions are my own.
Readers familiar with Steve Berry will not be disappointed with this newest in the Cotton Malone series.
Read this in 2 days. It. was extremely interesting and exciting. All of Steve Berry’s novels are well worth reading.
I have read all the Cotton Malone series and this might be one of the best yet! Great story but also good background information on Poland and what a beautiful country it is. After reading this book I am ready to take a trip to Poland.
Steve Berry does it again. In this, the 15th of the Cotton Malone series, Malone returns to us in a complex tale of deception, murder and a tangled web of characters. For the novice to Berry’s books, be prepared to pay attention. You will not only enjoy a really good story, you will learn some little-known historical facts along the way. Berry is a master at weaving fact and fiction into his books, adding just the right twist that leaves you wondering why you have not learned any of this in history class. The research this author does is nothing short of remarkable and that’s what I appreciate most – knowing that he’s going to take me to places I’ve never heard of and have me enjoying every minute. I’m always a bit sad to reach the end because I know I have to wait to see what’s in store for Cotton Malone next. I highly recommend The Warsaw Protocol to anyone who enjoys a good mystery or historical fiction.
The Warsaw Protocol by Steve Berry is his newest thriller and worth the wait. It takes place in…Warsaw, mostly, and revolves around the sale and purchase of information. Cotton gets hauled into it at the past minute, mostly as a favor to his ex-boss at the Magellan Billet, Stephanie Nelle. It started when he witnessed the theft of a Christian relic from a cathedral. He had come to Poland to buy some books and to eat White Ladies, a very special ice cream sundae, and also, secondarily to sightsee. The information relates to Janusz Czajkowski, the president of Poland. It could topple his career, among other things. The US is in it to get what they want, never woory about anyone else. Can Cotton get to it in time and get back home for his weekend with Casseopia?
Despite it being a thinly veiled criticism of Donald Trump, The Warsaw Protocol was an entertaining book. The great things about these novels are that they always revolve around history, historical objects, and places of interest. I can be reading on my iPad and it is a simple matter to search and be right next to Cotton wherever he is. It is extremely edifying to read Berry’s novels for that reason. Cotton is a great character: he learns from his mistakes, he’s been in the business so long that he knows people wherever he goes, and they respect him. He’s fair and honest, as much as he can be. He sees people as they are. He loves Casseopia and would never hurt her. In short, he’s a guy ya gotta like! Good book. I recommend it.
I received a free ARC of The Warsaw Protocol from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thewarsawprotocol