The Warsaw Protocol

December 23, 2019
With his 15th Cotton Malone novel (after 2019’s The Malta Exchange), bestseller Berry once again shows there’s no working author more skilled at combining thrilling adventure with engrossing historical detail. Ex-operative Malone is in Bruges, Belgium, for an antiquarian book fair when he stumbles onto the theft of a religious artifact, one of a string of international burglaries of the Arma Christi, seven holy relics of the Passion of Christ. Stephanie Nelle, head of the Magellan Billet, Cotton’s former Justice Department agency employer, and Tom Bunch, a feckless adviser to corrupt U.S. president Warner Fox, task Cotton with stealing one of the remaining relics as the entrance fee to an exclusive illicit auction of Soviet-era material intended to blackmail Poland’s president. Cotton, a reluctant but stalwart hero, is thrust into a deadly bidding war that could disrupt the fragile power balance between America and Russia. Berry seasons the plot with fascinating lore and vivid locations, as informative as any textbook. If only textbooks were this exciting. Agent: Simon Lipskar, Writers House.

January 1, 2020
Holy relics, a salt mine, and treachery feature in this 15th entry in the author's Cotton Malone series (The Malta Exchange, 2019, etc.). Former lawyer and American intelligence officer Cotton Malone is now a bookseller who goes to Bruges, Belgium, for an antiquarian book fair. He's hired by a former boss to steal the Holy Lance, one of the seven "weapons of Christ," or Arma Christi. That is the price of admission to a secret auction, in which various countries will bid on compromising information about Poland's president, Janusz Czajkowski. The point? Czajkowski is an honorable man who will not allow the U.S. to build a missile system on Polish soil, and the EU- and NATO-hating U.S. President Fox is one of several people who want the Polish leader out of the way at all costs. "If I wanted a conscience, I'd buy one," Fox says. Readers will have to pay close attention to suss out the meaning of Czajkowski's Warsaw Protocol because the author hardly hammers it home. But the story is fun regardless, especially with characters like the smart and resourceful Malone and the Polish foreign intelligence officer Sonia Draga, "a fortress, often scaled and assaulted, but never conquered." The complex plot leads to a magnificent Polish salt mine (a real place) that's hundreds of meters deep with nine layers, has hundreds of miles of tunnels, brine lakes people can't sink in, and lots of tourists. Berry builds suspense nicely, allowing readers to anticipate the violence that eventually comes. To a great extent, the novel is a richly detailed homage to Poland, its culture, and its ability to survive so many invasions over the centuries. The connection between Arma Christi and an unwanted American missile system feels a wee bit iffy, but at least the latter won't be called the Holy Lance. An enjoyable read. Berry's fans won't be disappointed.

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December 15, 2019
Priceless religious relics, called the weapons of Christ, are vanishing from their highly protected sanctuaries?stolen, it seems, by a shadowy organization with a dangerous agenda. Cotton Malone, the former U.S. Justice Department operative, is called out of retirement (again) to figure out what's going on, and this time he's faced not only with a powerful adversary, but also with a political scandal involving the president of Poland and information sought by both Russia and the U.S. As usual, Berry balances a historical mystery with present-day intrigue, unfolds the story at a speedy pace, and moves gracefully from one action scene to the next. The Malone series is highly formulaic, yes, and each book follows a familiar format. But if the writing doesn't get in the way of an intriguing story, and the characters are engaging enough to hold our interest, does it matter if the author isn't taking any risks? In this case, especially for Berry's adoring fans, it most definitely does not.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Over the years and a string of best-sellers, Berry has called Dan Brown and raised him, taking the lead in the big-money game of the religious-relic thriller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)