The Medici Return

Steve Berry not only provides a story but teaches history, culture and art in his storytelling.He provides a window to traditions.

typical MR. Berry. He stumbles for one small thing to something bigger. Great read,

Mr. Berry’s Cotton Malone novels have become for me much like Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason novels. They come out once or twice a year. They usually star characters whom I like very much. They have a bit of a mystery to solve (in Berry’s case, an historical one). There are some thrills and misdirection. However, these novels have become so formulaic that it’s hard to muster any real passion for the new ones, though they are generally fun to read (when he doesn’t go off the deep end).That said, this is one of the better Steve Berry novels we’ve had in a while. The plot is pat, but interesting: Pope Julius II borrows a staggering amount of money from Giuliano di Lorenzo de’ Medici in 1512, who gets a Pignus Christi—a Pledge of Christ—guaranteeing repayment of the loan. Jump to the present day. The loan has never been repaid. Now people are searching for the two copies of the document that would bankrupt the Church.What makes this novel better than the recent outing is that Cotton Malone actually plays a crucial part in the outcome. Cotton is a great character, but he’s often been sidelined recently in his own novels. This time out he’s at the center of one of Mr. Berry’s best set pieces ever: the Palio horse race. The outcome of this race has serious consequence for the outcome of the novel, which makes it even better.When a book series has been going on this long you accept certain inherent weaknesses like having to rehash previous novels for the sake of a reader who might be encountering Cotton for the first time in this one. There are other weaknesses you don’t have to accept, however. Making the best character secondary, for one. I also find his animus towards the Catholic Church unappealing, though at least this one has one or two good clerics in it (unlike The Malta Exchange, which I dislike intensely—this novel is connected to that one). Still, I like this one more than any I have in a while.

Another great book by Steve Berry. He is a fabulous writer. I highly recommend this book. I can't wait for his next book.

My husband loves Steve Berry Cotton Malone books