The Malta exchange : a novel

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Title:

The Malta exchange : a novel

Author:

Berry, Steve, 1955- author.

Series:

Cotton Malone ;

Series Number:

14.

Summary:

The pope is dead. A conclave to select his replacement is about to begin. Cardinals are beginning to arrive at the Vatican, but one has fled Rome for Malta in search of a document that dates back to the 4th century and Constantine the Great. Former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone is at Lake Como, Italy, on the trail of legendary letters between Winston Churchill and Benito Mussolini that disappeared in 1945 and could re-write history. When Malone obtains-- then loses-- them, he's plunged into a hunt that draws the attention of the legendary Knights of Malta. The Secreti-- an ancient sect within the Knights is intent on affecting the coming papal conclave. -- Adapted from publisher info.

General Note:

Sequel to: The bishop's pawn.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

x, 401 pages ; 25 cm

Genre:

Thrillers (Fiction)

Political fiction.

Historical fiction.

Corporate Subject:

Knights of Malta -- Fiction.

Subject Term:

Malone, Cotton (Fictitious character) -- Fiction.

Popes -- Election -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Minotaur Books,

Publication Date:

2019

ISBN:

9781250140265

9781250225658

9781250232564

Publication Information:

New York : Minotaur Books, 2019.

Call Number:

BERRY

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003394296	Adult Fiction	BERRY Steve	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

A deadly race for the Vatican's oldest secret fuels New York Times bestseller Steve Berry's next international Cotton Malone thriller: The Malta Exchange .

"Berry is the master scientist with a perfect formula." -- Associated Press

The pope is dead. A conclave to select his replacement is about to begin. Cardinals are beginning to arrive at the Vatican, but one has fled Rome for Malta in search of a document that dates back to the 4th century and Constantine the Great.

Former Justice Department operative, Cotton Malone, is at Lake Como, Italy, on the trail of legendary letters between Winston Churchill and Benito Mussolini that disappeared in 1945 and could re-write history. But someone else seems to be after the same letters and, when Malone obtains then loses them, he's plunged into a hunt that draws the attention of the legendary Knights of Malta.

The knights have existed for over nine hundred years, the only warrior-monks to survive into modern times. Now they are a global humanitarian organization, but within their ranks lurks trouble -- the Secreti -- an ancient sect intent on affecting the coming papal conclave. With the help of Magellan Billet agent Luke Daniels, Malone races the rogue cardinal, the knights, the Secreti , and the clock to find what has been lost for centuries. The final confrontation culminates behind the walls of the Vatican where the election of the next pope hangs in the balance.

Author Notes

STEVE BERRY is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of more than a dozen Cotton Malone novels, several stand alones, and works of short fiction. He has 25 million books in print, translated into 40 languages. With his wife, Elizabeth, he is the founder of History Matters, which is dedicated to historical preservation. He serves as an emeritus member of the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board and was a founding member of International Thriller Writers, formerly serving as its co-president.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Bestseller Berry's enthralling 14th Cotton Malone novel (after 2018's The Bishop's Pawn) finds former U.S. Justice Department operative Malone on a freelance assignment to retrieve long-lost correspondence between Benito Mussolini and Winston Churchill. Malone goes to Malta, the home of the Knights of Malta, an ancient order dedicated to serving the Vatican. The current pope has died, and Luke Daniels, who works with the Magellan Billet, the special investigations unit of the Justice Department that once employed Cotton, is also in Malta, investigating why Cardinal Kastor Gallo has fled Rome to the island nation. Kastor seeks the Nostra TrinitA , the Catholic Church's "ultimate secret," to secure his ascension to pontiff. Luke and Cotton team with Laura Price, an agent with the Malta Security Service, and Pollux Gallo, leader of the Knights of Malta and Kastor's estranged twin brother, to stop Kastor from seizing the throne of the Holy See. Fans of Dan Brown will have fun, and some may even prefer Berry's action-oriented hero to Brown's cerebral Robert Langdon. 400,000-copy announced first printing. Agent: Simon Lipskar, Writers House. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

In his 14th escapade (after The Bishop's Pawn), former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone tangles with twin brothers, one of whom wants to be the next pope. Called from retirement by British intelligence to Malta, Malone thinks he is to recover a satchel of damning letters between Benito Mussolini and Winston Churchill, but mighty complications arise. In the vertiginous mix are the Knights of Malta with their covert minions, Malta's secret service, and the Vatican's intelligence service dubbed the Entity. Berry traces 900 years of church history as the backdrop to his immensely byzantine plot highlighting a lost parchment written by Constantine the Great as the artifact that lured notables over the centuries to find it. Malone, aided by former boss Stephanie Nelle and Magellan Billet agent Luke Daniels, performs the familiar yet fresh magic of unravelling a historical secret while surviving deadly attacks with adroit aplomb. VERDICT Thrillers abound, but Berry has the lock on -making history zing with breathless suspense and galloping action. Malta and the Vatican are superb settings for this ecclesiastical extravaganza. [See Prepub Alert, 9/17/18.]-Barbara Conaty, Falls Church, VA © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.