Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Charlemagne Pursuit by Steve Berry



From the back As a child, former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone was told his father died in a submarine disaster in the North Atlantic, but now he wants the full story and asks his ex-boss, Stephanie Nelle, to secure the military files. What he learns stuns him: His father's sub was a secret nuclear vessel lost on a highly classified mission beneath the ice shelves of Antarctica. But Malone isn't the only one after the truth.

Twin sisters Dorothea Lindauer and Christl Falk are fighting for the fortune their mother has promised to whichever of them discovers what really became of their father-who died on the same submarine that Malone's father captained.

The sisters know something Malone doesn't: Inspired by strange clues discovered in Charlemagne's tomb, the Nazis explored Antarctica before the Americans, as long ago as 1938. Now Malone discovers that cryptic journals penned in "the language of heaven," inscrutable conundrums posed by an ancient historian, and the ill-fated voyage of his father are all tied to a revelation of immense consequence for humankind.

In an effort to ensure that this explosive information never rises to the surface, Langford Ramsey, an ambitious navy admiral, has begun a brutal game of treachery, blackmail, and assassination. As Malone embarks on a dangerous quest with the sisters-one that leads them from an ancient German cathedral to a snowy French citadel to the unforgiving ice of Antarctica-he will finally confront the shocking truth of his father's death and the distinct possibility of his own.

First line:Cotton Malone hated enclosed spaces.

My Thoughts: I listened to this book and think I would have been better off reading it. There were many characters in different places around the world so I had a hard time keeping track of them. I have enjoyed the historical base of most of Berry's books that I have read my favorite being The Amber Room. I enjoyed this one as well, but not as much. I looked forward to finding the home of the lost civilization along with the characters. I would have liked it if Charlemagne had been explored more than he was. The action and mystery were good and pulled me along. I was disappointed that the CD didn't include the author's notes in which he separates the facts from the fiction in his story.

My rating:

Quote: Malone grabbed Christl and fled St. Michael's Chapel, rushing back into the outer polygon. He turned for the porch and the main entrance. More pops came from St. Michael's.


Links:
Excerpt

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