Customer Reviews

The Alexandria Link: A Novel

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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Book2 in the Cotton Malone series

This daring and thrilling novel opens with a confrontation between Malone and his ex-wife Pam over the handling of their teenage son's kidnapping and their narrow escape from the fire bombing of his bookstore. This has all the appearances of an attempt to blackmail Cotton into revealing a secret he sworn to never disclose...the existence of the Library of Alexandria.

This sudden turn of events has Cotton returning to his roots as a secret agent and teaming up with wife Pam. They are lead from Amsterdam, on to Lisbon, England and to the Sinai desert as they follow a series of clues that will hopefully lead them to the Library and the safe release of their son.

This is one fast paced and intriguing tale that intertwines facts with fiction beautifully. Pros and cons of different religious believes of the world are questioned and of course, like the last novel another secret society comes to light with its members of influence and power both political and financial. As usual some may find this controversial.

Mr. Berry has resurrected his full cast from "The Templar Legacy" and provided another wild adventure full of double crossing to leave the reader breathless and quite entertained. I enjoyed the author's take on what I consider a James Bond -Indiana Jones type of thriller.

This is the second novel of Berry's I have read. This is better written than the Templar Legacy and renews our acquaintance with Cotton Malone. I enjoyed the story and found it fast paced. Those with very strong Judeo-Christian or Islamic beliefs may be offended by some of the premises, although I was not. It's a story and a good one. I particularly liked the premise that elements of the Library of Alexandria have survived although the plot elements for its maintenance are a bit stretched. Recommended

As with the other works that I have read by this author, this one is simply hard to put down. An interesting mélange of historical fiction and adventure, it makes for an engrossing thriller. The plot, which is centered on the search for the ancient lost library of Alexandria, is well-executed and has a number of clever and surprising twists and turns. While some of them may seem somewhat far-fetched, it does not diminish the entertainment value of the book.

The book's central character is Cotton Malone, a former secret agent for the United States government, now retired and living in Copenhagen, Denmark. Malone operates a book store and is living in peace and tranquility, until his peace is shattered when his ex-wife, Pam, shows up on his doorstep with the news that their son has been kidnapped. This sets the plot in motion, as the kidnappers want information about the Alexandria Link, which is information that only Malone has. It is a link that could conceivably lead one to discovering the ancient lost library of Alexandria. It is information that the head of a secret organization of immensely wealthy business men, known as the Order of the Golden Fleece, wants very badly. To find it, he has sent his emissary, a killing machine known as the Talons of the Eagle, to get it by any means necessary.

Intermixed with the action, is a novel theory involving the accepted translations of the Old and New Testaments, intra-governmental chicanery, and global conspiracies that have to do with the Middle East. It seems that the lost Library of Alexandria may contain information that could upset the current world order and the balance of power. There are, therefore, many who have an interest in keeping that information under a tight lid. It seems that only a privileged few are allowed access to that information. Who is to be allowed access is decided by gatekeepers known as the Guardians, and it is a strictly by invitation only proposition.

This all makes for a fast-paced, exciting story that is wholly plot driven. The short shrift given to character development does not diminish the capacity of this book to grip the reader, so strong is the story line. It is quite ingenious, and I found myself riveted to the pages of this book until the very last one was turned. Those who enjoyed "The Da Vinci Code" will especially enjoy this book.

Athough this is a novel, I could not read beyond the Prologue. The Israel-Arab conflict is a difficult one without a re-write of historical facts. For those of you who do care for history here some quotes from this book:

On page one, under the heading "Palestine, April 1948":

"...Just yesterday the Jewish underground had attacked a nearby village. Forty Palestinian men and women had been herded into a quarry and shot. Nothing unusual. Arabs were being systematically murdered and expelled."

On p.5:

"The state of Israel was being established, its borders carved from ancient Arab land, the Jews apparently being compensated by the world for the Holocaust. And all at the expense of the people of Palestine."

More on p.5:

"The cursed British were supplying the Zionists with rifles and tanks. For years the British had made it illegal for Arabs to own weapons, which had placed them at a severe disadvantage."

While ancient history may be murky giving a writer greater to freedom to improvise, recent history is well documented. Given the controversy around the Israeli-Arab conflict, one would at least hope simple facts would be checked. Even a cursory look at Wikipedia "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Arab-Israeli_War" would at least have given the writer and Ballentine Books a more accurate framing of recent history.

What could be more horrifying than having your child kidnaped, more terrifying than knowing that your son is in the hands of a psychopath who will not hesitate to kill? That is what faces Cotton Malone, a man who thought he had put danger behind him.

Now retired Malone once lived a perilous existence as an operative for the U.S. State Department. He doesn't miss that one bit and relishes the peace he believes he has found as a rare book dealer - his serenity is shattered by the appearance of his ex-wife, Pam. We hear: "Cotton Malone stared straight into the face of trouble. Outside his bookshop's open front door stood his ex-wife, the last person on earth he'd expected to see. He quickly registered panic in her tired eyes, remembered the pounding that had awoken him a few minutes before, and instantly thought of his son.

"Where's Gary?" he asked.

The answer to that question is followed by a string of expletives, blaming him for the danger he brings back into their lives and the fact that she does not know where their son is.

Gary's whereabouts may be unknown but the reason for his abduction is not - he's being used as a bargaining chip by a group that wants to get its hands on the Library of Alexandra, a cradle of ideas that disappeared centuries ago. This group is convinced that only Malone can lead them to what they want and he has just 72 hours in which to do it.

When his book shop is burned to the ground Malone knows that he is up against one of the most evil opponents he has ever faced, and to compound matters it is not only his life that's at stake but also his son's.

There's no time to spare and Malone doesn't waste any of it as he seeks answers in Portugal, England, and the top echelon of our government. Following on the heels of The Templar Legacy author Berry has fashioned another stunning thriller, skillfully plotted, propelled by suspense.

Stage and television actor Erik Singer gives a prime voice performance on the Abridged Edition, while award winning narrator Scott Brick delivers one more home run with his reading of the Unabridged Edition.

- Gail Cooke