Reviews

The King's Deception by Steve Berry

scottpm's review against another edition

3.0

A good not great thriller. It got bogged down a little in history and yet there was not enough history.

cpt_tusktooth's review against another edition

4.0

Cotton Malone is back for his 8th adventure in Steve Berry's latest. I really enjoyed the premise of this one -- a deep dark secret that the British SIS will do anything to protect. While I find any coverage of the modern British royals tedious, I've always found the tumultuous reign of Henry VIII and the subsequent longevity of Elizabeth I quite interesting. It is a long-standing rumor regarding these two monarchs that the plot of this book revolves. Of course, Cotton Malone saves the day again. One quibble -- the subplot involving Malone and his son seems quite contrived and at times distracts from the overall impact of the novel.

afox98's review against another edition

3.0

3 1/2 stars really. The plot's historical aspect about Queen Elizabeth I, while interesting, seemed a bit far-fetched. I did learn some cool Ireland history though. I so like the Cotton Malone character but missed seeing his cohort and former boss Stephanie Nelle as much in this one.

constant_reader_19's review

4.0

Loved the Elizabeth I storyline, the rest was good.

house_full_of_books's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition

4.0

The eighth novel in author Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone series of international adventures/political intrigue all wrapped around an historical person, event, or historical relic. Berry transitions his stories from today with US government operative turned book seller Cotton Malone to whatever historical time period his story is based. This novel focuses on a secret of the Tudor times of Henry the VIII and Elizabeth I. From the CIA to British MI 6 to Malone’s own family the action is fast-paced while Berry recounts English history. While a little repetitive it is a good read. 3 ½ stars.

--Reviewed by Stephen

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tuomosuominen's review against another edition

3.0

The King's Deception is the ninth Cotton Malone book (if you include the "dot release" The Tudor Plot), and to my mind, Steve Berry's track record hasn't been all that great. "The Templar Legacy" (2006) and "The Alexandria Link" (2007) were very good thrillers. "The Venetian Betrayal" (2007) was a shoddy, awful book. "The Charlemagne Pursuit" (2008) was one of the best thrillers I've read. "The Paris Vendetta" (2009), "The Emperor's Tomb" (2010) and "The Jefferson Key" (2011) were some of the worst thrillers I've read (see my earlier reviews). Now, The King's Deception (2013) is proved to be a very good thriller. The action is absolutely entertaining, the location info is excellent, and Steve Berry must have been assigned a new editor, because the increasingly insane cut up structure of the three previous novels has been revised - now very much more functional, longer sections, while still keeping the parallel plots delivery (which Robert Ludlum started, I suppose). An entertaining read, altogether. I enjoyed it - when I managed to forget about the reality distortion in the plot. Steve Berry's research seems as solid as colleague Dan Brown's, but in The King's Deception, the basis of the plot is so far removed from reality that it's jaw-droppingly incredible. CIA using the true identity of Elizabeth I to blackmail the UK government to stop release of the Lockerbie? Yeah, right. But recommended, if you can live with the maybe historical fact turned present day political leverage. And in case E1 wasn't who she's supposed to be, as a bonus feature, Steve Berry manages to separate Ireland from the UK. Enjoy.

carolynro4's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Audiobook: the speed of the reader, and the voice was pleasant to listen to, easy to listen to

nnowels's review against another edition

4.0

I love fiction with a history lesson, especially when it forces me to read the author's bit separating fact from fiction. Really interesting. I would guess some people are upset by this, but I enjoyed it.

bobbikaye's review against another edition

5.0

Took me a little over 2 days to read it. Couldn't put it down. Sure made me think about the British monarchy.