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A review by topdragon
The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry
4.0
When Cotton Malone, former Justice Department operative, is sent a live feed of Cassiopeia Vitt being water boarded and hears her confession to her captors that she gave Malone an artifact for safe keeping, he is compelled to assist, despite having no clue to what she is referring. As a result, he gets caught up in a maze of Chinese political intrigue involving the tomb of China’s first emperor.
Once again Steve Berry brings an exciting premise that marries interesting historical events to modern day action-packed thrills. My knowledge of China’s history is, admittedly, rather sparse and I was glad to learn a lot while reading this novel. It touches on many aspects of China from ancient emperors, philosophy, geographical provinces, modern politics, and the ever-present search for power that is granted by access to oil. I continue to enjoy these characters and their evolving relationships and was especially intrigued with Viktor Tomas, a character that returns from [b:The Venetian Betrayal|1178039|The Venetian Betrayal (Cotton Malone, #3)|Steve Berry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441796864l/1178039._SY75_.jpg|2979692]. His loyalties have always been suspect but here those conflicts are in full display as he acts like an enemy agent but also saves Malone’s and Vitt’s lives…or is that just for show?
Another fun novel that may stretch just a bit too long but nevertheless makes for a page-turning read. A short story does exist ([b:The Balkan Escape|8260909|The Balkan Escape (Cassiopeia Vitt, #1)|Steve Berry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1274392850l/8260909._SY75_.jpg|13108792]) that acts as a prequel to this novel and explains Cassiopeia's motivation here but really is not necessary to the reading of this novel.
Once again Steve Berry brings an exciting premise that marries interesting historical events to modern day action-packed thrills. My knowledge of China’s history is, admittedly, rather sparse and I was glad to learn a lot while reading this novel. It touches on many aspects of China from ancient emperors, philosophy, geographical provinces, modern politics, and the ever-present search for power that is granted by access to oil. I continue to enjoy these characters and their evolving relationships and was especially intrigued with Viktor Tomas, a character that returns from [b:The Venetian Betrayal|1178039|The Venetian Betrayal (Cotton Malone, #3)|Steve Berry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441796864l/1178039._SY75_.jpg|2979692]. His loyalties have always been suspect but here those conflicts are in full display as he acts like an enemy agent but also saves Malone’s and Vitt’s lives…or is that just for show?
Another fun novel that may stretch just a bit too long but nevertheless makes for a page-turning read. A short story does exist ([b:The Balkan Escape|8260909|The Balkan Escape (Cassiopeia Vitt, #1)|Steve Berry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1274392850l/8260909._SY75_.jpg|13108792]) that acts as a prequel to this novel and explains Cassiopeia's motivation here but really is not necessary to the reading of this novel.