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I suppose this is what might be called a "thriller" however I have hesitated to put it on that shelf. I hesitate because there are very, very few thrills in the book.I've hit a string of mediocre books lately. These are all books I've been looking forward to but once I got into them they were at best, "yawn-worthy". This one is that way.We start out on what has become well trodden ground since The Da Vinci Code. Again we're off on an adventure to track down the "real history" of things, in this
I enjoyed this tale; I have just recently 'discovered' Berry (I read "The Third Secret" in August), but the mister has been enjoying him for some time now..In a sort of Cliff Janeway–meets–The DaVinci Code story (although, much better told, in my opinion), we follow “Cotton” Malone, one-time federal agent with an eidetic memory and now a Copenhagen-based bookseller, as he becomes unwittingly involved in a search for the Great Devise, an ancient Templar archive that supposedly disproves the Resur...
So... I'm always looking for a new series to read and Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series fits the bill. In a formulaic Dan Brown-esque fashion we start off LONG ago in a land far away... laying the ground work for the "action" that will take place in the present(ish) day. While Cotten's backstory could have been built out a little more fully... hits are given that things will be either explained later in the story or... we are lead to believe this is a "story" for another time i.e., another book...
Maybe not quite a 4 star read, it dragged a bit in places & was quite long, but Berry certainly did his historical homework & came up with a great conspiracy. If you're not familiar with some of it, as I wasn't (I looked up more online.) he had a great author's note at the end that covered the main points.While about religious people, orders, & conspiracies, Berry took a great secular look at it all, but wasn't insensitive to religious folks. He didn't berate the Gospels for their inconsistencie...
What can I say I just really like these kinds of books with thriller/action-adventure based on history and historical landmarks. This is about an American, Cotton Malone (which I’m not too thrilled with that name, lol!), who is now a bookseller in Denmark after retiring as a US Operative. He’s trying to live the quiet life when he finds himself embroiled in a quest (with his former boss) that involves the Knights Templar and looking for “The Great Devise”. Yes this type of storyline and pace is
The Templar Legacy1 StarThis is my third attempt at reading this book and its time to call it quits. The main character is interesting enough and the plot has potential, but it moves along at a snails pace with excessive descriptions of the scenery (villages, buildings, forests, gardens, etc.) and the innermost thoughts of each and every character most of whom I couldn't care less about. Enough is enough!
It has served us well, this myth of Christ. — POPE LEO XThe above appears on the back dust jacket of The Last Templar and as an epigraph for The Templar Legacy. Fascinating, isn't it? My initial reaction upon seeing it for the second time, having just brought home The Templar Legacy, was, oh no, it's the SAME BOOK! Really, though, aside from both dealing with lost Templar treasure and the possible non-divinity of Christ, they're quiet different novels. (I may have even enjoyed this one more than...
I have started my adventure with Cotton Malone and it was a thrilling and wild ride. I mean right from the get go we were thrown into some heavy action with little knowledge of why. We are however introduced to our lead character of Cotton Malone, but this story is not just told from his perspective. It is actually told from a few others as well, including the main villain, a character know as the Seneschal, and sometimes from Cotton's former boss Stephanie Nelle. So Cotton formerly worked for t...
The Knights Templars were founded in Jerusalem in 1118 to protect the pilgrims visiting Palestine at the end of the First Crusade of 1096. The full, original name was "The Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple which is in Jerusalem", but the for the sake of this review I will just refer to them as The Templars. By papal decree only The Templars were allowed to wear the cross patee. The red cross is probably the most famous identifying symbol for the order. The Templars because of their auste...
Steve Berry is the thinking man's Dan Brown. I was immediately impressed after reading The Romanov Prophecy, and The Third Secret. The Templar Legacy does not disappoint. If you enjoyed The DaVinci Code you will appreciate this novel all the more.Berry mixes a decent understanding of folkore and history in this fast paced quest for the real Templar Treasure." He even takes a decent pot shot at all the conspiratroialists and others who have made fortunes off a well-documented hoax. The book's ide...
So fascinated by the amount of research that went into this. Really cool book, and I'm excited to follow Cotton on more adventures!
once again i'm longing for half stars (2 vs. 3). i'm settling on this just being ok/2 stars, though, because:- the dialogue is not afraid to spell things out. as in, explaining the obvious, in a predictable, simplistic manner- the actual storyline meanders a little too much, at least for my taste in historical thrillers. i'd like these books to be, i don't know, thrilling.- there were a couple of spelling/grammar errors. true, it could happen to anyone. true, it's an enormous pet peeve of mine i...
"Say it, preach it, shout it, but never, absolutely never, believe your own bullshit!" Templar Legacy, the first book of the Cotton Malone series, had such potential.....Our hero, Cotton, a special ops kind of guy, must come to the rescue of his former boss from the Justice Dept who seems to be in over her head. Before committing suicide, her husband had left notes on how to decipher an antique codex, the purpose of which is unclear. However, she discovers she's not the only one participating
This is the first book of the Cotton Malone series, and thus far, the best one I have read. I'm sure my fascination with the history of Knights Templar was a weighing factor in my rating of the book. Nevertheless, Steve Berry has done a good job in mixing history with an interesting story line. The story was quick paced with full of action. The employment of diverse characters made it all the more interesting. I liked most of them, especially the Seneschal, Mark Nelly. But Cotton Malone was anot...
Dan Brown esque. Interesting thriller with the seemingly sole intent of challenging pre conceived historical beliefs. Long spots of historical info dumps, which I found interesting but could bore some. Entertaining at least.
Total load of garbage from the beginning of the book until the end. This book was not even worth the paper it was written on.
This is the first of the Cotton Malone series. The author, Steve Berry, has been described as "the thinking man's Dan Brown" and I can see why. I am certainly no biblical scholar but the book seemed to be well researched and real world mysteries are dealt with in a plausible way. I do wish, though, that readers who are offended by anything that challenges their religious views would just avoid those novels in the first place rather than read them and then trash the book's viewpoint.I enjoyed lea...
I enjoyed this book but it did require paying attention at a higher level to not miss important threads to the tale and people involved. I like the final ending and how it was handled. It’s always a little unnerving to think everything you think you know might be a manipulation by a group of people many, many years ago. But I always like a good yarn.
I should have known: this is, after all, an attempt to muscle in on Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code territory. Lots of anti-New Testament material here! Oh, how I wish authors who want to write books in this "genre" would do wider research. Berry refers to Bishop Spong, for crying out loud! In my opinion, one book by N. T. Wright (Resurrection And The Son of God) would have been enough to alter the ending of Berry's book for the better. If you are looking for an escapist page-turner, then this book ma...
I thought the book was good, held my attention, and kept me guessing. I thought it was well researched, but since there was no roving reporters, internet, video cameras or cell phones centuries ago we rely on documents written by whoever was paying to have them written, and naturally if King Phillip IV, the Pope, or the Templars wanted to document an event, they would have it recorded to put themselves in the best light. So, historically, I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle of what is...