Review: The Tudor Plot (Cotton Malone #7.5) by Steve Berry

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS:

In this original eBook novella by the New York Times bestselling author of The King’s Deception, globetrotting intelligence agent Cotton Malone is lured into dangerous intrigue surrounding the world’s most famous royals—and uncovers a murderous conspiracy of terrorists and traitors, all born from an ancient tale of Saxon history.

“In Malone, [Steve] Berry has created a classic, complex hero.”—USA Today
 
In England to participate in the trial of suspected international terrorists, Justice Department agent Cotton Malone is mysteriously summoned to an audience with the Queen of England. A cryptic call has warned of looming danger to the ailing queen’s son and grandson—the next two heirs in line for the throne. And when the source of that ominous information, a notorious tabloid publisher, dies mysteriously, the royal family has reason to fear a genuine conspiracy. But they also suspect that the enemy lies within—and no one at Buckingham Palace, or even the nation’s own Secret Intelligence Service, can be trusted. Now it’s up to Malone to discover the truth. Matching wits with a power-mad politician and a vicious royal blue blood, he must race against time through the streets of London to the forbidden reaches of Iceland, all to stop a monstrous plot to seize the monarchy—one that stretches back to the time of Arthur.

Praise for Steve Berry and his Cotton Malone series

“Malone, a hero with a personal stake in the proceedings, is a welcome respite from the cold, calculating superspies who litter the genre.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Steve Berry gets better and better with each new book.”—The Huffington Post

“Savvy readers . . . cannot go wrong with Cotton Malone.”—Library Journal

“Berry raises this genre’s stakes.”—The New York Times

“I love this guy.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child

MY TAKE:
It's been awhile since I've read a Steve Berry book, but I remember liking his novels so I gave this one a try.

In The Tudor Plot, Cotton Malone is asked by the Queen of England and the Duke of Edinburgh to get to the bottom of a threat to the heir apparent to the royal throne. He soon discovers that the plot is a lot more complicated than it appears to be.

Perhaps because this was a novella and there wasn't as much time as usual to develop the plot twists, but I didn't feel as satisfied with this one as I did with Steve Berry's other works.

The hidden historical backstory used for this book is that of King Arthur. This part intrigued me, and it was nice to learn more about the man behind the legend. Again, had this been a full-length novel, I think it could have been made even more compelling.

The ultimate villain in the book was easy enough to predict, although I will say that the impasse between him and Cotton was interesting and logical.

If you haven't read a Cotton Malone book before, I'd describe Cotton as a mixture of Robert Langdon and Jason Bourne, but with Bourne making up 75% of the mix. Cotton isn't an intellectual like Robert but he does have common sense and is good at putting the pieces of the puzzle together. He's a man of action as well, even though it's not at the level of Jason Bourne.

I think this book is a lead-in to the next book in the series, so hopefully the next book will be a good one.

THE GOOD:

1. It's a relatively uncommon take on the Arthurian legend.
2. You'll learn a few things about British monarchs.
3. The villain's plans are diabolical. 

THE BAD:

1. Some parts were predictable. 

READ IT IF:

1. You liked the other books in the series.
2. You wish Robert Langdon was more like Jason Bourne.
3. You like stories about King Arthur. 

RATING:


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