The prologue of this book is set in 1971 under the ice in Antarctica. A mysterious submarine is in difficulties and her crew know there is no hope. The rest of the book explores the who and the why of this incident. Most of the action is set in the present day, both in various locations within the US and in France and Germany. It also touches on events in Europe a thousand years ago. The story swings back and forth between three sets of characters whose lives and intrigues mix and eventually merge into one solution. There are all the usual suspects: politicans and government officials (both crooked and straight), mavericks and beautiful, but deadly women.
This is the first time I’ve come across Steve Berry. The Charlemagne Pursuit is the seventh (and latest) in his series of Cotton Malone mysteries. The depth of research he carries out is impressive. The story is well-paced and holds the reader’s interest. Unlike many of the genre, where the theme is always Messianic and the endings are often a little feeble, this is sufficiently different to stand out. I guess I need to go out and look for books 1 – 6 in the series.
