Cotton Malone is on the hunt for a forgotten 16th-century Pledge of Christ — a sworn promise made by Pope Julius II that evidences a monetary debt owed by the Vatican, still valid after five centuries, now worth in the trillions of dollars. But collecting that debt centers around what happened to the famed Medici of Florence — a family that history says died out, without heirs, centuries ago. Two more things also hang in the balance. Who will become the next prime minister of Italy, and who will be the next pope. Finding answers to all three proves difficult until Cotton realizes that everything hinges on when, and if, the Medici return. (Goodreads)
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| February 2025; Grand Central Publishing; 9781668645024 audio (14h 2m), ebook, print; thriller |
The Medici Return is book 19 in Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series. You don't have to read the previous books to enjoy this one. I read book 15 in the series, The Kaiser's Web, a few years ago and I would like to read book 1 because I don't really understand who Cotton works for.
Berry's books are always filled with history and conspiracy. This book involves the Catholic Church so it reminded me of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. The history dealt with an agreement made in the 1400s and we follow the line of the Medici family until their demise in the 1700s. This is not a time period I know much about nor do I know much about Italy's history. Berry made the family history interesting and I learned a little bit about politics in Italy.
It also meant there was a lot of detail that you need to keep up with. Plus the storyline bounces around a little (particularly during the horse race). I listened to the audiobook and I did get lost a time or two. If you are going to listen to the audiobook, I recommend limiting the distractions.
The book is narrated by Scott Brick who is one of my favorite narrators. He reads a lot of international thriller and espionage novels that I read including Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series. He does a great job with German and Russian accents but I'm not sure about his Italian accent. But even so, the voice given to each character in the book is distinct enough to make it easy to distinguish between the characters.
This is a great book full of intricate plot threads that keep you completely engaged. Once you start it you might not want to put it down.
Buy The Medici Return at Amazon
Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.
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