THE JEFFERSON KEY: GUEST REVIEW

THE JEFFERSON KEY

BY STEVE BERRY

REMINDER ABOUT THE BOOK:

Four United States presidents have been assassinated—in 1865, 1881, 1901, and 1963—each murder seemingly unrelated and separated by time.

But what if those presidents were all killed for the same reason: a clause in the United States Constitution—contained within Article 1, Section 8—that would shock Americans?

This question is what faces former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone in his latest adventure.  When a bold assassination attempt is made against President Danny Daniels in the heart of Manhattan, Malone risks his life to foil the killing—only to find himself at dangerous odds with the Commonwealth, a secret society of pirates first assembled during the American Revolution. In their most perilous exploit yet, Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt race across the nation and take to the high seas. Along the way they break a secret cipher originally possessed by Thomas Jefferson, unravel a mystery concocted by Andrew Jackson, and unearth a centuries-old document forged by the Founding Fathers themselves, one powerful enough—thanks to that clause in the Constitution—to make the Commonwealth unstoppable.

REMINDER ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Steve Berry is the New York Times bestselling author of The Balkan Escape, The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, The Alexandria Link, The Templar Legacy, The Third Secret, The Romanov Prophecy, and The Amber Room. His books have been translated into 37 languages and sold in 50 countries. 

He lives in the historic city of St. Augustine, Florida and is at work on his next novel. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have founded History Matters, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving our heritage.  To learn more about Steve and the foundation, visit www.steveberry.org. Photo © Kelly Campbell

MY REVIEW AND NOTICE:

If you remember, I had wanted to get Steve Berry's Best Seller THE JEFFERSON KEY  Giveaway up in time for Father's Day and had not finished reading the book in order to review it at that time. I promised to post a review soon but with all that has gone on, I am just now doing it. I hope many of you have bought your copy of THE JEFFERSON KEY and are making up your own mind about how you feel about this book. I have to say that although I enjoyed the book, it did start a little slow for me and whether it was my crazy travel schedule of late, or the heat, or the story, I thought it was a little hard to get into but once I did, it held my interest. I was, however, greatly disappointed to find out that Cotton Malone, the main character I had expected to read about, was a minor character and only played a role in the story near the end. Other than that, it was a satisfying read but not a favorite Steve Barry book for me. I guess Cotton and I just have a "thing" going and when he is absent, it throws me off. 

Now welcome a favorite Guest Reviewer, Larry Deleon, who will share his thoughts on THE JEFFERSON KEY. I am sure you remember that Larry lives with his family in North Carolina and one of his last reviews for me was for VERY BAD MEN that was a favorite with readers.

Fans of Cotton Malone may wonder why he has such a low profile for most of The Jefferson Key. He's certainly not the star of this book. Steve Berry creates so many amazing characters that there's scarcely any space left for poor Cotton. (Not that Berry doesn't always have great characters). Spoiler alert: as you would expect, Cotton manages to get back on center stage by the end, but he remains a bit of cipher throughout most of the book. This is a pretty interesting read, but if you're not in the hunt for characters way larger than your average bear, stay away. As a Steve Berry fan, I really liked the Emperor's Tomb, The Jefferson Key not as much.  But I have to admit Mr. Berry is an ace at weaving history into one heck of a story every time.

Thank you for your honest review, Larry, and thanks to my readers for being so patient in waiting for this review.