The Venetian Betrayal: A Novel - Softcover

Berry, Steve

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0345508653 ISBN 13: 9780345508652

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2008

Synopsis

In 323 B.C.E, having conquered Persia, Alexander the Great set his sights on Arabia, then suddenly succumbed to a strange fever. Locating his final resting place–unknown to this day–remains a tantalizing goal for both archaeologists and treasure hunters. Now the quest for this coveted prize is about to heat up. And Cotton Malone–former U.S. Justice Department agent turned rare-book dealer–will be drawn into an intense geopolitical chess game.

After narrowly escaping incineration in a devastating fire that consumes a Danish museum, Cotton learns from his friend, the beguiling adventurer Cassiopeia Vitt, that the blaze was neither an accident nor an isolated incident. As part of campaign of arson intended to mask a far more diabolical design, buildings across Europe are being devoured by infernos of unnatural strength.

And from the ashes of the U.S.S.R., a new nation has arisen: Former Soviet republics have consolidated into the Central Asian Federation. At its helm is Supreme Minister Irina Zovastina, a cunning despot with a talent for politics, a taste for blood sport, and the single-minded desire to surpass Alexander the Great as history’s ultimate conqueror.
Backed by a secret cabal of powerbrokers, the Federation has amassed a harrowing arsenal of biological weapons. Equipped with the hellish power to decimate other nations at will, only one thing keeps Zovastina from setting in motion her death march of domination: a miraculous healing serum, kept secret by an ancient puzzle and buried with the mummified remains of Alexander the Great–in a tomb lost to the ages for more than 1,500 years.

Together, Cotton and Cassiopeia must outrun and outthink the forces allied against them. Their perilous quest will take them to the shores of Denmark, deep into the venerated monuments of Venice, and finally high inside the desolate Pamir mountains of Central Asia to unravel a riddle whose solution could destroy or save millions of people–depending on who finds the lost tomb first.

About this title

Review:

Locating the tomb of Alexander the Great has held a fascination for archaeologists and historians ever since his death in 323 BC and it makes perfect plot fodder for this action-packed thriller. Fast paced and engaging. (Sunday Express)

Proves once again that he has a genuine feel for the factual gaps that give history its tantalizing air of the unknown (New York Times)

Berry has gotten better and more ambitious with each of his books...the last 100 pages are as fast-paced as you are likely to find in a novel this year (bookreporter.com)

'Pure intrigue. Pure fun.' (Clive Cussler on Steve Berry)

'A major twist... the puzzles are so much fun... radical thinking of the Gospels that's sure to spark some lively debate . . . pretty grabby stuff' (Wall Street Journal on THE TEMPLAR LEGACY)

'Complex and fast-moving thriller writing, delivered with a great deal of dash, and shades of The Da Vinci Code' (Good Book Guide on THE TEMPLAR LEGACY)

Sexy, illuminating . . . my kind of thriller. (Dan Brown on THE AMBER ROOM)

'Not to be missed. Anagrams and complicated symbology... a complex, well-written, and extremely readable story.' (Library Journal on THE TEMPLAR LEGACY)

'Writes with the self-assured style of a veteran' (Dan Brown)

Steve Berry is a writer on the rise. (David Morrell, author of NIGHTSCAPE and CREEPERS)

Book Description:

A pacy international thriller with a historical twist, from the New York Times bestselling author

About this edition

• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0345508653
• ISBN 13: 9780345508652
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 560