The Alexandria Link
by Steve Berry
Published by Ballantine Books
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Reviewed by Bob Pike CSP, CPAE-Speakers Hall of Fame
Cotton Malone retired as a top-secret operative for the U.S. government. Now he runs a rare bookstore in Denmark. He likes his life. Then his bookstore is burned down, and his son Gary, is kidnapped, and will be returned unharmed only if Cotton gives up the location of "The Alexandria Link." It appears there's been a deliberate leak in the U.S. government.
Cotton's ex-wife shows up, blaming Cotton and his past for putting their son in jeopardy. The Blue Chair, Leader of the Order of the Golden Fleece, hadn't counted on her showing up, but others had, including the Israeli intelligence. What is at stake is access to the lost Library of Alexandria and the truths it might reveal about Middle East history and about how both the Old and New Testaments might have been changed to further the purposes of early church leaders.
The truth might explode a Middle East powder keg. What if the Promised Land was not where Israel presently exists, but rather was a portion of Saudi Arabia? Throw in a U.S. Vice President who wants to be president at any cost, a deputy National Security Advisor and a US Attorney General who both claim the other is responsible for the leaks, and an assortment of Christians, Jews, and Muslims who want secrets kept--and you have a book that will keep you turning pages when you should be asleep.
Berry spins a great tale and his details tell you he's been the places that he's describing. I appreciated the writer's note at the end of the book where he documents fact and specifies the fictions he's created for the sake of the story.
Armchair Interviews says: Another great read!
Author's Web site: http://www.steveberry.org