The Alexandria Link: A Novel (Cotton Malone Book 2)

Loved the plot and intricacies - full of surprises, interesting story. Well written. You cant tell who to trust until story flows.

This series following Cotton Malone continues to be, even only two books in, completely thrilling. Steve Berry's knowledge and research into these novels is highly prevalent on the pages. On top of the twists and shocks of the story, it is very eye-opening reading the Writer's Note section in the back, to see how Berry used his research to formulate the story. Cotton Malone is such a great protagonist for this story. He is seasoned, intelligent, but also not afraid to do what needs to be done. With the Alexandria Link we are reintroduced to characters such as Stephanie Nelle, and Henrik Thorvaldson. On top of those characters we are introduced to a well of new characters. Some standouts are as always the Villains of the story. There are like three of them, but I will leave it at that because some are spoilers overall. Just know that each villain is unique in their own right and bring a different style of antagonism for Cotton and the crew. Other characters are Cotton's ex-wife Pam Malone and their son Gary Malone. The dynamic between Cotton and Pam is actually really well fleshed out. Although at times Pam could be a tad infuriating. I do think Berry has a tendency to write his female characters, underwhelmingly. The Alexandria Link is rich with history, known, unknown, and a dash of originality. Truly though, these books, on top of being entertaining, are very educational to. I hope the series will continue on this path, because I do plan on catching up with this series.

I love spending hours in a Steve Berry book. I have purchased all his books. Good reads. Lots of intrigue.

In this second installment, Cotton is forced to work closely with his ex-wife after his son is kidnapped. It seems that one of Cotton's past case files has come back to haunt him. This time, they're looking for the Library of Alexandria, which contains knowledge that hasn't been seen in millennia. Unfortunately, the discovery could be an unwelcome shock to people of many faiths. Some who are in pursuit wish to use that knowledge for their own benefit, with no regard for the consequences. Nothing is as it seems, and no one can be trusted. There are a lot of unexpected twists in this one. I love the facts from history that are mixed in with fiction, and Steve Berry really is masterful in his writing. It all blends together seamlessly. I really enjoyed it.

As is typical with Berry, it takes a while to set up the characters and situations. He starts with a bang, and then follows with(usually) three sets of characters and situations. We follow them contemporaneously, switching from situation to situation. Usually the early parts of the book are historically based, full of geographic and historical detail, and fascinating if you have any interest at all in history or far-off lands. At some point, the action heats up, and people start dying more often than in the earlier parts. The various lines begin to approach each other, initially overlapping and then coming together completely. From there on out, the pace is fast and furious. Somewhere in the narrative there will be a radical departure from history, but it generally is very plausible - a "Gee, what if ..." moment. "The Alexandria Link" deals with the lost library at Alexandria, Egypt, and poses interesting and somewhat plausible alternatives to what we know of history. There's a huge leap in the book about where the land is that God pledged to Abraham in Genesis, but if we allow him his license (and that's not hard to do in context), the result is challenging mentally, and full of possibilities. It's a good yarn, skillfully told, smoothly written, and for me, about the right length (~400 pages). This is not a religious book, though it deals with all three of the major religions in the Middle East. Plenty of death & destruction, virtually no sex (but you don't miss it, and there are hints), and fast action. The protagonist (Cotton Malone) is believable in many ways. Once the action heated up, I found it difficult to stop reading. Captain Kirk

Another well written historical novel by Steve Berry surrounding returning characters, Cotton Malone, Henrik Thorvaldsen, and Stephanie (Cotton's former boss). In this story, Malone is reunited with his ex-wife on an adventure from country to country in search of the lost Library of Alexandria and the tomes located within that will unlock both the mysteries of the world as well as provoke political unrest in the Middle East. Berry once again pens his unique political spy style with sophistication and detail that separates him from the genre's typical style of writing. I found this novel to be more intriguing than The Templar Legacy and it started with more of an attention getting bang than the previous book. I still am at odds with the author regarding his personal quest to disprove the veracity of Scripture with hit and miss facts from somewhat obscure sources. In this book his premise focuses on the validity of the Old Testament record and in particular the geographical authenticity of God's promise to Abraham. To be fair, Berry continues to acknowledge at the end of the book what he believes is historical fact and what he has made up in his imagination. This follows the pattern of The Templar Legacy. In spite of my disagreement with Berry's theological foundation, I still respect the quality of his writing and storytelling. So much so, that I have purchased and started reading his next novel in this series, The Venetian Betrayal. I would recommend this novel to those who enjoy political intrigue, stories of espionage, and "good guy vs. bad guy" storytelling.

Steve Berry always takes us on a great journey - via Cotton Malone and co. - Cotton, retired from the government's extra sensitive investigations unit, is now a book seller in Copehagen. His ex-wife runs into the bookstore screaming that their son has been kidnapped - this starts an amazing journey that deals with the Alexandria Link. The Library of Alexandria existed up to the time after Christ. It held the knowledge of the world - tensions of the world caused the Library to be burned - information from Atlantis, the Old Testament, New Testament, science, etc. gone. But what if guardians of the Library worked so they saved as many scrolls and papyrus as possible and housed them in a safe place, and this exists today? Cotton and company go on a quest to find a link to the place the Library still exists. Brilliantly written, this is one of the Berry's best. Many intrigues, both sides of the pond makes this book pop. Can't wait for Berry's next one -

Nice historical context, very good character development, very well written

As expected.

While relatively enjoyable, this book's pace is much slower than The Templar Legacy. I never felt bored with the latter, while The Alexandria Link did sometimes bore me and I felt compelled several times to just put the book down and do something else. Still, worthwhile if you can pick it up inexpensively. Not a must read though.

I have read all of Steve Berry's thrillers. Steven Berry had become better and better with each of his novels. And "The Alexandria Link" is no exception from this rule. From page one the reader gets hooked and swept into the story. There is not a single moment of boredom waiting for you, the story develops sytematically and the surprises are not coming out of the blue. The personalities are well descripted, develop from the presvious book and one feels very comfortable with them. One can understand. Till the very last the suspense is kept. I would love to have given it more than 5 stars.... You will enjoy this book!!!

A great Steve Berry novel you'll never guess the ending

This is my first book of Steve berry He definitely is in the league of Dan brown & James Rollins Cotton Malone is vry interesting & so is Henrik Thorvaldsen ,I liked dat guy.. Will recommend to all.