The Malta Exchange by Steve BerryMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy, provided in exchange for my honest review.
I'm a huge fan of Steve Berry and his Cotton Malone series. It's in my top favorites. Sadly, to me, this entry fell short of Berry's usually high standards.
It wasn't the plot that fell short, as the plot was a really entertaining one. Papal conclave, secrets that could devastate the church, twisty betrayals and double agents... all check. Sadly, the big twist was predictable, and I saw it coming from the moment they introduced the second character involved.
Also, Berry usually excels at weaving the history lesson into the story in a way that doesn't feel like an infodump or a lecture, but in this one, it felt very "plot point/action moment, long history lesson, plot point, long history lesson, plot point, long history lesson"... just alternating between the two, rather than weaving them together.
Cotton and Luke didn't feel as deeply developed as they usually do, Stephanie was barely in it, and Cassiopeia wasn't in it at all.
It had its strong points as well, though. The history was fascinating. The locale and details of the church's history on the island of Malta was very interesting, and was definitely a cool concept for a book.
I just feel like, overall, it wasn't as cohesive or developed or well-woven as his books usually are, so I give it 3.5 stars, rounded up.
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