The Jefferson Key

Cotton Malone, former Justice Department operative, finds himself back in the heat of chasing villains when he foils an assassination attempt on the president. Little does Malone know that all four successful presidential assassinations in American history are linked to this attempt, as well as to an obscure clause in the U.S. Constitution that endorses privateering. Scott Brick's robust narration style carries listeners through fast-paced fights with modern-day pirates and lends introspection to Malone's sharp-witted and elegant girlfriend, Cassiopeia Vitt. Brick paints Malone as a reluctant hero who's still got the moxie and moves to thwart the villains. Brick also adds color to Thomas Jefferson's legacy of ciphers and the blustery history of American privateering. N.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Starred review from April 25, 2011
At the start of Berry's ingeniously plotted seventh Cotton Malone novel (after The Emperor's Tomb), former U.S. Justice Department agent Malone, who's been summoned to New York City by his old boss, Stephanie Nelle, manages to thwart an attempt to assassinate the U.S. president outside a midtown Manhattan hotel. Malone soon finds himself in the middle of a power struggle with roots in presidential history. A cipher formulated by Thomas Jefferson and employed by Andrew Jackson has been unbroken for 175 years. Documents hidden by Jackson contain the key to the legitimacyâand the wealth and powerâof the Commonwealth, a coalition of privateers or pirates dating from the American Revolution. Malone and his lover, Cassiopeia Vitt, must match wits and survival skills with several formidable foes, including rogue agent Jonathan Wyatt and Quartermaster Clifford Knox of the Commonwealth. Berry offers plenty of twists and vivid action scenes in a feast of historical imagination. Author tour.