The Secret Crown

November 14, 2011
Kuzneski’s lightweight sixth contemporary thriller featuring former Special Forces pals Jonathon Payne and David Jones (after 2010’s The Prophecy) takes the bantering duo to Bavaria, where they get on the trail of a hidden treasure belonging to Ludwig II, the eccentric 19th-century Bavarian monarch popularly known as Mad King Ludwig, who died mysteriously at age 40. A bad guy, Hans Mueller, also seeks the treasure, and a pretty young woman who works for a government ministry that oversees all the castles in Bavaria serves largely as the butt for sex jokes from the guys when they aren’t making fun of each other’s manhood. Kuzneski is good at parceling out interesting historical details, but it’s pretty much a stroll through a Bavarian theme park for Payne and Jones, who barely break a sweat while dispatching evildoers. Fans of sophomoric humor will be most rewarded. Agent: Scott Miller at Trident Media.

January 1, 2012
In Kuzneski's latest (The Prophecy, 2010, etc.), series heroes Payne and Jones chase Mad King Ludwig's mad money. It's a legendary stash, hidden away somewhere in one of his many castles. Ludwig II, a king who loved building castles, built them beautifully and, in fact, was planning a masterwork when person or persons unknown put an end to him and it. But that was the treasure's reason for being, to finance a dream, the tall and turreted Ludwig legacy. Mid-19th-century Bavarians, however, taxed to the max and in effect captive patrons, had by now grown out of sympathy with their monarch's artistry. Many among them were convinced he was crazy—evidence abounded—while others wondered if the treasure actually existed. Had Ludwig really spent the years amassing jeweled baubles and golden what-nots convertible into cash once his ducks were in a row? Or was it all a case of castle-building in the air? Enter Payne and Jones on cue. Jon Payne and David Jones are ex–Special Forces warriors who retired young and often wish they hadn't. Classic adrenaline junkies, they miss the thrill of being shot at, and both readily cop to never having felt so alive as when, on one battlefield or another, death breathed down their necks. An old army buddy calls, informs them that another former colleague is in difficulties related to the Ludwig story. Can they rally round, drop everything, join in a quest? He has them at Mad King. Off to Bavaria they go, eager for anything that might involve a fire-fight. But Payne, Jones and company are not by any means the only treasure seekers tramping the Bavarian mountains. There are trigger-happy bad guys galore and a nice girl named Heidi with whom the boys can flirt when not filling body bags. Formulaic, but clearly Kuzneski's audience is content to have it so. Still, some of that dialogue is gratingly corny.

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December 1, 2011
Special agents Payne and Jones (The Prophecy, 2010) return for another treasure hunt. They are asked to fly to Germany by an old colleague who has discovered a Nazi storage facility buried underground that appears to hold numerous crates filled with looted art from WWII. Among the artifacts are documents from the reign of King Ludwig II, whose murder was never solved and whose cache of gold and jewels has never been found. Can the documents lead Payne and Jones to the treasure? And can they stay one step ahead of a criminal with more than a passing interest in the loot? Kuzneski's two entertaining, Indiana Jonesstyle heroes never miss an opportunity for a wisecrack, and their humor balances well the action and history. The result is a gripping read appealing to fans of Steve Berry and James Rollins. Readers unfamiliar with Kuzneski's previous novels will find this the perfect place to start.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)