The Venetian Betrayal

Steve Berry is a master of suspense whose books are consistently entertaining. With THE VENETIAN BETRAYAL, Berry weaves an intriguing tale about the search for Alexander the Great's final resting place and the mysterious healing serum buried with him. The story is farfetched and the characters a bit formulaic; in addition, it helps to have a scorecard to keep track of the villains and heroes. Despite these shortcomings, the novel still succeeds on audio because of reader Scott Brick, who yet again transforms a mediocre book into a great listen. Brick's wry reading style is an excellent complement for the convoluted story, and his ability to bring life to central characters Cotton Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt proves just how valuable the choice of performer remains. D.J.S. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

October 8, 2007
In bestseller Berry's predictable third novel to feature Cotton Malone (after The Alexandria Link
and The Templar Legacy
), Malone takes on another villain bent on world domination, Irina Zovastina, supreme minister of the Central Asian Federation, who's plotting to use a bioweapon to destroy Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Malone races around the globe trying to find the means to foil the minister, aided by longtime allies Cassiopeia Vitt, an enigmatic and deadly operative, and his former Justice Department boss, Stephanie Nelle. The answer may lie buried with Alexander the Great's remains. Both the good and the bad guys let their opponents live in circumstances that make no sense except to prolong the plot, and the genuine mysteries surrounding the death of Alexander the Great receive short shrift. Despite some pedestrian prose (“He shook his head. Choices. Everybody made them”), this international yarn, full of shoot-outs and explosions, won't disappoint fans of Berry's previous action-packed thrillers.

January 28, 2008
Scott Brick continues to bolster his status as one of the best narrators of international thrillers with his excellent reading of Berry's latest. Once again, Cotton Malone, a retired intelligence officer turned rare book dealer, is thrown into the middle of a diabolical plot for world domination. Irina Zovastina, the Supreme Minister of a powerful collective of old Soviet republics, has an insidious plan to use biological weapons, at the cost of millions of lives, in a maniacal attempt to conquer the world. For her stratagem to succeed, she must unearth a secret hidden within the final resting place of Alexander the Great, a burial site whose location has been shrouded in mystery for millennia years. Brick easily negotiates his way through this complex plot, his confident delivery keeps the suspense high while bringing a solid reality to a story that often walks a fine line between the believable and the improbable. Simultaneous release with the Ballantine hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 8).

May 15, 2008
This is Berry's third work featuring rare book dealer Cotton Malone, a former Justice Department superagent, and sidekick Cassiopeia Vitt. The pair attempt to defeat the leader of a refurbished Soviet Union who is about to set loose a toxic viral agent whose only antidote lies buried with Alexander the Great. Although narrator Scott Brick provides subtle accents and interprets the action convincingly, his performance is unable to make this audiobook into an enjoyable listening experience. The plot is contrived, the characters are familiar, and the story is disappointing. Still, Berry has many fans, and his book (released in hardcover in December 2007) is a New York Times best seller, so librarians have a tough call on this one. Recommended with reservations. [Other best sellers in the series include The Alexandria Link and The Templar Legacy; The Venetian Betrayal is also available as downloadable audio from Audible.comRay Vignovich, West Des Moines P.L.

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