The Lost Order

January 2, 2017
In the 12th thriller featuring former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone (after 2016’s The 14th Colony), Berry delivers exactly what fans of this bestselling series have come to expect—an intricately plotted, action-paced story line that seamlessly blends history with provocative speculation. While on assignment for the Smithsonian in rural Arkansas, Malone becomes entangled with the “most powerful subversive organization in the history of the United States.” Founded in 1854, the Knights of the Golden Circle have allegedly been guarding billions in stolen gold and silver for more than a century. But the treasure can only be found by locating a series of invaluable artifacts that are encrypted with a seemingly unbreakable code. Malone’s quest becomes deadly when he discovers links to a conspiracy by the ambitious present-day speaker of the house, who wants to radically change the political power structure of the country. The fusion of contemporary and historical adventure makes this a page-turner of the highest order. Author tour. Agent: Simon Lipskar, Writers House.

November 15, 2016

Once upon a time, the darkly secretive Knights of the Golden Circle buried scads of gold and silver across America, leading to a 160-year treasure hunt. Now, as two factions of the remaining knights struggle to recover the booty, series stalwart Cotton Malone realizes that he's connected to the mystery through an ancestor. With a one-day laydown on April 4.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2016
The prolific Berry has a knack for finding obscure yet fascinating historical details and fashioning them into fast-moving novels. This one revolves around a real-life secret society that most people have never heard of: the Knights of the Golden Circle, a nineteenth-century group that wanted to encircle Mexico and other Latin American countries and make them part of the U.S. as slave states. Though that didn't work out, the group buried great gobs of Confederate gold across the country. Both the Knights' endurance into modern times and the lure of the gold are the fictional plot points on which this thriller hinges, although there is also plenty about D.C. skulduggery, faithless wives, and feckless public servants. Fans of Berry's books will be happy to see his hero, Cotton Malone, making his twelfth appearance, this time with a Civil Warera ancestor connecting past parts of the story with the present. Berry provides interesting backdrops as his characters hopscotch around the country, and series fans will be excited to see that things are heating up between Malone and his rough-and-ready companion Cassiopeia Vitt. As always with Berry, the author's note, which separates facts from fiction, adds much to our appreciation of the tale. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Prior to the publication of Berry's latest, 20 million copies of his books had been sold across 51 countries. The 400,000 first printing of this one will boost that total still higher.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)