The Alexandria Link: A Novel (Cotton Malone Book 2)

The story moved along at a glacial pace and the characters were very underdeveloped, coming in 2nd to the author's obsession with revealing his 'aha moment' over and over again: the Bible, as it's known today, isn't real and has been purposely mistranslated. Duh. That's all well and good but the author fails to follow this logic and realize ALL religious texts are simply fables, stories used to fill in the blanks science had yet to discover. Science is believing what you see; faith is seeing what you believe. I wish there had been more intrigue-type stuff and less "here's some obscure supposition, based on other supposition, and it'll blow your mind" stuff. It was kind of a boring read. I raced through lots of it so I'd be able to start the next Karin Slaughter book sooner.

In this second installment, Cotton is forced to work closely with his ex-wife after his son is kidnapped. It seems that one of Cotton's past case files has come back to haunt him. This time, they're looking for the Library of Alexandria, which contains knowledge that hasn't been seen in millennia. Unfortunately, the discovery could be an unwelcome shock to people of many faiths. Some who are in pursuit wish to use that knowledge for their own benefit, with no regard for the consequences. Nothing is as it seems, and no one can be trusted. There are a lot of unexpected twists in this one. I love the facts from history that are mixed in with fiction, and Steve Berry really is masterful in his writing. It all blends together seamlessly. I really enjoyed it.

I like the twists that Steve Berry incorporated as he spun this take but there were parts I just personally didn't like or enjoy. The conspiracy was well-endowed and gripped me through the whole story. The conclusion about the librarian bothered me though. I didn't understand why that character deserved such a pivotal and positive role.

The book on cd has 13 discs and the first 12 were fine however on final disc, the last few minutes of the book it stopped playing. I tried wiping it off, using another player, and washing the disc but nothing worked. Very frustrating to not be able to finish this mystery.

I accidentally started this book at a section which stated that Israelis wipes out a whole Arab village. A total lie and shockingly insulting. I’ve enjoyed Mr. Berry’s books in the past but for sure will never read another word he writes.

A near superhero does a lot of global sipping around with an amazing number of people who change sides as fast as normal people change their underwear. It helps if money. Is always plentiful. There are several books in the series that proceeded my starting with this one. I will go to the first one and read them in order. That May make this one more understandable.

Steve Berry has done an excellent job with his Cotton Malone stories but this one, in particular, is exceptionally unpredictable and full of intrigue. I so enjoyed the characters, both the recurring group who show up with Cotton Malone in many of his adventures and the ones who were in just this book. I cannot see myself ever tiring of Cotton Malone.

I've become a Cotton Malone fanatic. So, after I read the one about Paris out of order, I'm going through the rest. I like the intrigue and the fact that I learned lots about the Middle East in this particular book.

The Alexandria LinkMy first experience with the writings of Steve Berry was a happy accident. I downloaded ‘The Templar Legacy’ by accident and read it because I had paid for it. However based on that book reading his second in the Cotton Malone series was deliberate and turned out to be another excellent read.Malone’s teenage son is kidnapped and the kidnappers demands are somewhat on the unusual side. They want details on a case that Malone worked on five years previously when he was with the US Justice Department. Those details are only known to Malone and a select few in the United States. Somewhere in the top levels of the American government there is a traitor.Throw in a European Secret Society, disputed sections of the Old Testament and the missing ancient library of Alexandria and you have a fast-paced plot that literally takes you around the world at breakneck speed.I particularly like how Berry integrates into the storyline ongoing academic religious debate concerning the Old Testament. He raises questions which whilst not based on academic fact certainly made this reader wonder “what if”?Great book well worth a read.

This book is very similar to the first book in the series. Same plot - only the names of the baddies have been changed. Very American in language and writing style. I suggest you read one Cotton Malone book and then move on to novels that are better crafted than these.

This was a good thriller, and even though you have to suspend disbelief a bit about some of the concepts, it was still more believable than thrillers written by Clive Cussler, say. Steve Berry does raise some interesting points about the possible whereabouts of the Jewish homeland, and what with the tensions in that area between Hamas and the Israelis flaring up again, it is a very topical book.

dad has a great love of books this is another author to add to his collection.

Long and drawn out,boring.That is the last Steve Berry i will try to read.Gave the author a second go after trying to read the long and drawn out Templer Legacy.Not my type of author at all.