What do you think?
Rate this book
Cotton Malone #0.5
The Admiral's Mark
Eight years ago Cotton Malone was an agent for the Justice Department, handling the toughest and most sensitive international investigations. But sometimes things became intensely personal. In his latest eBook original short story, New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry lays out just such a tale—one with shocking historical implications.
Cotton Malone never cared for the shady dealings of his brother-in-law, Scott Brown. But when Scott dies while scuba diving, Cotton’s wife and her grieving sister demand more than just a secondhand police report. So Malone heads to Haiti. There, beneath crystal clear waters, he learns that Scott found the sunken wreckage of the Santa Maria, the fabled flagship of Christopher Columbus, and he paid for the discovery with his life. Setting out to piece together what happened, Malone quickly realizes that he’s not the only man there with questions. An Israeli intelligence agent is in top secret pursuit of what Scott died trying to protect. And a sinister Austrian with a hidden agenda has no qualms about killing for the mysterious prize. On the hunt for something that has been lost for 500 years, Malone is suddenly enmeshed in a deadly cat and mouse game being played across the north shore of Haiti and beneath the Caribbean Sea—and he’ll have to fight just to get out of there alive.
Features an exciting preview of Steve Berry’s much-anticipated new thriller, The Columbus Affair
Cotton Malone never cared for the shady dealings of his brother-in-law, Scott Brown. But when Scott dies while scuba diving, Cotton’s wife and her grieving sister demand more than just a secondhand police report. So Malone heads to Haiti. There, beneath crystal clear waters, he learns that Scott found the sunken wreckage of the Santa Maria, the fabled flagship of Christopher Columbus, and he paid for the discovery with his life. Setting out to piece together what happened, Malone quickly realizes that he’s not the only man there with questions. An Israeli intelligence agent is in top secret pursuit of what Scott died trying to protect. And a sinister Austrian with a hidden agenda has no qualms about killing for the mysterious prize. On the hunt for something that has been lost for 500 years, Malone is suddenly enmeshed in a deadly cat and mouse game being played across the north shore of Haiti and beneath the Caribbean Sea—and he’ll have to fight just to get out of there alive.
Features an exciting preview of Steve Berry’s much-anticipated new thriller, The Columbus Affair
45 pages, ebook
First published April 2, 2012
62 people are currently reading
4822 people want to read
About the author
Steve Berry
110 books7,501 followersSteve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of twenty-two novels, which include: The Last Kingdom , The Omega Factor , The Kaiser's Web, The Warsaw Protocol, The Malta Exchange, The Bishop’s Pawn, The Lost Order, The 14th Colony, The Patriot Threat, The Lincoln Myth, The King's Deception, The Columbus Affair, The Jefferson Key, The Emperor's Tomb, The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, The Alexandria Link, The Templar Legacy, The Third Secret, The Romanov Prophecy, and The Amber Room. Steve has also co-written a novel with Grant Blackwood, The 9th Man (a Luke Daniels Adventure), and four novellas with M. J. Rose: The End of Forever, The House of Long Ago, The Lake of Learning, and The Museum of Mysteries, all Cassiopeia Vitt tales. His books have been translated into 41 languages with over 25,000,000 copies in 52 countries. They consistently appear in the top echelon of The New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestseller lists. Somewhere in the world, every thirty seconds, one of his novels is sold.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
January 7, 2021
The Admiral's Mark features an intriguing premise and was a good introduction to the Cotton Malone character and series.
Cotton Malone never got along with his brother-in-law, Scott Brown. But after Scott drowns while diving in Haiti, Cotton's wife convinces him to look into the death. Upon arrival in Haiti, Cotton quickly learns Scott discovered the wreckage of the Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus' ship. As he pieces together Scott's last days, Cotton finds out Scott was dealing with some shady people and inexplicably Israeli intelligence.
The Admiral's Mark is my second experience with the Cotton Malone character having read a crossover between this series and James Rollins' Sigma Force series last year. Cotton has a unique set of skills as he works as an agent for the Justice Department in an elite division. He's intelligent, able to quickly assess any situation, and knows how to handle himself when there's trouble. The plot in this book was intriguing and I liked how it was tied to history, although I will say due to the shortness of the story there wasn't a lot of time to really go in depth. Overall though the story was enjoyable and had just the right amount of action for such a short story.
I definitely plan to continue with the Cotton Malone series and I hope to pick up the first full-length novel, The Templar Legacy, soon.
Cotton Malone never got along with his brother-in-law, Scott Brown. But after Scott drowns while diving in Haiti, Cotton's wife convinces him to look into the death. Upon arrival in Haiti, Cotton quickly learns Scott discovered the wreckage of the Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus' ship. As he pieces together Scott's last days, Cotton finds out Scott was dealing with some shady people and inexplicably Israeli intelligence.
The Admiral's Mark is my second experience with the Cotton Malone character having read a crossover between this series and James Rollins' Sigma Force series last year. Cotton has a unique set of skills as he works as an agent for the Justice Department in an elite division. He's intelligent, able to quickly assess any situation, and knows how to handle himself when there's trouble. The plot in this book was intriguing and I liked how it was tied to history, although I will say due to the shortness of the story there wasn't a lot of time to really go in depth. Overall though the story was enjoyable and had just the right amount of action for such a short story.
I definitely plan to continue with the Cotton Malone series and I hope to pick up the first full-length novel, The Templar Legacy, soon.
July 7, 2012
Great story! This is the first book by Steve Berry that I've read, and I'm hooked. Cotton Malone is a great character and while some scenes stretch credibility, I became quickly interested and willing to stretch my limits on what's believable. The mystery behind Malone's brother-in-law, Scott Brown's death is compelling. Add to that Malone's hesitance to investigate the death. What better than a reluctant hero? Malone's marriage is on the rocks, and he's missed most of his son's childhood, so as a reader, I became sympathetic and engaged. The Haitian setting is intriguing, especially as I once visited Haiti many years ago, and remember the scenery as breathtaking and the poverty as harsh. I didn't see the wealthy areas that Malone's character mentions. Berry is able to draw the reader into an entirely different world while creating an interest in history and events surrounding his brother-in-law's death and a sunken ship off the Haitian coastline.....all this in a few short pages. A delightful, quick read!
May 31, 2019
This is a short story that, I believe, sets up the characters for the Cotton Malone series. We meet Cotton at his brother-in-law's funeral. His wife believes there is more to his death then an accidental drowning and persuades Cotton to travel to Haiti to confirm. From there we go on a fast paced adventure with Cotton as he digs deeper into the doings of his family member.
I loved this book because it generated excitement for the writing style and the character in a series I am about to begin. I liked the book blurb telling me about the first book in this series (this is 0.5 in the series) and after reading this, I can't wait to start it.
I loved this book because it generated excitement for the writing style and the character in a series I am about to begin. I liked the book blurb telling me about the first book in this series (this is 0.5 in the series) and after reading this, I can't wait to start it.
January 1, 2019
Cotton Malone is one of the best characters written in any thriller series. This is a fun adventure
August 18, 2020
The Maguffin is too mysterious to rate higher, but it's nice to read a bit from Berry from before he lost his self control and became a partisan political hack.
April 7, 2017
I don't know why I waited so long to get around to this short story as it's the prequel to the whole series and I'm already on book 10. It was quite short, it only took me about 30 minutes to read. Cotton Malone is still married to Pam in this instalment and is still working for the Magellan Billet when his brother-in-law dies in Haiti. Pam, thinking it was murder, convinces Cotton to head down and do his secret agent thing to find out what really happened.
This was a really tense short story. A lot happened in it in such a short space of work. Berry is able to draw his readers into a world most of us don't have any concept of make it a reality for us in just a few short pages. This is, I'm assuming, a good tie-in to the book, The Columbus Affair, also dealing with Christopher Columbus, although I haven't read it yet. The only drawback I found in this story was its abrupt conclusion. I think Berry could've taken another page or two and fleshed out a longer conclusion. Other than that, this was a great addition to the Cotton Malone world.
This was a really tense short story. A lot happened in it in such a short space of work. Berry is able to draw his readers into a world most of us don't have any concept of make it a reality for us in just a few short pages. This is, I'm assuming, a good tie-in to the book, The Columbus Affair, also dealing with Christopher Columbus, although I haven't read it yet. The only drawback I found in this story was its abrupt conclusion. I think Berry could've taken another page or two and fleshed out a longer conclusion. Other than that, this was a great addition to the Cotton Malone world.
June 1, 2014
A great little story to read while driving from A to B. Cotton Malone is headed down to Haiti to look into the death of his brother-in-law. What he discovers is more than a drowning accident and opens the door on some historical Americana related to Columbus.
Berry is at it again with his most-loved character, who likes to stick his neck out and solve crimes unrelated to his daily life. Always revealing another layer of the Malone character in the most unorthodox manner, Berry has the reader hooked frolm page one.
A great story to kill time on the way home from work and running a few errands. Kudos, Mr. Berry! A great tie in (I would expect, since I have yet to read it) with The Columbus Affair.
Berry is at it again with his most-loved character, who likes to stick his neck out and solve crimes unrelated to his daily life. Always revealing another layer of the Malone character in the most unorthodox manner, Berry has the reader hooked frolm page one.
A great story to kill time on the way home from work and running a few errands. Kudos, Mr. Berry! A great tie in (I would expect, since I have yet to read it) with The Columbus Affair.
March 22, 2022
Who was Christopher Columbus and why the finding of the sunken wreckage of the Saint Maria ... suddenly became so important? Why after 8 years Cotton Malone, a formar agent of the Justice Department had to resurfaced???
The first appearance of Cotton Malone ...
The first appearance of Cotton Malone ...
February 1, 2023
A shorty story that fills in some blanks.
September 24, 2017
Το Admiral's mark είναι ένα διήγημα από τον κ. Steve Berry, το οποίο λειτουργεί ως προοίμιο του βιβλίου του "The Columbus Affair". Παρόλο που το βιβλίο δεν έχει ως ήρωά του τον Cotton Malone, στο προοίμιο αυτό ο συγγραφέας διηγείται μια περιπέτεια του Malone, η οποία έλαβε χώρα 8 χρόνια πριν το πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς με ήρωα τον Cotton Malone, "The Templar Legacy". Θέλοντας να ξεκινήσω τη σειρά του Malone, διάβασα και το συγκεκριμένο διήγημα.
Το βιβλίο διαβάζεται πάρα πολύ άνετα και πολύ γρήγορα. Η ιστορία είναι αρκετά ενδιαφέρουσα με μπόλικη δράση. Θα μπορούσε πολύ εύκολα να είναι μια περιπέτεια με ήρωα τον James Bond, αλλά το ότι ο συγγραφέας προσθέτει και ιστορικές προεκτάσεις αναγάγει το βιβλίο σε άλλο επίπεδο!
Δε συνεχίζω άλλο, γιατί σε λίγο η αξιολόγηση του βιβλίου θα είναι μεγαλύτερη και από το ίδιο το βιβλίο!
Το προτείνω ανεπιφύλακτα!
Το βιβλίο διαβάζεται πάρα πολύ άνετα και πολύ γρήγορα. Η ιστορία είναι αρκετά ενδιαφέρουσα με μπόλικη δράση. Θα μπορούσε πολύ εύκολα να είναι μια περιπέτεια με ήρωα τον James Bond, αλλά το ότι ο συγγραφέας προσθέτει και ιστορικές προεκτάσεις αναγάγει το βιβλίο σε άλλο επίπεδο!
Δε συνεχίζω άλλο, γιατί σε λίγο η αξιολόγηση του βιβλίου θα είναι μεγαλύτερη και από το ίδιο το βιβλίο!
Το προτείνω ανεπιφύλακτα!
August 25, 2023
A short story (not quite novella length) in the Cotton Malone series. I liked that it takes place before the rest of the series while Cotton is still with the Magellan Billet. The history, and setting were interesting and a nice bit of action. The plot was ok but I wanted a little more from the ending and why things were important. Writing was a little too simplistic or formal in some places, felt like an earlier work for him than it really was. Not a bad little story, but could have grown into more of a novella and been better for it.
January 14, 2020
short but sweet .. I guess this was the beginning of Cotton Malone 0.5
June 30, 2023
Very intriguing start to this series. If it was a full size novel to allow for plot and characters to be more built out, probably would have been a 5 star read.
October 14, 2023
Short but engaging!
January 6, 2013
This is an excellent short story and lead-in to Mr. Berry's upcoming book "The Columbus Affair" due out in May 2012. I was initially disappointed because the short story involved Cotton Malone (the ongoing hero of many of Steve Berry's novels) and the upcoming book will not be a Cotton Malone book. (I am definitely one of "Malone's Clones" as Mr. Berry calls his fans.) However, there are a number of tie-ins from the short story to the upcoming book (based on the synopsis of "The Columbus Affair" that I read on Amazon) so I'm sure the book will be excellent as well. Mr. Berry and Steve Rollins are my two favorite authors. (I can never choose between them.) Neither of them ever disappoint and this short story was just another of Mr. Berry's successes!! (If I said anything more about the short story it would be a spoiler so I just suggest that you read it. It's only available as an e-book right now but maybe it will be included with the book when it comes out.)
June 6, 2012
The latest short ebook from Steve Berry is both a prequel to the Cotton Malone series as well as the new book The Columbus Affair. A short, quick adventure to Haiti tied in with the lost wreck of the Santa Maria, flagship of controversial historical figure Christopher Columbus.
There wasn't a lot to this story and I'm not sure it needed to be released by itself. It feels like it would have been better used as a prologue instead of a way to get more money from fans. If this is the way Steve Berry continues his ebooks I think I'll stick to the novels only.
There wasn't a lot to this story and I'm not sure it needed to be released by itself. It feels like it would have been better used as a prologue instead of a way to get more money from fans. If this is the way Steve Berry continues his ebooks I think I'll stick to the novels only.
August 14, 2017
For a short story this was intriguing and a lot of fun to read.
June 20, 2020
A quick introduction to the main character of Steve Berry's main series, which follow the exploits of Cotton Malone.
The novelette/novella is in the back of the stand-alone novel, The Columbus Affair. I believe all of Berry's works exist in the same fictional universe (with the possible exception of The Third Secret, which did not contain any references that I can recall to Berry's first two books), but I've yet to read other Malone stories yet so I don't know for certain whether they tie together with his first two stand-alone novels.
While it's a quick introduction to Malone, it leaves a lot up in the air, as it is at the back of aforementioned The Columbus Affair. I only read it because I had been looking at the publication order of the Malone novels and the shorter works Berry wrote that include the character and which are published as bonus material the back of other novels, and I noticed that The Bishop's Pawn is noted as the "first" Malone adventure, despite being written and published as the 13th Malone book.
Characters from The Columbus Affair are mentioned in passing in the bonus story, but I don't believe there are spoilers, so reading the story by itself as a way to familiarize myself with Malone won't hurt. But my interest in the history of Christopher Columbus is certainly piqued by this story, and now it's a question of whether I read that novel or dive directly into the Malone series, which was my original plan. I'd certainly like to learn more about him. Not quite as satisfying as his longer works, especially coming after his excellent third novel, The Third Secret; I've a ways to go before the next short work, about six books into the series, which Berry introduces another continuing character.
The novelette/novella is in the back of the stand-alone novel, The Columbus Affair. I believe all of Berry's works exist in the same fictional universe (with the possible exception of The Third Secret, which did not contain any references that I can recall to Berry's first two books), but I've yet to read other Malone stories yet so I don't know for certain whether they tie together with his first two stand-alone novels.
While it's a quick introduction to Malone, it leaves a lot up in the air, as it is at the back of aforementioned The Columbus Affair. I only read it because I had been looking at the publication order of the Malone novels and the shorter works Berry wrote that include the character and which are published as bonus material the back of other novels, and I noticed that The Bishop's Pawn is noted as the "first" Malone adventure, despite being written and published as the 13th Malone book.
Characters from The Columbus Affair are mentioned in passing in the bonus story, but I don't believe there are spoilers, so reading the story by itself as a way to familiarize myself with Malone won't hurt. But my interest in the history of Christopher Columbus is certainly piqued by this story, and now it's a question of whether I read that novel or dive directly into the Malone series, which was my original plan. I'd certainly like to learn more about him. Not quite as satisfying as his longer works, especially coming after his excellent third novel, The Third Secret; I've a ways to go before the next short work, about six books into the series, which Berry introduces another continuing character.
May 22, 2023
Another novella - trying to read all Cotton's stories...... OK, but I miss the drawn out plots of books. Novella just don't do it...
Eight years ago Cotton Malone was an agent for the Justice Department, handling the toughest and most sensitive international investigations. But sometimes things became intensely personal. In his latest eBook original short story, New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry lays out just such a tale—one with shocking historical implications.
Cotton Malone never cared for the shady dealings of his brother-in-law, Scott Brown. But when Scott dies while scuba diving, Cotton’s wife and her grieving sister demand more than just a secondhand police report. So Malone heads to Haiti. There, beneath crystal clear waters, he learns that Scott found the sunken wreckage of the Santa Maria, the fabled flagship of Christopher Columbus, and he paid for the discovery with his life. Setting out to piece together what happened, Malone quickly realizes that he’s not the only man there with questions. An Israeli intelligence agent is in top secret pursuit of what Scott died trying to protect. And a sinister Austrian with a hidden agenda has no qualms about killing for the mysterious prize. On the hunt for something that has been lost for 500 years, Malone is suddenly enmeshed in a deadly cat and mouse game being played across the north shore of Haiti and beneath the Caribbean Sea—and he’ll have to fight just to get out of there alive.
Eight years ago Cotton Malone was an agent for the Justice Department, handling the toughest and most sensitive international investigations. But sometimes things became intensely personal. In his latest eBook original short story, New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry lays out just such a tale—one with shocking historical implications.
Cotton Malone never cared for the shady dealings of his brother-in-law, Scott Brown. But when Scott dies while scuba diving, Cotton’s wife and her grieving sister demand more than just a secondhand police report. So Malone heads to Haiti. There, beneath crystal clear waters, he learns that Scott found the sunken wreckage of the Santa Maria, the fabled flagship of Christopher Columbus, and he paid for the discovery with his life. Setting out to piece together what happened, Malone quickly realizes that he’s not the only man there with questions. An Israeli intelligence agent is in top secret pursuit of what Scott died trying to protect. And a sinister Austrian with a hidden agenda has no qualms about killing for the mysterious prize. On the hunt for something that has been lost for 500 years, Malone is suddenly enmeshed in a deadly cat and mouse game being played across the north shore of Haiti and beneath the Caribbean Sea—and he’ll have to fight just to get out of there alive.
November 24, 2017
A tale about Columbus
This is a short story of a non-official investigation by Cotton Malone, to solve his brother in law death, so I may have spoilers. First big point, we get to know Cotton's real name-- Harold Earl.
Back to what is the story about, Malone gets asked by his wife to figure out what happened to Scott, the brother in law. He makes a start by checking out their apartment, where he gets interrupted by 2 men who showed up, looking for information also. They look through the mail and open an envelope sent from Haiti hotel where Scott had been staying but reject it. Malone takes it and follows them to airport and finds out that they were returning to Haiti. In Haiti, Malone finds out that Scott had done a con on a dangerous man involving a book which had the special story about the specific way Christopher Columbus signed his mark--called the Admiral's Mark. It is basically not a signature but a special designated signature made in a triangle. If you check Wikipedia, you'll see a version of this.
I was intrigued to read something positive about Christopher Columbus, especially with the current comments about taking down his statue. I Wil have to follow up the research that Steve Berry based the story on.
This novella gave us a quick glimpse of the life of Cotton Malone when he was still married.
This is a short story of a non-official investigation by Cotton Malone, to solve his brother in law death, so I may have spoilers. First big point, we get to know Cotton's real name-- Harold Earl.
Back to what is the story about, Malone gets asked by his wife to figure out what happened to Scott, the brother in law. He makes a start by checking out their apartment, where he gets interrupted by 2 men who showed up, looking for information also. They look through the mail and open an envelope sent from Haiti hotel where Scott had been staying but reject it. Malone takes it and follows them to airport and finds out that they were returning to Haiti. In Haiti, Malone finds out that Scott had done a con on a dangerous man involving a book which had the special story about the specific way Christopher Columbus signed his mark--called the Admiral's Mark. It is basically not a signature but a special designated signature made in a triangle. If you check Wikipedia, you'll see a version of this.
I was intrigued to read something positive about Christopher Columbus, especially with the current comments about taking down his statue. I Wil have to follow up the research that Steve Berry based the story on.
This novella gave us a quick glimpse of the life of Cotton Malone when he was still married.
September 2, 2023
Categories rated on a 10 point scale. Averaged and then translated into Star Rating. See CAWPILE by Book Roast.
I read a Cotton Malone Short Story Omnibus on Kindle.
Characters: 9.8
Atmosphere: 8.7
Writing 7.7
Plot 7.8
Intrigue: 7.9
Logic: 9.7
Enjoyment: 9.0
Avg: 8.66, a high 4.5 Stars rounded up to 5.
This story definitely sheds a ton of light on Cotton's level of dysfunction. The man had no hope of being a functional human being.
Category Rating Clarity
10: A favorite
9: Maybe 1 issue
8: Minor problems, nothing major wrong
7: Not groundbreaking, has some issues but still really enjoyed
6: Good outweighs the bad
5: Mediocre
4: Bad outweighs the good
3: Not enough here to enjoy
2: Major problems, unredeemable
1: Is there anything good here?
0: The worst
I read a Cotton Malone Short Story Omnibus on Kindle.
Characters: 9.8
Atmosphere: 8.7
Writing 7.7
Plot 7.8
Intrigue: 7.9
Logic: 9.7
Enjoyment: 9.0
Avg: 8.66, a high 4.5 Stars rounded up to 5.
This story definitely sheds a ton of light on Cotton's level of dysfunction. The man had no hope of being a functional human being.
Category Rating Clarity
10: A favorite
9: Maybe 1 issue
8: Minor problems, nothing major wrong
7: Not groundbreaking, has some issues but still really enjoyed
6: Good outweighs the bad
5: Mediocre
4: Bad outweighs the good
3: Not enough here to enjoy
2: Major problems, unredeemable
1: Is there anything good here?
0: The worst
November 10, 2020
The Admiral's Mark (Cotton Malone, #0.5) by Steve Berry
In this short story, Berry goes back to his hero, Harold Earl (Cotton) Malone.
Cotton is at a funeral, Scott Brown's. Scott was married to Ginger Brown, who is Pam Malone's (Cotton's wife) sister. Pam insists that Cotton fly to Haiti to investigate Scott's accidental death in a Scuba Diving accident.
I Haiti, Cotton confirms that Brown was indeed murdered but gets involved in a conspiracy that led to the discovery of Christopher Columbus' wreck of the Santa Maria on Christmas 1492. With the Massad, the Magellan Billet, and a mysterious man - Zacharia Simon - all involved it makes for a pleasant, short read.
In this short story, Berry goes back to his hero, Harold Earl (Cotton) Malone.
Cotton is at a funeral, Scott Brown's. Scott was married to Ginger Brown, who is Pam Malone's (Cotton's wife) sister. Pam insists that Cotton fly to Haiti to investigate Scott's accidental death in a Scuba Diving accident.
I Haiti, Cotton confirms that Brown was indeed murdered but gets involved in a conspiracy that led to the discovery of Christopher Columbus' wreck of the Santa Maria on Christmas 1492. With the Massad, the Magellan Billet, and a mysterious man - Zacharia Simon - all involved it makes for a pleasant, short read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2019
A nice short story that adds a little knowledge to the story of Cotton Malone. I really enjoyed how the book tied in so closely with The Columbus Affair and provided a preview of some of the characters and even some of the plot for the novel. The reading order might be up for debate but I think that I would have rather read this prior to The Columbus Affair so that way I got a preview but then again I am not sure if this story would have been as fun if I didn't know what was going on. I read it in just a few minutes so take the time and give it a look.
February 3, 2021
I've read about 5 books of Cotton Malone a year back, but this year I will be re-starting the series chronologically. This is the first book in the Cotton Malone series (as per Goodreads). This is a short story that connects Cotton's brother-in-law Scott Brown, Austrian mafia, Mossad and Santa Maria - the flagship of Christopher Columbus. What happened and how Cotton ended up in this scenario? Grab the book to discover your answers.
To stay with this short story is fine but I find myself a bit impatient. I find the end very abrupt or maybe there's more to this adventure...
Rating : 2.3/5
To stay with this short story is fine but I find myself a bit impatient. I find the end very abrupt or maybe there's more to this adventure...
Rating : 2.3/5
November 4, 2021
This is a short story taking place before the main series of Cotton Malone books. Malone's grifting brother in law has just died, or been killed, in Haiti and his wife implores him to investigate. The search leads Malone to an ongoing con and some angry ex-friends.
It's a very simplistic and unrealistic story so I guess it matches the rest of the series pretty well. The history lessons learned on the way are not that interesting too, but Berry knows how to keep a story flowing so it's not too bad.
It's a very simplistic and unrealistic story so I guess it matches the rest of the series pretty well. The history lessons learned on the way are not that interesting too, but Berry knows how to keep a story flowing so it's not too bad.
April 30, 2024
Had missed reading this book over the last decade despite it being a short story.
Introduction to Cotton Malone as a member of a secretive US organisation here in this short story investigating the death of his brother in law. Declared a suicide there are lot of people after his rumored secret which unravels in the enigmatic backdrop of Haiti and connected to the Admiral himself, Columbus.
This is a prequel story for Cotton Malone timed before the start of the Templar Legacy and Cotton's numerous adventures with Magellan Billet, as a bookseller and beyond.
A good express fast story.
Introduction to Cotton Malone as a member of a secretive US organisation here in this short story investigating the death of his brother in law. Declared a suicide there are lot of people after his rumored secret which unravels in the enigmatic backdrop of Haiti and connected to the Admiral himself, Columbus.
This is a prequel story for Cotton Malone timed before the start of the Templar Legacy and Cotton's numerous adventures with Magellan Billet, as a bookseller and beyond.
A good express fast story.
August 16, 2018
This was my first foray into the world of Harold "Cotton" Malone. A short and sweet, yet filled with action short story about Cotton as he was before "retiring" and opening his bookshop in Denmark.
Also an interesting introduction to see how Steve Berry weaves together his fiction with real historical facts, and places. I've read up to the 9th book, and it's definitely a series I would recommend.
Also an interesting introduction to see how Steve Berry weaves together his fiction with real historical facts, and places. I've read up to the 9th book, and it's definitely a series I would recommend.
January 13, 2020
A really short short-story about Cotton Malone going out on a personal investigation at the behest of his wife to find out what happened to his brother-in-law down in Haiti. This is obviously a prequel since Cotton is still married and working for the Magellan Billet.
Good action (as usual), some historical background, not much resolution (possibly since this could be leading to the Columbus Affair?). Interesting for fans of the series.
Good action (as usual), some historical background, not much resolution (possibly since this could be leading to the Columbus Affair?). Interesting for fans of the series.
June 2, 2022
I thought for sure this one was going to veer off into the territory of one of Berry's stand alone novels "The Columbus Affair." Thankfully it did not do the obvious, but the short story was a little perplexing in the denouement. I surely did not expect the fulfillment of a regular full-length Cotton Malone novel, but this left me wanting a tad more closure and explanation at the conclusion. Fast paced, for sure, but exceptionally abrupt in it ending.
Read
August 17, 20230.5 of the Cotton Malone series. Since it takes place before the first book and I have no idea what Cotton Malone’s background is I probably should have read #1 first, but I liked doing things in order. So, I’m surprising myself.
Takes place 8 years before the main series right after his wacky brother-in-law’s funeral. Thinking the brother-in-law’s death in Haiti seemed fishy, his wife sends him check it out.
Fave scene: the auction.
Takes place 8 years before the main series right after his wacky brother-in-law’s funeral. Thinking the brother-in-law’s death in Haiti seemed fishy, his wife sends him check it out.
Fave scene: the auction.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews