The Secret Crown

Payne & Jones #6

by Chris Kuzneski

From the mountains of Bavaria to the secret tunnels under King Ludwig II's castles, no one is safe when they search for the Secret Crown.

Hidden among the crates in a recently discovered World War II bunker are documents stamped with an elaborate black swan, the insignia of the murdered King Ludwig II. According to legend, Ludwig stockpiled a massive treasure in the years before his death, a cache of gold and jewels that would finance the construction of the largest castle of all time. But in the years since his death, no one has found any evidence that Ludwig had hidden anything. Until now.

Jonathon Payne and David Jones are pulled into the mystery by a colleague of theirs, a former supply sergeant in the U.S. military who asks them to investigate. They agree to help and quickly find themselves in a life-or-death struggle to uncover the truth about Ludwig's murder and his mythical treasure.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Action, Crime

465 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Chris Kuzneski is the #1 international bestselling & New York Times bestselling author of twelve novels and one novella. His thrillers have been translated into more than twenty languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. One of his books (THE HUNTERS) is currently being made into a major motion picture, and another (THE PRISONER’S GOLD) won an ITW Thriller Award for Book of the Year.

Armed with witty prose, a unique narrative voice, and a penchant for blackmail, Kuzneski has garnered praise from many of the top authors in the world: James Patterson, Nelson DeMille, Lee Child, Vince Flynn, James Rollins, Tess Gerritsen, Douglas Preston, Lisa Gardner, Steve Berry, Scott Mariani, Allison Brennan, W.E.B. Griffin, Graham Brown, Boyd Morrison, John Gilstrap, Raymond Khoury, David Morrell, Andrew Gross, Joseph Finder, Jeremy Robinson, and his writing idol, Clive Cussler.

Simply put, his books are awesome.

A former football player at the University of Pittsburgh, Kuzneski worked as a journalist until he realized it was easier to make stuff up in the comfort of his own home. He has been writing fiction and sleeping in ever since. The only thing that has slowed him down is his obvious need for a pen name, since most people don't know how to spell or pronounce 'Kuzneski'. [Hint: Seven of the letters are silent.]

Reviews

[Ronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember when I first picked up one of Chris Kuzneski's book, I believe it was back in 2009, I enjoyed it that much and kept on talking about it that a work friend of mine bought me his following book as a present. My favourite book has to be The Sign of the Cross, but this one is not that far behind...

Jon Payne and David Jones, I love their relationship, their banter and their amazing clarity of working together. Being ex soldiers (MANIACs), they have a unique relationship and a fantastic nose for adventure...

Payne and DJ are probably two of my all time favourite characters that I know I will never tire of, not my usual kind of genre but these books really get to me, fast paced, full of mystery, history and a lot of laughs as well as hanging onto the end of my seat... The only reason I've left it this long to read this book is simply because I read the first lot prior to my Goodreads days and I had no idea that there were another two books released!!! I have the next one ready to open in the next week or so!!!

Love them!

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was disappointing to me. The first fifty-one chapters are nothing but a gun chase through the Bavarian Alps and sophomoric jokes. This is just not my cup of tea. I do have to admit though that my Dad really liked it and my sister liked it too, so I think the issue is that it's just not my genre.

The portions of the story about Ludwig and his castles are fascinating though! I do wish the author had developed this portion of the story more and had much less of the gun fights, action, and low-brow jokes.

I had planned to give the book two stars since I am not a fan of action novels, but I did love the historical aspect and the ending, so three it is.

I would recommend this book for readers of David Baldacci and Nelson De Mille.

[Stacie · Rating 1 out of 5]

77 Pages in and I have to quit! I can not stand one more bad, sexist, frat-boy joke. The first 50 pages went no where. It was almost as if the first chaper was re-written 9 different ways for the first 9 chapters. Too drawn out. I really wanted to like this story, but after reading so many words soaked in maple syrup and stuck to the pages arranged to look like proper homework after a night of binge drinking, I decided I would rather pay hommage to the porcelin god than finish this crap.

[Penny Hoover · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like reading a 10th grader’s adventure story. Quite trying....

[Ken B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 STARS

[Syed Ali Hussain Bukhari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for all History mix treasure hunt lovers.

[Cyndi Beane-Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a fast-paced, super action-packed story, Kuzneski gives us two men who are unstoppable. Think Dan Brown's Robert Langdon, Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt, Indiana Jones and Rambo all rolled into the two, and the possibilities for action, intrigue, mayhem and secret treasures are unfathomable!

I literally read this book in one sitting! I simply could not put it down.

I have one thing to say... Mr. Kuzneski, when does production for a movie begin? This book reads like a fantastic movie from start to finish!

Kuzneski has a way of drawing the reader into the action, until you can smell the gunpowder, the blood, touch the treasure and feel the adrenaline rush!

I give this book Five Stars and my Thumbs Up!

***DISCLOSURE: This book was provided by G.P. Putnam & Sons through the Library Thing in exchange for an independent and non-biased review, and was a copy of the Uncorrected Proof, which may not reflect the final print copy.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't want to put down authors, especially ones that have reached the bestseller list, but this book is so heavily cliched and over the top in telling that it was hard to get into. He over explains everything from the simple to the complex that it's hard to get into the story. Also, I get that the characters are wealthy well trained former ex-SF soldiers. Doesn't need mentioned over and over again. Give your reader credit. This surprises me because the author has an MA from U of Pittsburgh. If you want to read a less cliched adventure story with a billionaire character ex-SF soldier read the Jonathan Graves series by John Gilstrap. More believable and less heavy handed in the prose. I wish Kuzneski continued success because he had found a niche of readers for his novels, but it's a little too much for me. I will stick with John Connolly and James Lee Burke for more sophisticated writing.

[Denille Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mmmmhh the author's writing style and jokes weren't really my cup of tea, to be honest. Or maybe I've just been so used to more seriously written novels. It's not just that the jokes were cringe-worthy, I really just didn't feel the mystery behind the book. I thought it would be an interesting topic since the main characters are covering the tracks of a historical figure who left behind a secret bunker, only to get disappointed by the lack of a wild goose chase - it literally only was a gunfight chase through the mountains and ski bunker. Ugh.

Plus, I didn't really get so invested in the characters, and while it's okay to have the story this light and shallow, I really was expecting more out of the mystery at least. If I had to draw a line from Point A to Point B, it would look like a pretty linear graph in my mind.

Bought this book from the Big Bad Wolf convention, and it's my first time reading Mr Kuzneski's books. I also bought #5 of the same series, the Prophecy.

[Billy Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would have been a better read if the author hadn't slowed the pace of the story by trying hard to get over how amazing his two main characters were. He repeatedly stopped the story to retell us how they had been part of the MAINIACs a secret, secret special force unit in the US military. I also thought the end of the story was a little on the flat side. Though the lead up to the end had been the best part of the tale and had me finally getting into the book. I may being a little on the harsh side as this isn't my usaul genre as it was a Christmas gift from last year and as you will know you should never let other pick a book for you. Saying that though this book may appeal more to someone who enjoys action/adventure books. I would have if I say it hadn't been for the author trying hard to add something by repeating the info on how Payne and his friend had been MAINIACs.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a really hard time digesting the banter between the two characters Jones and Payne. The immature, high-school level joking in a constant, three-jokes-too-far stream killed the action. No one jokes during a firefight, regardless of your skill level as a soldier. It removed me from the action like a buzzing fly removes me from a tranquil picnic. The historical aspect of the story was interesting (though I can't speak on how factual the information is) and the action sequences were fun. Less schoolyard dialogue would have hooked me for more adventures.

[Amy Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former military operatives Payne and Jones answer a call from old friend that leads to a treasure hunt in the mountains of Germany. Ludwig II, aka the Swan King, was famous for his extravagant castles and lifestyle, but a sizable fortune he raised for a secret project has never been found. Payne's friend Kaiser has stumbled across a hidden bunker in the mountains that may contain clues to the fabled treasure. Kaiser's rival Mueller is determined to stop them.

The book contained a lot of interesting info about Ludwig II, and the treasure quest is exciting, even if the banter between the men and the character of Heidi (only significant female character) is often cringeworthy to a reader in 2025.

[Mandi Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always a good story from Chris Kuzneski. However it's been a while since I read one of his and must admit that I found some of the dialogue irritating, especially the number of times we were reminded of why the two main characters speak to each in the way that they do. But a great read to discover historical facts that you are unlikely to have known so I still enjoyed it 😏

[Taneka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the historical adventure, but I felt the story was half told. Quite disappointing, but nonetheless, a good read.

[Jennifer Footman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think that the biggest problem with this book is that the author was telling, not showing.

Where to begin? in the 1st 100 pages, the two main characters complain about a hike. the dialog suggests they don't like their hike, but the author says "they were exicted." The author is telling me they are excited, but he's showing me that they're miserable. Also in the 1st 100 pages, one character makes a joke about playing Marco Polo. The author then defines what Marco Polo is. If you have to explain a joke then it loses its punch. Again, in the 1st 100 pages, we are with a villain, who is talking on the phone to one of his henchmen. Keep in mind, that this is a phone, not a skype, but the author describes the henchman smiling and nodding. How do we know this? We're with the villain, and we see what he sees, and there's nothing about the villain seeing the henchman over the phone.

The plot involves the main characters going on a treasure hunt. but 1/2 the book is devoted to one single gunfight. That really takes our attention off the fact that they are supposed to be following clues, and it gave the impression that the author didn't want to write a book about a treasure hunt, he wanted to write a book about a gun fight.

The characters were cardboard and it seemed like they could do no wrong. They never made mistakes and were sketched to be larger than life, but weren't fleshed out enough. The author attempts to make them three dimensional, but again, he tells us their foibles, instead of showing us them through their quirks and their actions.

The plot showed promise, and the premise was interesting, but the poor execution really ruined this book for me.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here are some reasons to read this book:
1. You've been to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria
2. You've been to Linderhof, Bavaria
3. You're obsessed enough about Ludwig II of Bavaria to read anything that references him
4. You like an action-packed, suspenseful shoot-em-up book and you're fine if the dialogue that comes between gunfights is atrociously bad. I mean junior-high-level, stilted, artificial, no-one-in-real-life-talks-like-this-ever bad.

The first three criteria applied to me. I got this book to read on a trip to Bavaria, specifically to visit the palaces of Ludwig II. Had that not been the case, I never would have made it through. Here's the list of characters:
1. The wish-fulfillment main character is so absurdly hero worshipped that it strains credibility, even for this kind of pulpy genre paperback. I laughed out loud when I read that the hulking heir to a billion-dollar corporation "could have made millions" as an NFL football player, but he was looking for people that could provide a feeling of family for him, so instead he became "one of the best soldiers in the world." I mean, come on. He's always one step ahead of everybody else. He's always completely emotionally controlled. Nothing hurts him. Nothing scares him. He can achieve practically any physical feat. This is not a character. This is a macho-wannabe's jerkoff fantasy.
2. His sidekick is black. He has other characteristics as well. Also a great fighter. Smart-alecky. Can fly a helicopter. But the one he's gonna remind you of on every page, the one he brings up himself over and over and over is that he's black. Yet he never mentions anything related to black culture. He never addresses his blackness except as some sort of self-deprecating joke. He never really mentions anything about his history or real feelings at all. He's there to be a smart-ass and to make the bigger, richer, more powerful white guy even more White in contrast to "my black ass" (his words, not mine).
3. Their fat historian friend also isn't going to challenge Mister Macho in any way. He's there to be the brains when they need historical info (and he rattles off sections of extremely insignificant, esoteric letters from memory whenever needed) and otherwise to be fat. The Real Men are nice to him, and that's supposed to make us like them. Because there's not a whole lot else that separates them from the Bad Guys other than them being nice to a guy who isn't macho.
4. The woman. There's one of them. From the first page she's on until the last page she's on, one of the men are commenting on her sexually. One of the three characters listed above will be friendly with her, and talk about brainy stuff, and be a pushover and tell her whatever she wants to know when she flirts with him, because he's not macho enough to resist her charms- can you guess which one? One of them will lust after her vocally but not end up with her because he's really more in the business of standing on the sidelines and making an ass of himself so his buddy can look even more studly and successful in contrast- can you guess which one? One will warm her up with cocky sexual flirting from page one, get a chance to really put her in her place and make her cry when she realizes how silly her womanly wiles are contrasted with his life-and-death blood matches a bit later, and then go right back to cocky sexual flirting until they have a chance to get drunk and bang- can you guess which one? Also, this is set in Bavaria and she's a blonde named Heidi who wears tight sweaters. I mean, this is the level of creativity I'd expect at Dial-a-Doll.
5. The friend who gets smashed up really bad. We don't want anything that would actually hurt to happen to our heroes, so this guy (who admits he's a criminal and so I guess has it coming?) and his hired guns take all the physical damage that makes the Bad Guys look bad.
6. The Bad Guys. Straight from central casting. Disposable goons and a Big Bad who rides in the back of a limo with a privacy window between him and the front seat.
7. The immigrant. Besides Mister Black, this guy is the only person of color with lines in the book. He shows up in one chapter so he can be reminded over and over again that he's an immigrant and not-white by the Big Bad, and then he's subjected to a stomach-churning mutilation that I'm going to spend years trying to forget I read about. Then he disappears. When you are a white, straight man and you introduce a single kind of minority character in your entire book, how you have that character treated says something about you. Especially if the one scene you brought them in for could have been entirely removed without hurting the rest of the book at all.
8. Bystanders. Mostly French and Japanese tourists brought in for comic value. The French people surrender and are knocked over. Ha ha. The Japanese people agree to help with physical labor and then bow before scurrying away in the face of danger. Ha ha. Is this starting to make you feel gross, too?
9. Finally, Ludwig II plays a major role as the source of the mystery, even though the story takes place over a century after his death. Kuzneski does a lot of acrobatics to let us know that Ludwig was a homo without just coming out and saying it. I'm not sure why. But he establishes it, and then on four different occasions he has people say how Ludwig "pranced" around his various dwellings. Look up some pictures of Ludwig and you'll immediately see this is not a person who prances. Intense, brooding, introspective, he's pretty much the opposite of a prancer. But in Kuzenski's mind, clearly homo=prancey. He also slides in a swipe at how being associated in even the smallest way with Ricky Martin should be considered embarrassing. But then he goes out of his way to let us know that the guy who said that isn't anti-gay. Because, you know, if you have to break the third wall to point out that a character isn't anti-gay...

On the plus side, I did learn a couple things about Ludwig and his land, even with as much study as I'd done on my own before coming to this book. And Kuzneski's personal note at the end is likable, so he's probably a pretty nice guy, just clueless about how awkward and snide he sounds to anyone who isn't a white, straight macho-wannabe. And desperately in need of work in writing dialogue.

[Sampath Jayarathna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess its my kinda genre, history-fiction and treasure hunting. But the problem is, you can see the plot twist miles away. <***spoiler alert***>I knew that there going to be some sort of an ambush after they discover the treasure in that Nazi bunker. And the peak of the cliff-hanger end up just a simple crown in a box. Yeah, thats all you got after pages of ranting about hidden treasure? So just 3 stars from me, because I like the Clive-Cussler type books, but may be the author was simple anticipating a straight book-to-movie type deal.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The adventure, the historical references, even the 'shoot 'em ups', good! The sophomoric antics of the lead characters were gratuitous and diminished what could have been a great summer read. About a third of the way through the book I began skimming until I reached meaty content, then read...then skimmed through the repartee until the next scene with content. This could have been a four star book.

[Newell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started slow and seemed to struggle for an ending. I think his other books are better. The most irritating part of this book is the 'jokes' between jones and Payne. They are forced and stop the story. In fact I got pretty sick of the author apologizing for every joke and explaining how his characters weren't sexist or racist.

[Sharman Kunes · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book club discussion choice. We have a rule, we must read 100 pages to score the book from 1 to 10. I have read 100 pages. This wasn’t well written, it should have been strip cartoon with bubble speak.

[Trina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abandoned this book after reading about one third. Tedious and childish humour.

[Ximena Mcintosh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have not read a book like this in a while, I liked the Ludwig side of this book but the rest is a bit repetitive and overly descriptive. Also, the girl, oh the girl...

[THE HUNGRY LIBRARY · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to reading fictions, some people like their fictional novels based on facts, while some people like fictions based on imaginative worlds.⠀
🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙⠀
I think there is value in both types of fictions and I enjoy reading both of them. This is why I try to mix my literary diet with books from a spectrum of genres, all the way from fantasy to thrillers. For me, reading fictions occupies a large chunk of my spare time and I find it an enjoyable hobby. I do it mostly for pleasure, but I also welcome the added bonus should I learn something new while reading a book.📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖⠀
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In terms of its writings, The Secret Crown, like most Kuzneski's novels, moved at a lightning fast pace. This book is a page-turner. Kuzneksi strung his story up with suspense and tension. The crux of the story is solving a riddle of the treasure's whereabouts. And this is where I think The Secret Crown succeeds at being a good thriller novel. This book managed to shroud the riddle in mystery, where the suspense is kept, unspoiled and unrevealed, until the very end of the book. Action scenes, from gun fights, car chase, to fist fights, do fill the pages in this book🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀 However, Kuzneski deployed actions scenes fitfully in this book, where the actions serve to spice up the story rather than devices or fillers that drove the plot. In other words, while The Secret Crown is an action-oriented thriller novel, but it is not an action-driven thriller novel. The story in this book appeals to readers with an interesting mystery, one that will keep you guessing at the answer of the riddle from the first page to the last. Without spoiling the story, let me just say The Secret Crown is one of very few thriller novels that broke the genre's formula and its story didn't end with a big fight, and I appreciate this new approach.💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯

[Akila Perera · Rating 3 out of 5]

The location is set within the scenic and dangerous Bavarian forests. The forests that are rumoured to be where King Ludwig the Second was murdered soon after he was declared insane by the Bravarian government in 1886.

Their old friend Kaiser calls and charters them a ride to Bavaria leading them to an assumed Nazi Bunker hidden in the forest together with a large number of sealed crates.

The crates that the bunker hold are embossed with the family crest of the Ulster's and the Black Swan.
With Petr flying over, the friends realise that the black Swan was the insignia of a murdered Bravarian King, Ludwig the second and not any of Nazi origins.

Ludwig's obsession with the Swan Lake , a play rumoured to have been closely linked with Ludwig is the only clue the group has to help them discover the secret that was silenced by the death of the King. Payne and DJ are back in a race against time as Kaiser's rival is closing on the group.

While this may not be as intense as the other books of the series, to visit the life of Ludwig the Second and the amazing architecture of his time was magical in its own way.
Also to have the play of Swan Lake coming to life in such a manner was every bit of a treat.
In order to make up for the lost action and suspense, the banter between the duo is top notch.

[Duncan Horne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Secret Crown by Chris Kuzneski. I’m glad I bought it and read it. The flow of the story was ok. Apart from that, it was a little too whimsical to believe. Also the bad guys were always so stupid and were killed off pretty easily. Having said that, the best parts of the writing came in the kill descriptions. A lot of the dialogue throughout felt cheesy and amateur. What was really overdone was the flirtation between both Payne and Jones with the female, Heidi. Along with the sexual innuendo, it was incessant! And too much of that is a turn-off I’m afraid. The ending and unravelling of the 400+ page read was rather flat as well; a crown that was never used for its purpose and has been in a box for over a hundred years. We didn’t read too much about Mueller after an intro where he had a young Indian man’s penis chopped off in a vice, which had no relation to the rest of the story (confusing?). Then Mueller just disappears from the story after a couple of dialogues between him and the foolish people who work for such an arrogant jerk. That’s why I gave it a 3-star rating. I did enjoy the read, but it was just too un-believable to be taken seriously.

[Clive Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was so very nearly a 'DNF'. Although this is book six in the dynamic duo protagonists' adventures, it was my first encounter with both them and the author, and it will almost certainly be my last.
Despite applying the same short chapter, mini cliffhanger approach of a certain Mr Brown, the simplistic and mundane writing generates little excitement. Our two heroes can do no wrong, make no mistake, handle any sort and manifestation of danger with casual expertise and cringeworthy quips, with barely a hair out of place. Dialogue and repartee between them and the world-leading experts in whatever subject or specialism they happen to need at any point just felt childish and dumb, which was far better than that between them and the main female character, which was frankly tacky and embarrassing.
Two-dimensional, instantly forgettable villains really only served as cannon-fodder and a body count tally.
Disappointing.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secret Crown is by Chris Kuzneski. This is a very interesting book that combines fact and fiction.
Jon Payne and David Jones were former members of MANIAC, which was a secret group was much like the SEALS but consisted of the best of Marine, Army, Nacy, Intelligence, Airforce, and Coast Guard. Now they work on their own.
Kaiser, a black market king, was obsessed with finding the lost treasure of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, the Mad king. Ludwig was obsessed with castles and pirates. Kaiser had gotten word of a treasure and brought in Jon and David to help find it. They brought in Peter Ulster, a curator at the Ulster Archives. With him, they hope to decipher the clues and find the treasure. Can they find it before Kruger does?

[Tanya Costello · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book number 6 in a Payne & Jones series. However, it didn’t matter that I hadn’t read the first 5; this book works well as a standalone.

A mysterious “Nazi” bunker is discovered in the Bavarian Alps containing priceless items and artefacts dating from the reign of Ludwig ll (circa 1880). Ex military personnel Jon Payne and David Jones are drafted in to help move the items and solve the mystery of where the remaining priceless treasure is situated.

Together with historian archivist, Petr Ulster, and Heidi (an employee of the Bavarian Palace Organisation ), Payne and Jones move across the Bavarian region of Germany, solving riddles and clues to find the hidden treasure. Whilst in their pursuit, they face the resistance of prominent gangland leaders, who try to block their path at every given turn.

I loved this novel. For me, it is reminiscent of a Dan Brown novel (my favourite author). It is full of adventure and historical content. I will definitely be on the look out for further books by this author.

[Sushant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not enjoy the book as much as I have enjoyed reading other books from Chris. This book felt a bit rushed towards the end. I have read the authors almost all other books including sign of cross, sword of god, lost throne, etc.. but with this one it felt that the story came to an end abruptly.
As others have pointed out, for almost two thirds of the book, it felt the story was going nowhere. The last one third is where things start to happen. The end was a bit disappointing as I expected more but that could be just me.
On the positive side, the history provided is rich and detailed. Jon and David’s banter adds a comic touch as always. Rest of the main characters are there to complete the story with some characters only there as they were part of other books.

[Rohan Raj Kansal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, another fast paced thriller by Chris
Another very good addition to the adventures of Payne and Jones, although the mystery in this one was very less, the action was full on.

Most of the book is about killing people. The fight on the mountains was way too long and stretched if you ask me. I anticipated another treasure hunt, like the Lost Throne, but this was more action.
One good thing was that the historical figure chosen is Ludwig II, which is relatively new compared t all the other treasures and mysteries they worked on.
Ofc Jones and Paynes were hilarious throughout the series, and I love Petr Ulster fully. I have never seen more cordial, more humble and more endearing character. I hope I get to see him in all the other books after this.