The Alexandria Link: A Novel by Steve BerrySeries: Cotton Malone #2
Publication Date: January 30, 2007
Pages: 720
Add on: Goodreads
Buy the Book: Amazon
Rating: ★★★★
Source: Personal Copy
Genre: Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Publisher: Ballantine Books / Penguin Random House
Cotton Malone retired from the high-risk world of elite operatives for the U.S. Justice Department to lead the low-key life of a rare-book dealer. But his quiet existence is shattered when he receives an anonymous e-mail: “You have something I want. You’re the only person on earth who knows where to find it. Go get it. You have 72 hours. If I don’t hear from you, you will be childless.” His horrified ex-wife confirms that the threat is real: Their teenage son has been kidnapped. When Malone’s Copenhagen bookshop is burned to the ground, it becomes brutally clear that those responsible will stop at nothing to get what they want. And what they want is nothing less than the lost Library of Alexandria.
A cradle of ideas–historical, philosophical, literary, scientific, and religious–the Library of Alexandria was unparalleled in the world. But fifteen hundred years ago, it vanished into the mists of myth and legend–its vast bounty of wisdom coveted ever since by scholars, fortune hunters, and those who believe its untold secrets hold the key to ultimate power.
Now a cartel of wealthy international moguls, bent on altering the course of history, is desperate to breach the library’s hallowed halls–and only Malone possesses the information they need to succeed. At stake is an explosive ancient document with the potential not only to change the destiny of the Middle East but to shake the world’s three major religions to their very foundations.
Pursued by a lethal mercenary, Malone crosses the globe in search of answers. His quest will lead him to England and Portugal, even to the highest levels of American government–and the shattering outcome, deep in the Sinai desert, will have worldwide repercussions.
REVIEW
Cotton Malone traded gunfights for rare books when he opened his Copenhagen bookshop. Too bad trouble found him anyway.
When shadowy figures kidnap his son, Malone plunges back into the world he left behind. The ransom? Information about the lost Library of Alexandria, humanity’s greatest collection of ancient knowledge, vanished for centuries. Some very dangerous people think Malone knows where to find it.
Soon he’s tearing across Europe with his ex-wife Pam, dodging assassins and racing against power-hungry billionaires who’d kill for the Library’s secrets. Because hidden in those ancient scrolls might be something explosive enough to rewrite history and shake three world religions to their core.
Berry masterfully blends real historical mysteries with high-stakes action. The Library of Alexandria becomes more than just a lost wonder; it’s the key to a modern-day power grab that feels unnervingly possible. While the prose occasionally stumbles, the story’s momentum never does.
The Alexandria Link is the kind of thriller that sends you down late-night Wikipedia rabbit holes, wondering just how much of this wild ride is based on truth. Clear your schedule, you won’t want to put this one down.
Rating: 4 out of 5
