Review: The Malta Exchange

The Malta Exchange by Steve Berry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the 14th book in the Cotton Malone series. While there are some references to previous books, you could read this as a stand alone novel.

I love this series, but this book was not my favorite of the 14. But first, let me tell you what I did enjoy. The main storyline about the Catholic Church and the Knights of Malta was really good. I always like Steve Berry's mix of history and some fiction to come up with a really compelling read. The subject matter did give it a bit of a DaVinci Code feel. I liked that because I find religion and its origins fascinating. There is a lot of fiction about the Templars, so focusing on the Knights of Malta was refreshing.

So why was this not my favorite? I felt there was too much going on with Luke and Cotton. It was distracting and felt unnecessary. I can appreciate how it must be difficult to try to incorporate other characters at this point in the series without relying on the same reasons over and over. However, using this approach actually spoiled the twist for me because I saw it coming very early on. Still looking forward to the next book!

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