The Bishop's Pawn

by Steve Berry
340 pgs  (Cotton Malone series #13)

On April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray initially plead guilty to killing King in order to avoid the possibility of the death penalty, but later recantd his confession. He was never granted a retrial. In The Bishop's Pawn, Steve Berry's 13th book featuring Cotton Malone, the former Justice Department operative, Berry goes back in time and tells a story that originated with Cotton's first assignment with the department.

When Cotton was first recruited by Stephanie Nelle, he was sent to recover the most valuable coin ever produced, located in a shipwreck somewhere off the coast of south Florida. Along with the Coin Cotton salvaged a file that contained information concerning J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI's involvement in Dr. King's death.

From that point forward Berry does what he does best and incorporates historical facts with fiction and tells a story that, if true, would rewrite the history books. Berry is very adept at telling a fascinating story that carefully leads his readers down a path to the conclusion he has waiting them. Every step along that path is plausible and convincing and make perfect sense in the context in which they're presented. And by the end, it's hard to argue with the likelihood that history occurred the way Berry tells it.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆