The Malta Exchange

by Steve Berry
401 pgs  (Cotton Malone series #14)

The Malta Exchange begins with Cotton Malone arriving in Italy, on a special assignment from MI6 to track down letters between Winston Churchill and Mussolini, rumored to have been exchanged during the early stages of World War II. These letters are believed to reveal embarrassing information outlining a deal Churchill tried to make with the Italian dictator, which would have kept Italy from entering the war. But this is a Steve Berry book, so things are never as easy for Cotton as they could be, and he soon finds himself being shot at and attacked by a bear.

The trail to the letters leads Malone to Cardinal Gallo, who has his sights set on becoming the next Pope. But Gallo, whose ascendancy to power within the Catholic Church has been the result of plots, blackmail, and murder, is a man driven by power and control, instead of faith and devotion to his religion.

Berry's love for history is fully displayed in The Malta Exchange, and it was those elements of the story that kept me interested and turning the pages. There are long passages focused on Constantine and the origins of the Catholic Church that I found to be the most entertaining parts of the story. Unfortunately, the plot itself was a little tiresome and the action wasn't up to what I've come to expect from Berry. Hopefully he returns to form with The Warsaw Protocol next year.

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆