(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

The Knights of the Golden Circle was the largest and most dangerous clandestine organization in American history. It amassed billions in stolen gold and silver, all buried in hidden caches across the United States. Since 1865 treasure hunters have searched, but little of that immense wealth has ever been found.
Now, one hundred and sixty years later, two factions of what remains of the Knights of the Golden Circle want that lost treasure—one to spend it for their own ends, the other to preserve it.
Thrust into this battle is former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone, whose connection to the knights is far deeper than he ever imagined. At the center is the Smithsonian Institution—linked to the knights, its treasure, and Malone himself through an ancestor, a Confederate spy named Angus “Cotton” Adams, whose story holds the key to everything. Complicating matters are the political ambitions of a reckless Speaker of the House and the bitter widow of a United States Senator, who together are planning radical changes to the country. And while Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt face the past, ex-president Danny Daniels and Stephanie Nelle confront a new and unexpected challenge, a threat that may cost one of them their life.

This is the 12th book in the Cotton Malone series and, although I haven't read all of them, I have read enough to know what to expect - and Berry delivers in spades.

While this may very well be fiction, the history and background of the Knights of the Golden Circle is enough - more than enough, really - to hook the reader into the historical aspect of the book. Add to that the hint of millions of dollars of lost gold, and the story is set-up for a wild ride of action and intrigue.

Also, I must make mention of Malone himself. He faces a number of challenging situations and, like any good storyteller, Berry lets him get some bumps and bruises. And I like that. I don't go in for the perfectly handsome, not-a-hair-out-of-place hero. I want some vulnerability in the MC as it makes the story more believable. So kudos for sticking with that aspect of Malone's character.

Is this series worth reading? For sure - if you like your thrillers tinged with some historical notes, then this could be the series for you!


Paul
ARH

Unfortunately this one was so very boring. I was expecting a thriller that would just keep me wanting more with every page I read. What I got was a bunch of boring dribble that left me struggling to want to even flip to the next page

I practically spent my entire Sunday trying to get through Steve Berry's latest Cotton Malone historical thriller. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm usually Berry's biggest fan. I always look forward to reading the adventures of the least retired, retired Magellan Billet recruit than the next person. The Malone series is always packed full of thrills, close calls, double crosses, and pure excitement.

The Lost Order on the other hand, I sadly must admit, was not my favorite Berry read. Where do I start? Cotton Malone is roped into a mystery that dates back to the Civil War and could lead to millions in buried treasure. Of course, his efforts are thwarted and he ends up coming between a secret group that's sole purpose is to protect the treasure and mercenaries who only want the gold.

We're introduced to all the players, good and bad, early in the The Lost Order which isn't entirely unexpected. Berry's novels can get a little crowded if you're not familiar with his writing style. He has multiple plots going that all seem thinly connected. Where he excels is in how the individual stories come together. This formula works for him. I'm not ragging on that.

What makes this my least favorite in the Malone series is the fact that there wasn't much to the main plot to keep me invested. Yes, Danny Daniels efforts to investigate his good friends' death and evil widow just weren't that interesting. I felt that everyone was running in circles for so long. And each story was halted by some sort of inescapable moment that ended up being brief and not worth the two chapters in between that held that plot line in suspense.

The problem is mostly me. I expect more from one of my favorite author Steve Berry. Instead, I got a lackluster plot line, with even more lackluster subplots as fluff. I believe that fans of the Cotton Malone series will still read this one and may even enjoy it a lot more than I did. Cheers to those who don't want to search far and wide for a buried treasure of a better read than The Lost Order

Copy provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley

Steve Berry weaves together a thrilling tale of a fortune in gold hidden by the confederate army upon the hour of defeat with a deft political thriller that is seeking to change the power structure of the American Government. The story weaves in the past and present with a secret society charged to guard the secrets of the treasure with long hidden political documents that could change the constitution of the United States of America.
I am an avid fan of Steve Berry and his stories featuring Cotton Malone. The current political climate gives a lot of relevance to this story while Cotton’s character invests his own personality and quirks making the story feel quite real. In fact, the line between truth and fiction is so blurred that I had to read the writer’s notes at the end to understand which is which.
Is the death of the Senator from Tennessee murder or an accident? In the process of getting answers former President Danny Daniels stumbles onto a conspiracy that could change the power structure in Washington. With a small team consisting of the Vice President and an investigative team consisting of Cotton Malone and Cassiopeia Witt, Danny races against time to get answers and prevent the disaster in the making.

The Lost Order by Steve Berry

The Lost Order is another great thrill from Steve Berry! Cotton Malone is back, but working for the Smithsonian. He is investigating in the woods in Arkansas following secret symbols to a pile of hidden gold, only to be bashed over the head and locked in an iron cistern.

A group from the past called the Knights of the Golden Circle have supposedly hoarded and hidden huge amounts of money in the 1800s. Their goal was to start a new country encompassing the southern portions of the United States with Mexico and many of the islands in the Caribbean. Within this new country, there would be new constitutional rules making the legislative branch of the government much stronger!

Of course the conspiracy - a faint memory for most - has begun to show signs of re emerging but very few knew of its existence. Cotton Malone has help with Cassiopea, Stephanie and a return of Danny Daniels works with the team to decode the clues and figure out not only what is going on, but how to stop it.

I love Steve Berry’s books. He takes one fact from history and then using intrigue and great characters, he weaves a story that takes you away from the everyday and brings you into being chased by bad guys, following clues, and getting help from unexpected places to finally resolving the whole situation. The Lost Order is a GREAT read!

A terrific read filled with murder, mayhem and double cross all stemming from a secretive confederate organization. Based upon actual historical persons and events, the latest in the Cotton Malone series takes the reader on an intriguing treasure hunt mystery with an exciting political thriller thrown in. Read my entire review athttps://journalingonpaper.com/2017/03/15/book-review-the-lost-order-by-steve-berry/

This is a wonderful book for those who love reading about American history. Cotton Malone. Cassiopeia and even ex president Danny Daniels are off on another exciting but dangerous adventure. Together they manage to save the United States from ambitious destructiver
politicians.

Classic Berry which encompasses history, intrigue, politics, and the Cotton Malone set of characters. The plot seems to echo what is happening in the U.S. right now and I wish that Cotton Malone, Cassiopeia, Danny Daniels and Stephanie could make it right. Thank you Steve Berry for the beloved character, the celebration of American history, and a journey of intrigue...oh...and finally answering that big question!

The Smithsonian, the Museum of of American History are the setting for this newest title by Steve Berry. Cotton Malone follows his family history to find buried treasure. along the way he teams up with Stephanie Nelle, former president Danny Daniels and others to trace down the murder in the tunnels of the Smithsonian.. This murder is tried to the murder of his old friend Alex Sherwood. The facts support the fiction to make this a great read. Berry does an excellent job of research and providing much information about the Smithsonian, the real group Knights of the Golden Circle and the War between the States.
Excellent read.

Fasten your seatbelts! Berry is at it again. This adventure takes us with Cotton and Cassiopea across the US. Many would think they are just searching for hidden Confederate gold and silver but it is more than that. Our entire government is at risk if the secret of the sentinels of the Knights of the Golden Circle is discovered. These secrets, perhaps buried deep within the walls of the Smithsonian, will put their lives and the lives of a few high-profile people in Washington in the crosshairs.
Berry’s true talent is giving us a white-knuckle ride that dips and dives along many story threads and winds up with a perfectly woven story with a satisfying ending. Though with our government being the target of unscrupulous politicians, this hit a little too close to a nerve for this reviewer.

The Knights of the Golden Circle, an organization founded just before the US Civil War, had grand plans. To finance those plans, they accumulated as much stolen gold and silver as they could, then hid it in various locations across the country. Surprisingly, the Knights still exist, although they have split into two factions that can't agree about what to do with their treasure. Unbeknownst to him, Cotton Malone has been thrust right into the middle of that dispute. Starting with clues found inside the Smithsonian Institution, and taking him on a treasure hunt of his own, it's up to Cotton and others from the Justice Department to stop a power-grabbing political move, to learn more about the Knights and to find, once and for all, the hidden treasure.

Cotton Malone and his friends are among my favorite book characters, so I always look forward to the next book in this series with great anticipation. I can't wait to find out what Cotton's next adventure will be, who will help him along the way, who will try to stop him, and what he learns along the way. This book more than lived up to my expectations, especially since it delves into Cotton's personal background more than the previous books in the series. It may seem trivial, but I was thrilled that we finally found out where the nickname "Cotton" came from! I was intrigued to learn about the Knights, and the author's notes at the end of the book prompted me to do more research into several subjects, including the Smithsonian itself. My only regret is that I now have to wait another year to read another installment of this series.

Hold your breath for a electrifying, fast paced and complicated intrigue from Steve Berry in the latest Cotton Malone adventure.
Cotton and Cassiopeia are following clues in Arkansas to a lost treasure that has been hidden for over a century by the Knights of the Golden Circle. While Cassiopeia is left to guard the treasure, she digs up more than gold. She finds herself at the bottom of a mine filled with gold bars and murderous knights. Cotton has traveled back to the Smithsonian to search out more clues to the partial treasure map when he becomes embroiled in the mysteries and murders caused by the two dissenting groups of the Knight of the Golden Circle. Cotton finds that within the organization there is a schism where some of the members are backing a plot to steal the gold then cause a change in the Senate and the Constitution of the United States.

The author changes locations and the many conspiracies keeping the reader in suspense, unable to breath until the end. The Lost Order weaves together clues from Cotton Malone’s past with the hundred and sixty year old lost treasure, and the dangerous, politicly powerful group who are now the secretive Knights of the Golden Circle.

I would recommend this book to all Steve Berry readers along with anyone who enjoyed the Da Vinci Code.

Another great read from Steve Berry. Educational and fun!

Steve Berry and his wife Elizabeth are both history buffs and together founded "History Matters" an organization dedicated to preservation of historical facts. Mr Berry also serves on the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board. He has written several novels incorporating a little known historical fact or incident as the reason for the action described in those books.
The Lost Order is another of this series, and utilizes "Cotton Malone", a frequent protagonist of these books as the guiding agent. With Cotton is his girlfriend Cassiopeia Vitt who has figured in prior novels, but only now set as the love of his life.
The Knights of the Golden Circle was the largest clandestine and most dangerous organization in the US; founded during the Civil War. It amassed an enormous amount of stolen gold and silver which the group buried in secret caches around the country. Most of this treasure has never been found. Cotton Malone is thrust into a present day conflict between two surviving factions of the Knights. The first looking to keep the treasure hidden and awaiting for a later day, and the other wanting to find it and keep it for their own use. One of Cotton's ancestors was a member of the Knights and also tied into the Smithsonian Institute. This factor causes him to be asked to again temporarily leave his retirement situation as a bookstore owner in Copenhagen, Denmark and work for his previous employers the super secret "Magellan Billet". Due to rumors of a plot against the government by members of the Knights wanting to gain power as well as find the lost treasure Malone's ex employer is asked to investigate what is going on.
The interplay between the two groups of the Knights and ongoing investigation on the matter keeps the reader glued to the pages. The interest in taking power; a subsidiary factor is tied to a little known and legal maneuver that could possibly be used by the US House of Representatives to achieve that end. Again Steve Berry creates a riveting work designed both to entertain and educate his audience.

I am a little burned out on Cotton Malone, but I still liked this novel.