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4.5 Hearts I have read some of this series but not all. But the thing is each book can be a stand alone. Even though knowing Malone from the beginning helps but it really isn’t mandatory.

What a book this one was! I was so glad I didn’t miss this one in the series.

One of the things I enjoy best about Steve Berry books is the history he puts into every one. History that most likely you have never heard about. I want to climb into the book and visit every city Berry writes about. And the concept story is great too.

Malone is serious but has his moments of levity which makes me enjoy him even more.

Right up there with Brad Meltzer and for me that says alot.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Having read the entire Cotton Malone series, I was thrilled to read the most recent adventure. The Warsaw Protocol takes place, as one would expect, in Poland. It involves espionage, political intrigue, history, geography, and great characters to bring all of these facets together. While this was not my favorite of the series, it was a solid novel that kept me interested until the end.

I love historical thrillers and this was a good one. I’m sure the research for this book was phenomenal. I learned much about history and religion. It was fast paced with action and suspense. I recommend starting at the first of the series to get more of Cotton’s story, however it can be read as a stand alone.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Once again Cotton Malone has had trouble land directly in his path. He could walk away but he's not known for taking the easy route so once again he becomes embroiled in political scandal that could rock the world.

Another great installment in the series. Steve Berry sure knows how to paint a very vivid picture of the different places Cotton finds himself. This draws the reader into the wonder and beauty around the world while giving them a story filled with adventure and suspense.

**ARC received from NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed.**

This book is another in a line of great adventures for Cotton Malone. I love diving into this world.

Ripped from the headlines usually doesn’t describe a Steve Berry thriller featuring Cotton Malone however, there are some interesting aspects to this adventure.

To begin with, President Warner Fox lies to Russia, lies to the Polish President, lies to Cotton and Stephanie Nelle, head of the Magellan Billet, the go-to agency for U.S. problems, especially abroad. Fox wants to re-instate the European Interceptor Site, a defense system of 10 U.S. missiles installed in Poland.

Cotton and Stephanie find themselves embroiled in a mission involving an arrogant and inexperienced deputy assistant to the President, the President of Poland, standing for re-election, and a group of businessmen trying to gouge several foreign governments who want access to damaging files.

This story is a fascinating free for all as the reader tries to follow who’s the good guy, who’s the bad guy and what’s really going on. The Warsaw Protocol is a good read, just not one of Mr. Berry’s finest.

I’m sorry to say I strongly recommend you skip this one. I have been a huge fan of Steve Berry and Cotton Malone from the beginning but this one is a miss. The worst part about it is that it’s boring. Finishing this book was a chore. If it was any other author there’s no way I would have bothered trying to finish it. As the author says in his end notes this is a book very much about Poland, and in my opinion not much else. Cotton is pulled into a plot involving dirt on the President of Poland which has the potential for international conflicts regarding the placement of missles from the USA in Poland which Russia of course does not want. Unfortunately there is very little in the way of action or a plot to hold the reader’s interest. Our POV shifts between Cotton, the Polish President, and the holders of information. I think we spend more time from the perspective of the Polish President than we do even Cotton. There is a lot thinly veiled politics here too unfortunately. Maybe the plot suffered because Berry had an agenda here against the actual president of the United States? Far too much of the plot centers on what an idiot the book President Fox is but he’s clearly a stand in for Trump. I wanted to read a good story and not one that decided to have our hero taking pot shots at the President instead of bothering to do anything for most of the novel. I have loved this series because first and foremost they were fun reads but I’ve always loved where Berry would take the action around the world and what fascinating historical knowledge he would bring in to them. This book lacks that. In fact we are to believe that the entrance to this auction for dirt is actually priceless relics of Christ? That are here valued as less than dirt on the Polish President? I don’t think so. Those relics would have been the star of the better Berry novels. Unfortunately our history is pretty thin here aside from Poland’s history and a salt mine.

I was almost as disappointed by the 12th novel in this series, The Lost Order, but I did enjoy the last book in the series, The Malta Exchange, which did have more of what I love about this series so I hope Berry gets back to what made these books great. Unfortunately he will know longer be an author I pre-order given how inconsistent these novels have been. If you don’t want to bother with this book you don’t have to worry about missing anything. The conflicts with President Fox and Cotton and Stephanie would be easy to sum up in the next book which would be a must to set up wherever he decides to take it. Unusual for these books Berry does have a character show up at the end which is clearly a needed opener to hope the reader bothers to pick up the next book. As such a long time fan of the author and the series I hate to say it but this book is a miss. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Steve Berry and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

I rushed to begin Steve Berry’s latest Cotton Malone thriller, sure to be filled with historical facts and a great deal of adventure. Berry did not disappoint, mixing some current geo-politics with Poland’s communist era, finding the perfect balance throughout. While Cotton Malone is in Belgium to acquire some rare books, he witnesses the theft of an ancient Christian relic. Unable to stop the thieves, he is detained by the local authorities and questioned. When Malone’s former boss—Stephanie Nelle—come upon him by happenstance, he is intrigued by what brings her to Europe. When Nelle introduces Malone to a member of the new US Administration, they butt heads from the start. Malone is told of a secret auction that is being held to release a cache of highly troubling information about the current Polish President. Entry for the auction comes in the form of one of the central Christian relics, one of which Malone saw lifted earlier. While Malone is not interested in the mission, or helping anyone within the new Administration, his mind changes when he encounters an old friend with whom he had strong ties. Malone agrees to help with the heist to help the Americans gain entry into this auction, but when he meets Janusz Czajkowski, Malone discovers the man is simply trying to protect his country’s sovereignty. At a time when Poland was the plaything of the Soviets, its autonomy was always threatened. Even when the Iron Curtain came down, Poland’s location in Europe made it a pawn in the American war to keep its enemies at bay. After the auction goes sideways, Malone must determine his next move, particularly when the US President tries to strong-arm his own agenda, clueless to international diplomacy. With the blackmail documents hidden somewhere in rural Poland, Malone soon learns about Czajkowski’s past and the Warsaw Protocol, a means of building up the Polish Resistance. Blood will be shed and the reader will learn much about the area, as Berry spins a tale that offers twists at every page turn. Recommended to those who have long enjoyed the Cotton Malone series, as well as the reader who enjoys some spin on some of the current political situation the world over.

I always enjoy when a new Steve Berry novel hits my radar, as I can be assured of a wonderful story and a great deal of history, some of which end up being well-padded fiction. Turning things to Poland, Berry is able to explore this key country in the Soviet Empire and how its independence came at a great cost. Cotton Malone is back for his fifteenth adventure, pushing him to his limits. While Malone is always on his toes in this piece, the reader learns much about some of his past, receiving fragments of a time when he was in the Navy and some of the people who crossed his path. Fully out of the secret Magellan Billet, Malone does not have any protection of the current US Administration, though he makes it clear that he cannot stand POTUS or those who choose to be his sycophants. Others appear throughout and push the narrative forward, while complementing Malone’s presence at every turn. The reader is able to learn much about Poland through certain key characters, as is common with Berry’s novels. The story worked well for me, educating me about a great deal of things, particularly Poland’s emergence from behind the Iron Curtain, as well as how America has continued to use it as a foothold in the region. Berry mixes some of the long-standing history of the country with new threads that play nicely into the modern geo-political situation. With a book comprised primary with short chapters, the reader is able to push through this piece with little issue, finding themselves in the middle of a highly exciting story. I can only hope that Malone and those closest to him will appear again soon in another exciting adventure.

Kudos, Mr. Berry, for another captivating piece. I always enjoy the mix of fact and fiction you present to the reader.

In Belgium on bookstore business, Cotton Malone witnesses the theft of a holy relic. Only later does he learn that this is the most recent in a series of thefts of the Arma Christi, the weapons of Christ. If that's not enough, he discovers that an auction is about to be held, to which only a handful of bidders have been invited. The auction prize is information, and the price of admission is one of the relics. When Stephanie Nell, his former boss, asks for his help, Cotton just can't say no, despite opposition from the current US President and his administration.

This is book #15 in the Cotton Malone series, which is probably my favorite book series, which is saying something, given all the series I read :) Given my husband's Polish ancestry, I was really looking forward to reading this book and learning more about Poland's history. Thankfully, as expected, the book did not let me down. I really like the way Mr. Berry includes an Author's Note at the end of each of his books, in which he explains the events, people and places that are/were real and which he made up or modified to help the flow of the book.

After all these books, the recurring characters feel like old friends. Although I missed Cassiopeia and Luke, I was happy to have Stephanie play such a big part of this story. Having never been to Europe or any of the Slovakian countries, I was glad to have such vivid pictures painted by Mr. Berry's writing, and now I've added several more places to my list of places to visit when I *do get there, with the Wieliczka salt mines being near the top of the list.

The story itself took awhile to get going, but once it picked up, it was really hard to put the book down. Since the reader knows all of the motivations and intentions of all of the major players right from the start, reading this book is simply a matter of going along for the ride to see how everything came together, who would prevail and what the consequences would be. I very much enjoyed the ride, and despite my intense dislike of cliff hangers, I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

Because I do not care for international spy thrillers I can only say the author writes in easily understandable verbiage whether describing the workings of salt mines or Poland’s tumultuous history. Yes, information is probably one of the most valuable things in spycraft but I became a bit bored with the lack of dimension in the characters.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to get into this one, which is odd considering how long I've been reading Cotton's series and how much I've loved it overall, but I felt like the first 60% of the book or so was quite slow... but it paid off, because the slow burn led to a finale that left some of the characters a little salty. (Sorry, couldn't resist that one!)

Cotton's adventures are always a pleasure to read, and while I missed Cassiopeia Vitt in this one, we did get a nice dash of Stephanie Nelle, so that was fun. I also like the way that Steve Berry has not let the characters remain in a stagnant time bubble. He's shifted the presidential administration along with the rules of play for our characters, but found ways to keep telling their stories. This one contains a huge shift again, and that final event as the story closed... dang, that made me want the next one right away!!!

This is a fast-paced international thriller set in Poland and is rich in Polish history (of which I knew almost nothing). The country has certainly been a hotbed of polical intrigue and upheaval, as well as being caught up in two World Wars. Steve Berry certainly had a handle on the material and had researched well for the background. The story revolves around Cotton Malone being caught up in a secret auction that was billed as the sale of stolen religious relics, the Arma Christi, from seven countries. Various countries were invited to this auction and were being led there under great secrecy and high security. I thought this was what the book was going to be about - but really the story is about something altogether different.

A very complicated, but interesting book. I liked the character Cotton Malone - I believe this is the first book I've read in this series and I will likely read more.

Thanks to Steve Berry and St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have read each of the Cotton Malone series, and Steve Berry never fails to hook me in early and keep the adrenaline going throughout the entire book. I was really looking forward to The Warsaw Protocol, being of Polish descent, fluent in the language and history, and having been to Poland numerous times.

And Mr. Berry does not disappoint. The main plot of the novel revolves around an auction for blackmail information about the President of Poland. The USA wants the information to force Poland to accept missiles on its land, the Russians want to stop the USA, and other players have their own reasons to attend. Cotton gets involved by accident in Belgium, being present for the theft of a relic which is one of the Arma Christi, the price of admission to the auction. Pretty soon he once again teams up with Stephanie Nelle, his old Magellan Billet boss, and offers to help the USA’s representative (a true idiot, working for another true idiot), which puts him at odds with Polish Intelligence, who (obviously) want to keep the information from falling into the wrong hands (or anyone’s hands for that matter).

And the chase is on, both in Poland and in Slovakia, with allies, double-crosses, gruesome killings, unexpected twists, help from unlikely places, and a final showdown. Mr. Berry is very good at getting you to a cliffhanger at the end of the chapter, only to turn to another scene in the following chapter, building anticipation as all of the storylines converge to a satisfying conclusion.

And Mr. Berry’s description of the history and geography of Poland was really well done and woven into the story. Having been to Kraków, Wieliczka salt mine (which is spectacular), Wawel Castle, Częstochowa, and even the Kraków restaurant he mentions, I can appreciate the background work Mr. Berry went through to give the story an authentic setting and feel. And the history lesson is spot on as well, and captures some of the turmoil of the time of martial law and Solidarność.

Two minor critiques – some of the action is the result of some far-fetched coincidences, some “right place right time” scenes that we are asked to believe, which make parts of the story hard to swallow. And although I agree with and sympathize with Mr. Berry’s viewpoint on uninformed leaders, the government representatives of the United States were a bit too two-dimensional and simple - although that might be an accurate portrait, it left an impression of a political agenda.

Readers of the series should note that Cassiopeia does not play a part in this mission, and having recently read The Museum of Mysteries I’m not sure I’m ready to face Cassiopeia yet.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

Full disclosure: I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for possibly writing a review.

This is the 15th book in the Cotton Malone series. Don't start here. You could, but I think you would really not understand Cotton's motivation for continuing this assignment unless you have the background of his relationship with Stephanie Nelle.

It is no secret that I love this series. I like the way Steve Berry incorporates history into a thriller so you feel like you have learned something while also going on a wild ride. While the characters are employed by the US government and their are politicians in the stories, I've always felt Berry never betrayed a particular political leaning until this book. Former POTUS, Danny Daniels could have been from either party. Maybe I am reading too much into it, but the new President feels very familiar.

I loved that Cassiopeia Vitt made a cameo appearance. It made the book feel complete.

I wasn't prepared for a cliffhanger. I hope book 16 is nearly finished because I don't know if I can wait.

Another Steve Berry book is here and I’ve been ecstatic about it since I was asked to review the advance copy. I wasn’t actually planning to read it yet because the release is more than a month away, but I suddenly found myself in a funky mood and immediately knew what would cheer me up - some thrilling adventures of Cotton Malone. And that’s exactly what I got.

It should come as no surprise that I love this series so much because of all the action and adventuring going on. But a bigger reason is all the history I get to know which I would otherwise be completely ignorant about. Steve Berry is excellent at using historical events to create his fictional story, and the seamless way he blends both is awesome. Taking place across Poland, Belgium and Slovakia, this book mainly gives us a lot of information about the history of Poland, both in the Middle Ages as well as during Nazi occupation followed by the Soviets. The atrocities committed during each of the regimes were horrific and people were forced to make unimaginable choices to survive, and that’s one of the themes the author subtly talks about a lot - what lengths will you go to save yourself as well as your country, how much do principles matter when lives are at stake, and what happens when incompetence meets narcissism.

I also absolutely loved the beautiful descriptions of Bruges and the cathedrals and public squares and monasteries, the museum at Kraków which Cotton visits in the story, the history behind the relics, and the absolutely unbelievable salt mines at Wieliczka. And while all of these are real places, I was actually very surprised that the meticulously described castle in Slovakia wasn’t a real one because I completely fell in love with it. If I made a list of all the places Berry visits in his books, my travel bucket list would be miles long and I would never ever get through it. So, I just have to live vicariously through his characters.

I wouldn’t call this one very action packed but I guess that can be expected because Cotton is fifty years old now. But he is still chasing around bad guys and participating in heists, so not everything has changed. But I loved seeing him make better choices personally in this one, both for the love of his life Cassiopeia and his dearest friend Stephanie. He’s come a long way in the decade since I’ve been reading this series and I like that. We also get the POV of the president of Poland which I found fascinating and while unbelievable, it still made me curious. Jonty just came across as snobby and pretentious, thinking too highly of himself and unable to fathom the lengths to which people might go to protect their interests. There’s also a new president of the US who is kinda modeled on our real one and I think the author managed to show the frustrations of life long government officials when dealing with such a leader.

To conclude, I just wanna say that I had a lot of fun reading this one and flew through the whole book in just a few hours. If you enjoy spy thrillers which have an excellent blend of history and fiction with a bit of religion thrown into it, then this one is perfect for you. I also felt that this would work well as a standalone, but I would always recommend starting from the beginning with The Templar Legacy because they are all interesting and informative in their own ways. And while I already know that I’m gonna have to wait for more than an year for the next book, did the author really have to tease us with that tension filled last line?

I've read many Steve Barry books and loved them all. Cotton Malone is a man who believes in his abilities and uses them in the country's best interest. Full of action and suspense, this is not a book you can read a few pages and set it down. Multiple counties, each with their own team of bad guys, have tried to stop Cotton before and failed. How he will beat them this time will keep you reading from the first page to the last.

**Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press for sending me an ARC of this book!**
4.5* Cotton Malone is one of the more interesting characters in fiction. A former Magellan Billet agent who's now an antiquarian bookseller, he finds himself in the middle of a theft of the Holy Blood. Turns out the Arma Christi (relics believed to be from Christ;s Passion) have each been the stolen. These incidents are connected to the US, (led by a very familiar likeness to a current President), pressuring Poland to accept defense missiles on their land aimed at Iran. Of course, other countries, like Russia, will do everything to stop this. Cotton is a reluctant participant in all these events. Mostly, he goes along for loyalty's sakes, as the President has threatened the job of Stephanie Nelle, his Magellan Billet boss. In this book, we have a rollicking story filled with historical conspiracies interspersed with modern day political machinations.

I love how much I learn about religious relics and history while reading Steve Berry's page turning thrillers. He never disappoints. Cotton Malone is back and caught up in an intriguing story about Poland's history and the accumulation of ancient artifacts. Highly Recommended

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. The Warsaw Protocol is the latest title in the long running series featuring Cotton Malone, but it can be read as a stand alone. Cotton travels to Bruges to attend a book conference and buy a few books for customers of his book shop in Copenhagen. While visiting the Basilica of the Hoy Blood, he stumbles across in progress robbery of holy relic; deciding to chase after the thieves in hopes of recovering the relic, Cotton soon finds himself involved in something bigger and much more dangerous than he could have anticipated. Surprised to when his old boss Stephanie Nell in Brussels arrives to get him out of prison, Cotton finds himself hired to help steal another holy relic that forms part of the Arma of Christi from a Polish museum. Each relic that forms the Arma is the price of admission that countries invited to participate in a very special auction must bring and the theft serves as a country's RSVP that they will be attending. The auction is to sell very damaging communist era files that identify the current Polish president as an informant; whoever has this information will be able to blackmail the president or lead to his forced ouster leaving a political vacuum. The US wants Poland to house a missile base that the Russians want to prevent; both sides want the documents and money is no object.

What follows is a very well written thriller with enough twists and turns to satisfy all readers. Cotton is led on a crazy adventure that includes stops in Warsaw, a scenic Slovakian castle, and finally the salt mines of Poland. Mr. Barry has written a story that feels very relevant to the political times we live in with tensions between the US and Russia threatening to flare up at any time. I couldn't put this one down and look forward to seeing what trouble Cotton ends up in next.

My husband has long been a fan of the Cotton Malone series. He explained that these books just had everything you could possibly want in an adventure novel. I loved this new addition to the series and know that he will too! The best thing about Steve Berry books? I 'm learning while I enjoy the story. You just can't beat that!
Thanks to #Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of #TheWarsawProtocol in return for an honest review.