The Omega Factor by Steve Berry is a gripping thriller that takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of historical secrets, political intrigue, and nail-biting suspense. Narrated by Scott Brick, the audiobook version delivers a captivating storytelling experience that will keep upperclass students on the edge of their seats.
This compelling narrative delves into the world of former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone as he unravels a mystery surrounding a deadly conspiracy rooted in the enigmatic Omega Factor. As Malone navigates through international landscapes and confronts powerful adversaries, the story unfolds with intricate twists and turns that will leave listeners engrossed until the very end.
Steve Berry's masterful blend of historical facts and fiction creates an immersive experience, while Scott Brick's narration breathes life into the characters and settings, making The Omega Factor an audiobook that readers won't soon forget.

A complicated mystery involving nuns, priests, cardinals, and other clergy. The story goes back and forth between present day and previous centuries during the past two thousand years. I found the novel confusing and the switching back and forth between centuries did not help.
I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Omega Factor is the fast-paced, thrilling ride through history, art, and religion that I’ve come to expect from Steve Berry. In this stand-alone novel he finds a way to submerge Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece into a sea of religious conflict, long-held secrets, and deadly chases and confrontations. Once again he does a masterful job of taking facts and twisting them just enough to create a compelling mystery, set in amazing locales. I’ve read and enjoyed all of Berry’s books, and this one is just as engrossing as the rest. A bonus: the audiobook is wonderfully narrated. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

While this is not a Cotton Malone book, it definitely feels like a Cotton Malone book. Steve Berry takes a piece of history - in this case the Ghent Alterpiece - and spins a fictional tale around it, full of mystery, deception, and loaded with action. His books are always page turners, and The Omega Factor is no exception.

The audiobook is narrated by the fabulous Scott Brick. He’s narrated hundreds of books; odds are you’re familiar with him, especially if you’ve listened to a Cotton Malone or a Jack Reacher book. He’s a perfect choice for this thriller.

I first found Steve Berry from one of his stand alone novels and then started reading the Cotton Malone series when there were only a couple written. I've really enjoyed his writing especially his characters, so of course I had to check this new stand alone book out.

I think overall the book was enjoyable and history dense. Things that I liked was the new character Nicholas Lee. I'm glad that he wrote in his note that we will likely get to see this character again. The kickass nuns (vultures) and all the Joan of Arc talk as well as the descriptions of the beautiful artwork and settings.

Things that I found less successful the chapters without Lee were very religion heavy and packed with historical information which I found to be a bit dry. As a person raised Catholic I'm sure that there are actually priests like this one that took advantage of women in their parishes which makes me sad. There are a lot of aspects of the Catholic church like hiding information/making up information that I just know deep down is true which bothers me.

I will continue to read Steve Berry books because they are typically quick reads, fast paced, action packed while still giving you lots of historical information.

In the book The Omega Factor, author Steve Berry writes about Nicholas Lee who works for UNESCO. While on a trip to Belgium, Nick stumbles into a mystery that is nearly 2,000 years old. But who can Nick trust and who is the good guys and bad guys. This is another great book by Steve Berry. The audio-book narration was very well done. I would recommend this book. I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I just love Steve Berry’s writing style, from his fast-paced suspenseful scene writing to his dynamic character development! In the latest standalone read, our lead Nick Lee uncovers a treacherous tale of religious cover-up, ancient beliefs all coupled with his former love interest. I have always enjoyed Berry’s way of weaving historical fact into his plots and then taking it a step further to explain which creative licenses he took along the way. I also appreciated learning that he might take Nick Lee and lace him into future books. Yes, please!
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.

A Steve Berry series without Cotton? I wasn't sure how I'd feel about that. However, Steve Berry delivered yet another fantastic book. Like the Cotton series, this book is rooted is secret societies, deep historical background, danger and suspense, and more. I definitely look forward to reading more books in this series.

There's something about Mary! The Omega Factor is an exciting book that falls into a similar class as The Da Vinci Code combining religious secrets, art treasures and a hunt that takes you through history. Nicholas Lee is a new character for Steve Berry and one that I hope returns for another adventure. Great book!

Love this book. Kept me looking for more. Would highly recommend. Looking forward to reading more from this author!!!!

A very interesting mixture of fact and fiction. Quite a religious tale, but great as a history lesson. Love the narrator. It was very long and needed quite bit of concentration. Best read with pauses in between so that you can absorb what you have heard. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a mystery mixed with religion.

Nick is a UNESCO investigator and goes to agent to visit his former fiancé who is now a nun and an art restorer. When he arrives the building she is working in is on fire and he rushes in looking for her only to find her in a struggle with someone. The other person runs off and Kelsey asks Nick to go after her to retrieve her laptop. What ensues is a conflict between different religious factors, the Maidens, the Dominicans, the Vatican, the Cathars and Kelsey and Nick thrown in. Kelsey had discovered something on the art she was working on and lots of different people want that info. Nick is an investigator and as ian item of historical significance is involved he wants to know what is going on. He also wants to protect Kelsey, she may no longer be his fiancé, but he still cares for her. This is definitely a book for lovers of Dan Brown etc. I found the book a bit history heavy for me, but think if I had been reading it instead of listening to the audio I would have enjoyed it more as I could have skimmed those parts. There is a good bit of action and interesting characters but the story was a bit long winded for me and I did jump a few chapters.

Another fast paced action packed thriller from Steve Berry. This author was the first one who caused me to love historical fiction. This book is another great read!

The Omega Factor AUDIO by Steve Berry is a standalone novel very reminiscent of his Cotton Malone novels. Nicholas Lee works for UNESCO as an investigator of artworks and historical items that need to be rescued or returned to their proper owners. He is in Ghent, Belgium, to visit Kelsey, the woman he had intended to marry 10 years earlier. Instead, a week before the wedding, she let him know she needed to follow her conscience and became a nun. He had been heart-broken, but wanted her to be happy. They had had minimal contact over the past 10 years but now she had invited him to Ghent, not to reconnect but to solidify their friendship. As he arrived at her lab, where they had agreed to meet, he sees a fire, a woman with a laptop running from the fire, and Kelsey, safely in the hands of the paramedics. He chases after the woman running only to watch her die at the hands of the police, but not before tossing the laptop over the side of the bridge she was on. So began several days of Nick chasing, he knew not what.

I love Steve Berry's work as it is so packed with relatively obscure history. This is the first time I have listened and I'm not sure I liked it. I like to savor the history as it is delineated in the book, sometimes rereading, referring to it again, and following links on the Internet to verify and learn more. It is not impossible to do this when listening, but certainly less convenient. As always, Berry appears to have done his research. It does strike me that he has some sort of grudge against mainstream Catholicism or the church proper as his villains are intricately involved with it. His characters are all intense in their own ways and that always makes for an intense read. As Nick and Kelsey uncover the story, often separately, the whole thing come to make sense. It is worrying that the Church doesn't seem to draw the line at violence and death, although, that is the way of the world, isn't it? And this is fiction. I enjoy Berry's style . . . it makes for a good thriller. I also liked the way he made his hero gun-free, despite his profession. All in all, an excellent read.

Scott Brick was the narrator and he WAS Nick Lee. He also did a credible job with accents and did not resort to falsetto for women's voices. I enjoyed listening, as he kept an even keel even during stressful and dangerous moments.

I was invited to listen to a free audio of The Omega Factor by Hachette through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #Hachette #Steveberry #theomegafactor #scottbrick

I loved this book!

My first Steve Berry book was The Amber Room, I loved it. Cotton Malone, more love!

Religion, dark mystery, suspense.

I found myself going back and relistening to sections of this book. It’s dense & filled with historical references that I found fascinating.

I loved the Author’s note. I found myself stopping to Google while reading this book often. Great narration by a national treasure. If you love Steve Berry’s previous book, this will not disappoint!

Thank you #GrandCentralPublishing & #NetGalley! Another fantastic book!

Narrator: 4 stars. Story: 3 stars
The concept behind The Omega Factor is fascinating. I enjoyed learning about the Ghent altarpiece.
I had a bit of adjustment getting acquainted with Nick Lee. The backstory of him almost marrying a woman who chose instead to become a nun was awkward. It distracted from the action involved with the destruction of the 12th panel of the altarpiece.
I listened to the audiobook and the chapter switches to the Cathars and then the bishop and cardinal didn't work very well for me. I know the author had to introduce all the players quickly to move the story along but it seems like there could have been a better way to move between the different characters that didn't seem very important until they were.
There have been many bad moves by religious orders in history, but it's interesting to me that Steve Berry chooses to focus so frequently on this part of history. Maybe he like the Cathars has difficulty with the Catholic Church. Of course, there are many mysteries to explore in the way men have interpreted history in regards to religion.
I really like Scott Brick as a narrator. Even though I struggled some with the way the book was laid out, it was a pleasure listening to him tell the story.
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll start by saying I really liked Scott Brick’s narration of this book. All the accents and voice changes went well with the story and I enjoyed listening to him jumó from character to character. The storyline itself left me a little confused at times, not sure if it was because I was listening to it instead of reading the physical book but it all came together in the end. This book focused much more around religion and beliefs than I initially thought, and I found myself having a difficult time keeping my attention on it. It was very well written with complex characters and a good story, maybe just not my cup of tea.

I’ve been a Steve Berry fan for a while. I think his Cotton Malone books are super entertaining and the storylines are all so believable (despite being fiction). I was really looking forward to this new series with the same excitement as a Malone book. While the storyline was entertaining and it had non-stop action, at times I was a little confused. There were a ton of characters and moving pieces that made it hard for me to follow. By the end, it came together but took a while to get there. Maybe the future books in the series will be better.

Thank you to NetGalley, Steve Berry, and Grand Central Publishing.

I listen to the audio version of this book. Steve Berry ventures out from the Cotton Malone to a stand alone novel. Per the authors notes at the end of the book Nicholas Lee is a new character who is supposedly the main character, but if I am being honest it seems the story is equally split among a number of characters, and Nicholas seems more like a major character than the main character. That being said this is a solid entry by Mr. Berry. This book is very similar to most of Mr. Barry’s books as it takes a historical event and then asks what if everything is not as it seems. In this case the mystery surrounds the Virgin Mary.

As mentioned above Nicolas Lee does not seem like the main character, but more like part of a cast of characters. I don’t see this is too much of a negative as I found most of the characters intriguing. I did find while listening to this book, it was hard sometimes to keep all the priests and nuns straight. Nicolas is an investigator for the United Nations, which I thought was kind of a cool position as he is almost seen as a protector of all things historical.

The novel has good pace and enough action to keep you engaged. The story itself is well developed, and the mystery surrounding the Virgin Mary keeps you turning the pages to find out what the secrets is. Overall, well this might not be my favorite novel for Mr. Berry, this is an excellent thriller with a historical slant. If you’re a fan history and especially possible mysteries surrounding historical figures or events, this is the perfect novel for you. Thank you to @NetGalley, Steve Berry, @Hachetteaudio, and @grandcentralpub for a free audio copy for an honest review.

Good story and characters but why have a new character when this could easily have been a Cotton Malone novel ( which I love). Loved the book and an excellent narration by Scott Brick
I received this audiobook from Hatchette audio via Netgalley for a review.