This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

This book was action packed and fast paced. If you are a fan of Cotton Malone this book will not disappoint. Cotton Malone and Luke Daniels make a dream team in the race to The Last Kingdom. Great pace and world building. Steve Berry does an amazing job bringing history to the masses.

Another fun ride with Steve Berry and Cotton Malone. I enjoyed getting to know the history of the kingdom of Bavaria and it’s enigmatic king Ludwig II and all of his family, but I didn’t expect I’ll also get acquainted with the coup that made the kingdom of Hawaii the 50th state.

Cotton’s adventures are always fun and this was equally good, especially because all the player’s motivations kept changing and the betrayals were pretty unexpected. It was nice to see Luke be a part of the team this time, as well as some new characters who I feel like we may not be seeing the last of. The mystery itself was interesting too, but I’ve come to expect that from the author. Overall a very enjoyable read which I finished very quickly and can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.

Steve Berry's Cotton Malone novels are still one of the best series out there. His ability to mix the historical with an amazing blend of thriller fiction is so amazing. This book is a page turner that is impossible to put down.

well. this sure is a thirteenth book in a long running series. for that reason i can't give many opinions on it. thought it was fun i guess. geez

The Last Kingdom
Steve Berry

Before I start this review, I would like to thank Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book. I will give it my honest opinion.

Spoiler Alerts

The central premise is that The Last King of Hawaii gave away the Hawaiian Islands to the last king of Bavaria. The descendants of that last king of Bavaria is trying to reclaim his kingdom by claiming Hawaii as his domain and selling it to China. He is doing it to pry Bavaria from Germany. The Magellan Billet Agent Luke Daniel is tasked to preventing this from happening. The usual car chases, fights and shoot out occurs before Daniels with some help from Cotton Malone (Steve Berry’s go to agent of choice) saves the day.
I knew what was going to happen though out the book and Mr. Berry didn’t disappoint. I was particularly happy to see that the main character in the book was Luke Daniels and not Cotton Malone. I feel that Mr. Berry was starting to lose the focus of his books when he had Cotton Malone as the main protagonist. His plot lines became too improbable. The reader enters into a partnership with the author to suspend his/her belief to enter into the story, but after 10-15 stories with the same main character, the book plots seem to run together and it’s hard to tell one from another, So to build the plot around a new character makes the book stand out.

All in all, this is a good book to read on a lazy rainy Sunday afternoon. It is a quick easy and fun read. I really enjoyed it.

Steve Berry is just one of those writers whose books automatically get added to my tbr list. The Last Kingdom is yet another stellar addition to the Cotton Malone series and a book that the author has been wanting to write for a very long time. His blend of historical and current events is still top-notch and grabs your attention from the first page to the last.

This time, we are exploring the kingdom of Bavaria, which was absorbed during Germany's unification in the late 19th century. We get to hear about King Ludwig II of Bavaria and hear about some of the theories surrounding him and his behaviour, which is absolutely fascinating. Of course, Steve Berry manages to tie this historical figure into current American world events and does it in such a way, that you don't have a hard time believing what you are reading.

Once again Scott Brick does an absolutely flawless job on the audiobook narration. Although to say that what he is doing is just narration and not voice acting is really downplaying his talents. He is hands down my favourite narrator for his ability to just bring a book to life and portray a wide variety of characters and accents.

While I enhoued the book, I just was getting to confused with the back and forth of the story. The author did an excelent job with the story, but I just became to confused. I am giving this 4 stars

I received an ARC copy of this book via #Netgalley.

I love the Cotton Malone books, but this was pretty weak compared to many of the previous books. There were way too many plot threads, which really hurt the placing. And the action was bland.

I am a huge fan of Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone series. Over the years I am always started by not only the twists that take place, but also by the skilled way in which Berry weaves together the story in a plausible and compelling way.

First, let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed Berry’s latest offering in the Malone series: The Last Kingdom. Berry is always able to weave tidbits of historical facts in his fiction which makes the story.

The story centers around the enigmatic King Ludwig II of Bavaria, from the house of Wittelsbach, who because of eccentricity was deposed in 1886 and three days later was found mysteriously dead from drowning. Despite his massive building campaigns; Neuschwanstein Castle, Linderhof Palace, and Herrenchiemsee and his devotion to the composer Richard Wagner, he is remembered for his desire to find a last kingdom. Hence the title and premise of the book.

I enjoyed following Cotton through the great castles that Ludwig built as he chases the secret of the Last Kingdom to find the deed before the bad guys do. To read a book of this nature one must suspend some logical belief, but I have always enjoyed that Berry is able to keep that to a minimum. For whatever reason, he seemed to push the envelope a bit farther this time and there were a couple of incidents where one just had to throw up their hands.

Overall it was a very satisfying book, but definitely not one of the best in the series. I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction and mystery.

I have been reading Steve Berry mystery/thrillers off-and-on for a number of years. This is his 17th “Cotton Malone” story and I was delighted to receive an Advanced Readers Copy of “The Last Kingdom” that centers around an aging, but still effective superstar adventurer. Before I began reading this novel I did not know much about Bavaria; I now know a whole bunch about Bavaria, its final kings, and how Bavaria is now part of Germany. There is espionage, there are secrets, more secrets, and when the reader believes that all the secrets have been uncovered, well there are a few more surprises! And by the way there are missing fallen kings and a missing treaty between Bavaria and…well…I shan’t give it away.
Enjoy the adventure, and for those that have read some or all of the 16 previous books you will not be disappointed in “The Last Kingdom.”

Another wonderful Cotton Malone adventure!

Cotton, a retired agent, is once again pulled into an adventure that has ties into yet. This time he's off to Bavaria to help under the mystery of a long ago dated deed to the Hawaiian Islands that, if discovered and falls into the wrong hands, could tip the balance of power in the global economy. Luke Daniels again returns to work alongside "Pappy" to uncover the mystery and save the day.

I love reading Steve Berry- the combination of history, drama and action is always good. This one is no different, we have the erstwhile Cotton Malone and his gf, Cassiopea, the usual incredibly driven often well funded bad guys with ambitious plans of world domination.
Here we have a plan to recapture a kingdom lost and restore an overlooked and angry man, who believes it is his destiny to recapture. With the usual extra players with their own agenda, there are the chases across Europe and the US.
Fun to read, lots to learn.

The Last Kingdom is the 17th installment in the Cotton Malone series. Malone is retired and runs a used bookstore in Denmark, but does a favor for a friend, Luke Daniels, travels to Bavaria where the story is set, and helps out with a mission. Daniels has been able to infiltrate himself into the Bavarian government and is working to stop a prince from overthrowing his brother, which would have grave consequences in the government. The setting of the story captures some of the cultural charm of that region of Europe.

Malone is well-developed, and those who have read previous novels will enjoy the reintroduction. Berry has done a good job developing the supporting characters, so they are believable and help the story along.

Berry’s style is different, and readers must get used to the incomplete sentences and jumps from character to character which makes it difficult sometimes to know which one he is talking about. This novel isn’t easy to follow, and seems different from the previous Cotton Malone books. Readers must follow this one closely in order to make sense of the book. It has a slow start, and many readers will abandon reading before getting to the end.

All told, this is not one of Berry’s best novels; in fact it is most likely his worst. Diehard fans will muddle through, but those of us who can take it or leave it would rather skip this one for a thriller that is easier to read.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I absolutely love how Mr. Berry combines historical facts with fiction to give his character Cotton Malone and now Luke Daniels a meaty mystery to solve. Travel is my passion and I have enjoyed traveling to many of the locations that Mr. Berry describes in his books and experience them in person.
In fact, I am planning to travel to Munich and the castles that Mr. Berry describes in this particular book in May of this year. I can't wait.
So, in this particular mystery the good guys and the bad guys are chasing a deed to the Hawaii Islands signed by King Ludwig in his desire to create a new kingdom where he could rule in peace and leave a fitting legacy for his dynasty. The intrigue and betrayals at so many different levels are mind boggling and add a new twist just when you think you have the hang of what's going on.
I am a huge fan, and this novel just reinforces the excellent writing and meticulous research and three-dimensional characters that feel so real.

Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book! I love Steve Barry and this book held up to my expectations of him! I would definitely recommend!

Another great Cotton Malone book. As Cotton and Luke race displaced royalty, foreign governments and rogue US agents in search of the secret to the Last Kingdom of Ludwig II, the action never stops.
I love all the historical fact beneath the fiction. Steve Berry's books not only keep me entertained and guessing what is going to happen next but I learn along the way. Intrigue, mystery and humor mix into a fantastic read every time.

The 17th entry in the Cotton Malone series was a mixed bag for me. The plot is the standard McGuffin from history that is suddenly very relevant in the current day with multiple factions frantically searching to be one to find and control said McGuffin. I have to say I found the denouement to be very anticlimactic. The story line is pretty much evenly split between Cotton Malone and his somewhat protege Luke Daniels which I'm not sure I liked. Is this a way for Berry to slowly phase Cotton out in favor of Daniels? Why? If so then its not really the Cotton Malone series anymore, and while the book was an easy read, I certainly didn't enjoy it as much as previous entries in the series.

As a fan of Steve Berry and Cotton Malone, I looked forward to reading The Last Kingdom. That said, it wasn't my favorite in the series as I thought it could have used more editing.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I want to be a Cottom Malone fan. I do. I own the entire series though this is only the second I have read the first being The Kaiser's Web. While I am a fan of the genre and am particularly attracted when history or archeology become entwined, these first two readings have left me cold thus far. The characters are thin where I want heroes and villains fleshed out to cheer and hate, people that I feel I know and take with me on the journey of life. The plots are fun but bounce up against credulity enough to make one uncomfortable and challenged to suspend belief. There is some truly great material for some truly great stories. I challenge Mr. Berry to consider working on his main characters in succeeding books to make them people I laugh with, and cry for, and fight alongside. For example, when Dorner runs at flank speed into the shock of her first kill, go past telling me she feels bad. If she hurts, make me hurt. If she triumphant, make me wave her flag. These characters are screaming for life. and they are just two-dimensional caricatures. It takes more than two sentences at life pivoting moment. I know he has it in him.