The latest in Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone series, and fully functional as a stand alone novel, The Medici Return takes place in historically and culturally rich Italy. Click here for Amazon page
Past and present collide in this intense and engaging novel which is probably the most complex and challenging read I’ve had in a long time.
The gist is the Medicis were once a powerful and influential family in Italy, but they, their wealth and their influence were eradicated when the last known met his maker without surviving heirs to perpetuate the family line, or so it seemed for hundreds of years.
Recruited from the United States to insure secrecy, former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone is charged with investigating Jason Richter, the youngest of 6 active cardinals and the Archbishop of Cologne. Richter and others within the church are suspected of some very serious crimes.
A large amount of money is found hidden at Richter’s residence. One man is already dead, with more to come.
Everyone is on edge, and Cotton Malone himself is in danger.
In the meantime, prominent politician Eric Casaburi is combing through clues, ancient artifacts and manuscripts to discover his roots; a lineage that may change the course of history. The powers that be do not want him finding out.
Extremely well-researched and put together, The Medici Return is not a breezy read. With several significant main characters, intersecting plots, and an abundance of interesting historical facts which I sometimes found a bit like reading a textbook, the book requires attention and concentration.
Reading The Medici Return by Steve Berry is an experience.
Complete with corrupt Vatican clergy, a hitman, the most exciting and dangerous horse race in the world, and The Pledge of Christ; a centuries-old unshakeable deal that could bankrupt the Catholic church, all taking place within a historically compelling and visually rich backdrop, you have yourself a complex mystery packed with action, intrigue and suspense.
And being a series, you haven’t seen the last of Cotton Malone and Steve Berry.
The Medici Return
Steve Berry
Grand Central Publishing 2025
416 pages
J. Curran
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