The Lost Order: A Novel

Steve Berry’s The Lost Order is the latest entry in his highly engrossing Cotton Malone series. In his new book, Cotton Malone, a former Justice Department agent, is thrust into a deep and dangerous conspiracy involving his ancestor, Angus Adams, a Confederate spy, and vast amounts of gold and silver stolen from the Smithsonian Institution, and subsequently hidden, by a secret organization called The Knights of the Golden Circle. Cotton Malone must unravel the conspiracy, find the treasure, and ultimately return it to the rightful owner. However, as with any adventure novel, there are powers, including several factions of The Knights, that get in the way of Cotton and his mission and literally want to kill him for the treasure.

As with his previous books, The Lost Order deftly weaves history into the plot. Along the way, the reader learns so many fascinating minute details about the country’s past that were never taught in school. In addition, being an adventure novel, the action is nonstop and the plot is very fast and fluid. There is definitely never a dull moment in the book. Characters are also highly developed and the reader sees what each one is driven by. For example, Cotton Malone is driven by justice and his desire to do what is right, while the bad guys are driven by pure greed and the corruptible power of wealth.

All in all, I highly enjoyed The Lost Order and will be anxiously waiting for what Steve Berry has up his sleeve next.