As always, another great Cotton Malone novel! Love that it always keeps you on your toes guessing what will happen. Lots of good twists and turns!

A fan of Cotton will love the historical significance of priceless artifacts falling into the wrong hands and the race to secure them. It has the pace and thoughtfulness of a Berry novel. It’s a thrill to the end.

I was unfamiliar with the author, Steve Barry, or this series, but I was excited about it. It did not disappoint. A thriller set in Poland and Belgium was well researched, well though out and overall griping. No wonder this is Barry's #15 (I think) novel in this series.

I enjoyed this book, Having travelled to several of the settings it was surprising to see what I had missed on my own visits. A thriller with some familiar old characters and some interesting new characters and villains. A very modern story with use of technology.

I always eagerly anticipate the release of Steve Berry's latest release in his popular Cotton Malone series. The Warsaw Protocol was no different, and I ended up reading it over a weekend. I tend not to get too in-depth with reviews on his novels, because even though they are all similar, they are all entertaining, super informative, and well researched. Somehow Steve Berry takes us through yet another race against time that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat and still manages to impart a lot of factual knowledge at the same time.

If you really want a treat, get the audiobook version, with author commentary. After each chapter, Steve Berry gives some historical background to the location, items, people, artifacts, etc, mentioned in the chapter. It is absolutely amazing.

I've read several books by Steve Berry and have enjoyed them all. His books are easy to follow and very fast paced. Many times I had to stop reading and didn't want to. I highly recommend this book and anything else that he's written.

This is part of the Cotton Malone series. It has adventure, history, politics and suspense. The politics in this book definitely show where the authors views are of the current days. A little too much for me, a definite turn off. I prefer politics be left out of a book. Thank you to net galley for a copy.

As a huge fan of Steve Berry, I couldn't wait to read the latest Cotton Malone thriller - as always, I wasn't disappointed. A mix of history and adventure, not to be missed.

Cotton Malone is back and that fact always makes me a happy reader! Cotton witnesses the theft of a precious Christian relic and finds himself thrust into the middle of a a plot to sell incriminating information against the president of Poland to the highest bidder, with the U.S. and Russia, among other players, wanting to secure their spot at the auction. The novel moves forward at a blistering pace as Cotton delves deeper into the situation and tries to protect his former boss Stephanie Nelle and a former lover working for the Polish government.

The Warsaw Protocol is a strong installment in the Cotton Malone series. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the salt mines and the action taking place there. I always appreciate how well researched Mr. Berry's books are and I know when I've finished one of his novels, I've learned about something new and in an entertaining way.

I received this book courtesy of Minotaur Books, St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A new Cotton Malone adventure is always a welcome occurrence. In this entry in the series Cotton finds himself once again drawn back into his old world and quickly immersed in the schemes of the new US President who is quite clearly modeled after our current President with similar style and quirks. Old friends and new are around and Berry does not disappoint in the action or storytelling. An easy and relaxing read.

This time Steve Berry, and therefore Cotton Malone, visit Poland, a country that has such rich history and that the author had wanted to visit for years.

This is vintage Steve Berry with the exciting combination of history, architecture, couched in a thrilling adventure that will keep you at the edge of your seat. Cotton Malone is once again at the right place at the right time to be of benefit to his old boss Stephanie Nelle of the Magellan Billet. He might hate the current regime and even more dislike the current security advisor he is dining with but his loyalty to Stephanie sucks him into this new game.

Someone is stealing ancient artifacts as the price of entry to a secret auction. The fee will get the highest bidder blackmail material on the president of Poland allowing the winner to influence outcomes in Poland. Even as Cotton questions his reasons for being in the game, he can't seem to get off the wheel now that he's set it in motion. His journey takes him across Slovakia and Poland giving us a nice flavor of the beauty of city of Krakow particularly which apparently escaped a lot of the destruction during the communist regime. I have to say this makes me very excited on a personal level since I plan to be in Poland, particularly Krakow later this year.

With a high body county thanks to the Russian spies who want to dominate this game, Cotton and his ally from the Polish secret service manage to stay one step ahead taking the game all the way to it's bloody conclusion. Fans this is definitely a winner.

Cotton is on the chase to find a historical relic, The Holy Lance. He needs it to get into an auction. An auction which involves several nations to purchase information. Little does he know how deadly this game will become.

Well, the past few Cotton Malone books have been a complete failure for me. Steve Berry redeems himself in the read. The history and the chase in this tale really keep the reader engrossed. I loved the old castles and the salt mine. I do not think I have ever read a book with a salt mine. Wow! What a unique way to throw in hidden rooms and secrets!

This story is very well researched and extremely intense. I have bailed on the last couple of books in this series. But this one moved like lightening and had me looking up some of the places mentioned and some of the artifacts. I love a book which has ME researching.

I would start at the beginning of this series if you have never read about Cotton Malone. There is a lot to be understood about Cotton’s situations and where he is today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

The Warsaw Protocol by Steve Berry is his newest thriller and worth the wait. It takes place in...Warsaw, mostly, and revolves around the sale and purchase of information. Cotton gets hauled into it at the past minute, mostly as a favor to his ex-boss at the Magellan Billet, Stephanie Nelle. It started when he witnessed the theft of a Christian relic from a cathedral. He had come to Poland to buy some books and to eat White Ladies, a very special ice cream sundae, and also, secondarily to sightsee. The information relates to Janusz Czajkowski, the president of Poland. It could topple his career, among other things. The US is in it to get what they want, never woory about anyone else. Can Cotton get to it in time and get back home for his weekend with Casseopia?

Despite it being a thinly veiled criticism of Donald Trump, The Warsaw Protocol was an entertaining book. The great things about these novels are that they always revolve around history, historical objects, and places of interest. I can be reading on my iPad and it is a simple matter to search and be right next to Cotton wherever he is. It is extremely edifying to read Berry's novels for that reason. Cotton is a great character: he learns from his mistakes, he's been in the business so long that he knows people wherever he goes, and they respect him. He's fair and honest, as much as he can be. He sees people as they are. He loves Casseopia and would never hurt her. In short, he's a guy ya gotta like! Good book. I recommend it.

I received a free ARC of The Warsaw Protocol from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thewarsawprotocol

The Warsaw Protocol by Steve Berry is the next Cotton Malone thriller. It contains all the elements - lots of bad guys, chase scenes, guns and secrets. Through it all Cotton is trying to peel away the lies finding clues.

Cotton Malone sees a crime and tries to help stop it. It is not a surprise when he is drawn into the situation by his old boss Stephanie Nelle. Seven relics from the past are needed as an entrance fee to a special auction. An auction for information that can change how power is wielded in Europe. Only there are some twists including murders, some really bad characters, and dealing with the salt mines near Krakow.

I enjoy Steve Berry’s books. I love how he takes correct historical information and with a couple of additions and twists makes a story that holds you in the palm of his storytelling hand. I find his story’s twists and turns are always a great read. The Warsaw Protocol by Steve Berry was a thriller of a read.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

This is the 15th book in the Cotton Malone series and, full disclosure, I have not read them all. I read and really liked the first five. Years later, I read a couple more, was extremely disappointed in the books and vowed not to read another. Well, time has passed and this book appeared on my radar. The blurb intrigued me and I thought it was time to give Cotton Malone another try.

To begin with, I would not exactly call this a riveting thriller. The setting was extremely interesting and I did like all the information about Poland. It was obvious the author did a lot of research. But, this was not supposed to be a travel guide or history book, no matter how fascinating that history.

Secondly, while there were the obligatory chase scenes and gun battles and even a bit of torture, for the first half of the book it all seemed a little bland. To be honest, Cotton didn’t even seem all that important to the story. He showed up every couple of chapters, did his thing, then disappeared again. About halfway through the book, the action did pick up and the story became more interesting. That’s when Cotton rode in and helped to save the day.

But, what I really disliked about the book, was the author’s portrayal of the president in this story. When you can recognize the current president as being portrayed in a book and, when that portrayal is extremely disparaging and that belittling is pivotal to the story; regardless of my political views, I find it offensive. I felt like the author was using his work of fiction to push his personal political views down my throat.

All in all, this was a very uneven book for me. I enjoyed the Polish setting, history and characters and thought the story itself probably better than the last couple I’ve read, but I really hope the author takes a step back from airing his political views in his books.

“The Warsaw Protocol” is in the same vein as older spy novels, which were well-told tales where the suspense was built in to the story rather than based on how many gunfights and battles the book contained. Author Steve Berry’s account is excellent, slowly building the story through character development and allowing readers to become wrapped up in the multiple people who tell their parts of the story.

This is my first Steve Berry book, and though it is the 15th in an ongoing series, this is a standalone. Malone is an ex-government agent who becomes wrapped up in what could turn out to be an international scandal. Rather than the typical chapters that only seem to lead from one bit of action to another, Cotton Malone’s world features spies that have respect and almost honor for each other while at the same time always looking for that opportunity to betray someone if it is beneficial for their mother country.

In today’s world of foul-mouthed characters, Mr. Berry gets the characters’ emotions across to the reader without having to drop vulgarities on every other page. I thoroughly enjoyed the deep characterizations that support the actions of Malone and others. The bits of history at the beginning of many chapters add a depth of color few authors ever achieve, enlightening the reader while painting a distinct background for the characters. Add in a believable plot and you have a five-star novel. Highly recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary electronic copy of this title.

Steve Berry never disappoints with his Cotton Malone books! This book takes Cotton on an international adventure to Poland where he becomes involved in a theft and an auction with world superpowers. As usual he winds up in a sticky situation that he scrambles to get out of. There is never a dull moment and the readers learns quite a bit about Poland to boot!

Dropped into a Polish history lesson, those of us of a certain age, remember the days of madness when Poland was held together by “force and propaganda.” We heard about the atrocities committed amongst countrymen and the force and horror of the soviet rule. Berry plumbs the depths of this time, the resultant Solidarity movement., the Soviet pushback and the ultimate Polish independence.

Whenever you throw Cotton Malone and his friends and enemies into the mix it is going to be a roller coaster ride of fast turning pages. When he isn’t enjoying a Dame Blanche, he is dodging bullets, involved in car chases and putting his eidetic memory to life saving use. As always, the history and geography lesson were informative and important and fun to read of places I have visited and experienced. The writer’s notes are always a trove of information.

Berry reminds the reader that good people can be forced to do less honorable things under extreme conditions. There are moral lessons to be had but the lesson of human frailty and the difficulty of righteousness in any extreme was cause for reflection. Can anyone ever say “Never”?!

Interesting that Mr. Berry shone a bright and harsh light on the Leader of the free world. I am guessing our author is not a fan. Character drawn, defined and point taken. I am always excited when Steve Berry has a new book on the shelf and look forward to the next journey.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books for a copy.

Thank you so much to Minotaur Books for the eARC of The Warsaw Protocol!
I really enjoy the way Steve Berry weaves real locations and history with Cotton Malone’s adventures. I really appreciated the Polish history woven through this story. It was so fun to be on an adventure with Cotton & Stephanie Nelle once again, but I did miss having Cassiopeia in the story.