The List is a new stand alone novel by Steve Berry that is a fast paced thriller. When Brent Walker returns home from Atlanta after being away for several years he gets a job at the paper mill as associate legal counselor. The paper mill is about to have negotiations on a new contract with the employee union led by Brent's old friend Hank Reed. Hank is trying to get an upper hand in the negotiations and uses his connections to try and access some protected files. When there is a glitch in the system he gets what he wanted and more. He obtains a file that contains a list of numbers and asks Brent if he can help him decipher what they are in the hope that they can provide him with some leverage in the negotiations. Instead it puts him, Brent, and the ones they love most in the crosshairs.

This novel is different from most of Steve's novels in that it is a stand alone, but also doesn't really contain any history like most of his other novels do. This isn't a bad thing and is a bit refreshing for a change to not have all the historical details. The novel is a great ride that ultimately comes full circle. I would recommend this to fans of his past books as well as those who just love a good thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

#NetGalley #TheList

This book is a story of corporate greed, anything for profits. The story is fast paced with great characters. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central for the pre-release copy of Steve Berry's upcoming novel The List. Below is my honest review.

Fans of Steve Berry know that his genre tends to be adventure thriller tied up closely with history - the events of the past having a major impact on the storyline, and lessons about history weaving in and out of the writing. In The List, Berry has stepped out of that genre and into pure thriller, setting up a plot where the company elites are so concerned about the bottom line that they have turned to murder to save corporate funds. While there was one history lesson in this one, it was extremely brief.

I absolutely loved this one. Sadly enough, it was believable, and I wouldn't be surprised if something similar has actually occurred (or is still happening!).

Berry notes in his post-novel details that this is one of the first novels he ever wrote, and he never submitted it for publication all those years ago, that he pulled it out and began tweaking it and tightening it up, and making sure it was up to date with technology and current events. That's really impressive to me because while some of the high quality of the novel might have been because he's much more experienced now, you can tell that even back then, it had the right bones and the right parts to be a great story.

Highly recommended, and it's a standalone so no need to invest in a long series to avoid spoilers or missed information. But I'd still recommend his Cotton Malone series if you end up liking this one!

Whether you are a reader of Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone series or not, whether or not you are aware of or influenced by the limited controversies surrounding the historical, religious, political or philosophical aspects of his novels, The List is, as claimed by his publisher, “…Steve Berry like you’ve never read him before.” This is the story of two men who find themselves fighting against a ruthless business run by murderous CEOs in a company town. It is a story about corporate and personal greed and the resulting disregard for human life. It is also a story involving friendship and the concept of good vs evil. The only history in this tale is that of the town, its people, and the company at its center. The only politics in the narrative is that of the company unions and the negotiations between them and management.
Attorney Brent Walker spent ten years in Atlanta prosecuting criminals for the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. He returns to his hometown of Concord, Georgia to take on the position of assistant general corporate counsel at the local paper mill. He makes the decision to return so he can take care of his ailing mother and reconnect with his long time girlfriend. The mill, Southern Republic Pulp and Paper, a paper industry conglomerate, is the lifeline of Concord, offering its residents jobs with excellent pay, generous benefits, and good pensions. The three owners and CEOs have kept the business running for decades despite rising costs and industry setbacks by enforcing a sinister cost cutting measure. But at what cost? At whose expense?
Brent reunites with his long time friend and mentor, Hank Reed. Having worked at the Southern Republic for many years, Hank is the most senior of the senior day electricians at the mill and president of the three unions representing the workers and their departments. Reed is responsible for all union negotiations.
A list of covert numbers is discovered online by Hank. Suspicious, he passes the list on to Brent who realizes they are social security numbers of employees. Recently deceased employees. The list is the key to unraveling a decades old conspiracy that can destroy a company, a town, and put lives at risk.
A professional security group put in place by the CEOs are responsible for processing names on the list as “priorities.” Either the retired employees or their family members have long term medical expenses. Expenses that affect the financial success of Southern Republic. The CEOs want them eliminated. One of those three owners learns that he is dying and confesses to his involvement with the priority list which had originally been his idea to keep the company afloat and profitable.
Brent and Hank are complex and flawed as are their relationships with their families and even with each other. Yet they are strong and righteous, good men finding themselves working for serial killers. Chris Bozin, Hamilton Lee and Larry Hughes, founders and CEOs of Southern Pacific, are evil personified with no redeeming qualities. They are one dimensional but serve to represent greedy corporations and their owners. That the premise of the book might be far-fetched is the very essence of the story. You are reading fiction and being grateful that it is fiction. Yet it is a well-spun yarn that succeeds in sending a chill down your spine . The good guys win, the bad guys die or are put away. Yes, some innocent lives are lost but the story serves as a cautionary tale. One with lots of suspense, action, thrills, and tension. I found it to be ingenious and urge the author to try his hand at similar novels with realistic characters and a compelling storyline. Just please don’t put it away in a drawer for 32 years. I, for one, am not getting any younger.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advance copy of The List. This is my honest review of Steve Berry’s book.

As someone relatively new to Steve Berry’s work, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into The List. I've seen his Cotton Malone books but never picked up one of his books until now. I am so glad I did!

The List is an incredibly fast-paced, tightly woven thriller that had me hooked from the first few pages. The main character, Brent Walker is an attorney returning to his home town for a job as assistant general counsel after the end of a relationship that he blames himself for. The story revolves around a mysterious list tied to the biggest and most powerful employer in town - not a new idea, but one that Berry provides with urgency and tension. The stakes feel real, the pacing is relentless, and every twist hits just right. Brent is a great character, compelling and easy to root for, There is a new relationship with an old flame, and old friendships to revive, as well as mysteries galore to resolve.

If you haven't read much (or any) Steve Berry before, The List is a fantastic starting point. It’s gripping, well-written, and delivers everything you want in a thriller. I’m definitely planning to check out his earlier work! Five stars!

Nope, “The List” by Steve Berry is not Cotton Malone or any of the spinoffs in the world of Cotton Malone. Instead we have a standalone thriller, set in small town America, written many years ago (2011, but never published) that has been dusted off and slightly updated.

Brent Walker is back home again. After a decade as a lawyer in the big city, Brent returns to Concord Georgia to care for his mother, suffering from the onset of Alzheimer’s. He has taken a general council position at the Southern Republic Paper Company, the company that basically runs the town, the company that his dad retired from and that his best friend, Hank Reid, is the Union president at. Southern Republic is owned by three partners who have managed to buck the financial ups and downs and keep the company profitable throughout the years. Brent is also reconnecting with an old flame, someone who he should have married, and maybe hoping for a second chance at happiness.

But all is not well behind the scenes. One of the secrets to keeping the company profitable is a murder scheme where expensive retirees and employees have “accidents” or die suddenly, reducing the company obligations. Now as one of three owners is dying himself, he has second thoughts and wants to make amends through Brent. But the other owners are not just going to go down quietly without a fight. Can Hank and Brent survive long enough to put an end to the murders?

As usual, Mr. Berry sets the scene and provides plenty of action and suspense, with a few surprises along the way. You need to suspend your disbelief in the basic premise, but if you do it’s a fun ride the rest of the way.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

The List
By Steve Berry

Fans of Steve Berry know that he has been writing thrillers for a long time, stand-alone novels as well as his popular Cotton Malone series. This book, it seems, was actually an early work that the author stored away in a drawer until he finally reworked it into a book he felt was fit to publish.
I am glad he did.

This is a stand-alone with a protagonist named Brent Walker, an attorney who, after five years living away, has just accepted a job working for the paper mill which is the town's largest employer. Walker is a flawed, but basically good man, who has moved back to help his mother, recently diagnosed with alzheimer's disease.

In short order, the reader learns what drove him out in the first place; an unhappy marriage which ended with his wife's suicide – due to his long-standing love of another woman.

But soon we are introduced to the triumvirate who own the mill – Chris Bozin, Hamilton Lee, and Larry Hughes. These men are sharks who, over the years, have devised a plan – the Priority – to get around any and all obstacles to their success. The Priority program involved murder for hire - and many good employees and retirees died to avoid the costs to the company of their healthcare or retirement funds.

When the owners feel threatened with exposure for their crimes, the deaths pile up. Walker, together with Hank Reid (the ex-mayor and strong man union leader), discover what is going on and vow to stop it. In typical Berry fashion, the tension ratchets up.

I really enjoyed this story. While I have a soft spot for Cotton Malone, it is good to meet a new main character.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

A stand-alone novel by the author of the Cotton Malone series. I was excited to see a departure from the Cotton Malone books and interested to see what Berry would do. Some familiar themes arise here but not too dissimilar to his previous work, if you are familiar. Enjoyed the ending.

This was a good story that kept you reading to see how it all unfolded. It’s a story of corporate greed and corruption and the good guys trying to fight it.

Well Steve Berry does it again and hits this one out of the park. This book gave me a case of the heebie-jeebies and that does not happen very often. The characters were brilliant. Well planned and executed. So many layers of deceit. All round great book.
Thank you NetGalley, Steve Berry and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I love Steve Berry's other series and thought this book was very good, too! I liked the main character and the setting. I thought the mystery was well done and kept me guessing.

A Grisham like legal thriller. Doesn't contain Cotton Malone but the characters are just as strong. Seems like a simple story of lawyer comes home and works for the major company in a small town. Time for union negotiations and you expect the conflict will be between the lawyer and his mentor the head of one of the unions except it isn't. The company is owned by 3 men. There is more to them than meets the eye and the end is a splendid twist.

4.5 stars
STRONG recommendation

Wow, what a departure from the ubiquitous Cotton Malone series with thrillers based on history! This is a contemporary thriller that somehow sadly rings true with corporate greed!!

The basic premise is that a young lawyer and a union leader discover criminal misdeeds by the three owners/shareholders of the paper mill where they are employed. Once the secrets are discovered, it is a suspenseful, exciting, and wild ride.

The writing, plot, and character development are strong. This was a perfect read for the long weekend. When this book is published in July, it will be a good beach or pool read.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7594449504 - posted 5/26/2025
The StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/434e295c-7059-4877-ab6f-541b4e4b1008?redirect=true - posted 5/26/2025
booksbydorothea Blog: https://booksbydorothea.blogspot.com/2025/05/review-list-earcebook.html - posted 5/26/2025

The underlying plot was good but the story jumped around with to many characters, it made it difficult to know who was who until well into the story. Didn't care for the religious aspect especially in a book that was this malevolent.

I have read a lot of Steve Berry and this is the first that didn't meet his usual standard.

This was a bit different than a typical Steve Berry book, but good in its own right. It reminds me more of a dark action thriller with a disturbing premise. What if a business or insurance company killed off its most costly employees to save money and line the pockets of its CEOs? The story's pace kept me reading to the deadly conclusion, and the protagonist is likable, and his storyline is also intriguing. If you like action series, you'll highly enjoy this book! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book offered a really unique concept. I found it a little too believable in this day and age.

There were many perspectives offered throughout this book which I enjoyed overall. I did find out a bit challenging to keep all of the separate characters and storylines organized in my mind as I read.

The first part of the book really set the foundation for the action that came later on. I found it a bit dry at first, but I really wanted to see what would happen.

This was my first book by this author, but it's not my last! I really thought he developed the characters well and the story sucked me in quickly.

Thanks to Net Galley for the book to review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Grand Central Publishing and Steve Berry for allowing me to read this book prior to publishing. I have loved Steve's books for many years and this one did not disappoint.
Brent Walker, a lawyer has come back to his home town in central Georgia, a small town called Concord. Ten years ago, he closes his law practice and moved away after the death of his wife. His father died, two yrs ago, and he has moved back to take care of his ailing mother and has been hired by the primary employer in this area, Southern Republic Pulp and Paper Company as an assistant general counsel.
Southern Republic controls most of what occurs in Concord, Ga and employs most of the population in this area. They have survived when other mills have gone under largely due to a program called 'Priority". Only the 3 owners, and their head of security is aware of this program as it could be considered 'highly unethical".
One of the owners, Chris Bozin, has a change of heart, and challenges Brent to find out the secret of the Priority program and end it once and for all. With this charge, comes danger from the other two owners and their security staff but Brent is focused on getting to the truth, as long as he can survive and also maybe may his return to his home town something that he has wanted for a long time.
This book kept me guessing and once I started it I could not put it down. The concept of this book was fascinating and has all the elements of a great thriller. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good, thrilling, mystery to read.

This one took me a bit to get in to. Brent moves back to his small home town after a stint in Atlanta to become general counsel for the paper mill that basically malts up the bulk of the towns jobs. His old buddy, Hank, heads up on over the labor unions at the plant. When it’s time for union negotiations things get crazy. Hank, trying to get the upper hand has a grind pull some company files. In these files he finds a mysterious document listing out random numbers. As Hank and Brent work together they begin to decide the numbers and find themselves in the crosshairs of a company sponsored hitman.

The story jumps between various POVs which is why I think it took me a bit to get settled into the story. But as the story progresses, the action picks up and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The List is a book that held my attention from the very beginning. Brent Walker returns to his home town to take a job as assistant counsel for the largest employer around, a paper mill. He wasn’t expecting to be caught up in a bunch of corporate shenanigans, but that’s what happened. Brent is a likable character, who has mixed feelings about returning to the place where his wife committed suicide. The other characters in the book are well developed, and after a few chapters, the reader is rooting for some and against others.

If you like books in the John Grisham style, you’ll enjoy this book. It is every bit as good as one of Grisham’s books.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book.

Berry delivers a suspense novel of corporate corruption in a small Georgia town. A fast-paced story, the right amount of tension and complex characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #TheList