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Guest Review – The Patriot
Threat by Steve Berry
The 16th Amendment to the Constitution is why Americans pay
income taxes. But what if there were problems associated with that amendment?
Secrets that call into question decades of tax collecting? In fact, there is a
surprising truth to this hidden possibility.
Cotton Malone, once a member of an elite intelligence
division within the Justice Department known as the Magellan Billet, is now
retired and owns an old bookshop in Denmark. But when his former-boss,
Stephanie Nelle, asks him to track a rogue North Korean who may have acquired
some top secret Treasury Department files—the kind that could bring the United
States to its knees—Malone is vaulted into a harrowing twenty-four hour chase
that begins on the canals in Venice and ends in the remote highlands of
Croatia.
With appearances by Franklin Roosevelt, Andrew Mellon, a
curious painting that still hangs in the National Gallery of Art, and some
eye-opening revelations from the $1 bill, this riveting, non-stop adventure is
trademark Steve Berry—90% historical fact, 10% exciting speculation—a provocative
thriller posing a dangerous question.
What if the Federal income tax is illegal?
Cheryl’s review:
Last year I reviewed The
Lincoln Myth (http://www.redheadedbookchild.com/2014/05/guest-review-lincoln-myth-by-steve-berry.html) and
was happy to have the opportunity to review Steve Berry’s latest, The Patriot Threat.
Cotton Malone is one of my favorite recurring characters in
a book and The Patriot Threat doesn’t
disappoint. Berry writes with a mix of a history lesson and fast-paced action.
As his third Malone book with the United States as the starting point, he
creates a realistic conspiracy incorporating historical figures and politics.
Reading this in April during tax season made it especially speculative: “What
if the Federal income tax is illegal?”
Although I enjoy all Berry’s books, this one was particularly
fun. I couldn’t help but imagine what the country would be like if the Federal
income tax was illegal. I’m familiar with Andrew Mellon’s financial legacy, but
I didn’t know when or how it came about. Secret conversations, blackmail, and
deception related to a President’s decisions also make you wonder what may have
happened in past administrations.
I always appreciate the depth of historical research Berry
does. Starting with the facts, he creates a realistic and though far-fetched, a
believable conspiracy. As an archivist and historian, I also enjoy when his
characters do archival research or visit archives. His explanations at the end
of the book are worth reading to sort through the fiction from fact. While
reading the story it can be hard to tell the difference, which is what makes
the book good. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next!
Thank you, Cheryl!
Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!
red headed book child
