Steve Berry's latest thriller The Emperor's Tomb (#42) takes retired Justice Department operative Cotton Malone to Belgium to rescue his sometime lover Cassiopeia Vitt after he receives an internet video feed of her being tortured. Who has her, and why are they trying to lure Cotton? The Chinese are involved and the emperor of the title is Qin Shi, the first emperor of China, dead for more than 2,200 years. An artifact from his tomb has precipitated the entire series of events involving Malone, Vitt and her Russian friend Sokolov.
In this novel, everyone wants the artifact because of the potential political and economic implications. There are double agents, Russians, Americans, Chinese, exiles, defectors, and yes, even eunuchs, each with their own agendas. No one is who he or she seems. Kidnappings, tortures, close calls and fires abound. As his boss says, no World Heritage site is safe when Cotton Malone is around. In this case, it's the Emperor's Tomb near Xi'an, China, that is in peril. You'll know it as the site of the thousands of terra cotta warriors unearthed in the 70s. The burial site is huge, but the Chinese government has never allowed the actual grave itself to be excavated.
An interesting read, especially with China and the Middle East so much in the news these days. If Berry's premise were true, it would certainly put a different spin on world markets and events. Something to think about, and isn't that what the best books do; provoke thought?
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