Cotton Malone has been sent on a treasure hunt by the
Smithsonian Institute. For over 160 years people have been
searching for the hidden treasures of the Knights of the
Golden Circle. As Cotton and Cassiopeia get close to finding
clues, they discover Cotton has a very deep connection to
the Order. Their search continues even as thing get
dangerous due to the intervening of some very powerful people.
The Knights of the Golden Circle have split into two groups.
Both are hoping to find the treasure and ensure their power
base. Cotton must deal with the intervention of the widow of
a very powerful senator, the Speaker of the House and The
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. While Cotton's search
is going on his friend Ex- President Danny Daniels is
dealing with some issues of his own. Danny and Stephanie
Nelles are both in danger, and things may cost one of them
their life.
Cotton Malone is a great character with a good supporting
cast. I do like that even though Danny Daniels is out of
office he has maintained a place in the storyline. It is
very interesting to read how he is coping with being a
former president and how people now treat him.
Steve Berry once again uses a historical truth to turn out
an interesting story. The Knights of the Golden Circle were
a real thing and though one hopes not, they could still be
around. Steve Berry does his research and then fascinates us
with ideas never would have come up with. His story lines
are a little predictable, I knew who the leaders were as
soon as the characters were introduced, but that doesn't
take away from the concept as a whole. THE LOST ORDER is
full of political intrigue and historical stories you will
find fascinating.
The Knights of the Golden Circle was the largest and most
dangerous clandestine organization in American history. It
amassed billions in stolen gold and silver, all buried in
hidden caches across the United States. Since 1865 treasure
hunters have searched, but little of that immense wealth has
ever been found.
Now, one hundred and sixty years later, two factions of what
remains of the Knights of the Golden Circle want that lost
treasure—one to spend it for their own ends, the other to
preserve it.
Thrust into this battle is former Justice Department agent
Cotton Malone, whose connection to the knights is far deeper
than he ever imagined. At the center is the Smithsonian
Institution—linked to the knights, its treasure, and Malone
himself through an ancestor, a Confederate spy named Angus
“Cotton” Adams, whose story holds the key to everything.
Complicating matters are the political ambitions of a
reckless Speaker of the House and the bitter widow of a
United States Senator, who together are planning radical
changes to the country. And while Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt
face the past, ex-president Danny Daniels and Stephanie
Nelle confront a new and unexpected challenge, a threat that
may cost one of them their life.
From the backrooms of the Smithsonian to the deepest woods
in rural Arkansas, and finally up into the rugged mountains
of northern New Mexico, The Lost Order by Steve Berry
is a perilous adventure into our country’s dark past, and a
potentially even darker future.