Another Langdon Thriller on the Way

Written by Kyle Slagley

The publishing industry was given a huge boost yesterday when it was announced that Dan Brown’s sixth novel, Inferno, would hit shelves May 14. The novel features Harvard professor Robert Langdon, and involves a harrowing story revolving around Dante’s Inferno. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine.

Brown has had his critics over the years, but his fans are fiercely loyal. Now that Inferno has been announced, those fans are going to be anxiously awaiting that Tuesday release.

Inferno hits shelves on the same date as The King’s Deception – the new Cotton Malone thriller by author Steve Berry, one of my very favorite authors – so historical conspiracy/thriller fans will get a twofer that day. The problem is that May 14 is four months away. What in the world will we do for four months?! Don’t worry; I’ve got a few suggestions to help you pass the time.

The Amber Room by Steve Berry – Berry’s debut novel deals with one of the most tragic losses to the art world during World War II. The Amber Room was stolen by the Nazis on October 14, 1941, from Saint Petersburg and moved to Königsberg in East Prussia. Amid the chaos at the end of the war, it disappeared and has never been seen again. Berry’s novel follows Paul and Rachel Cutler as they follow the dying clues of Rachel’s father. It’s got art, conspiracy, murder, and mystery. Berry’s novels only get better from here.

Raising Atlantis by Thomas Greanias – Another debut thriller, this one follows Dr. Conrad Yeats, a rogue TV personality with a knack for getting in trouble, and Serena Serghetti, a nun entrusted by the Pope with a terrifying secret. Although not what I expected, this is still a highly entertaining read for fans of the Atlantis legend. Greanias also has two more novels in this series: The Atlantis Prophecy and The Atlantis Revelation.

The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury – This thriller should be at the top of the reading list for anyone who even remotely enjoyed any of Brown’s past three novels. The novel begins with a team of men dressed as Templar Knights riding their horses into the Metropolitan Museum during a gala with all Manhattan’s high society in attendance. They ride their horses through the museum, stealing a very valuable relic on display from the Vatican. Did I mention these “Templar knights” were riding horses in the museum? Not as fast as a car, but horses certainly have more of an impact. It’s a fantastic book, and there are two more books to follow this one.

The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry – Did I mention I’m a Steve Berry fan? Berry’s fourth novel kicks off his Cotton Malone series and was really the one that got me hooked. Cotton Malone is a former agent of the Magellan Billet, a secret agency within the United States Justice Department. Despite being retired from the Magellan Billet, Cotton seems to find himself alongside his former boss, Stephanie Nelle, fighting a fight that scholars have been battling for centuries. Cotton is strong, intelligent, and just broken enough to make the character real.

The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl – It’s 1870, and Charles Dickens has just died, leaving behind his unfinished novel. His publisher, James Osgood, along with Rebecca Sand, must dive into the depths of Boston’s opium cartels, thugs-for-hire, and publishing gangs to find the ending to the now famously unfinished Mystery of Edwin Drood. Although this novel is far from perfect, Dickens and Victorian era fans will enjoy it, and how cool would it be if there really were a Victorian Book Mafia?