About the Author

Steve Berry lives in Florida, USA, with his wife and daughter. He is a lawyer who has travelled extensively throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, and Russia and has so far published seven international thrillers, including THE VENETIAN BETRAYAL and THE CHARLEMAGNE PURSUIT. His most recent four books have all been New York Times and international bestsellers, and his books have been published in 42 countries and translated into 38 languages. Visit his website at www.steveberry.org.

Reviews

Ingeniously plotted . . . Berry offers plenty of twists and vivid action scenes in a feat of historical imagination - Publisher's WeeklyBerry builds on actual historical facts to create a no-holds-barred thriller guaranteed to increase the pulse of the reader - The Associated Press[a] page turner - Los Angeles TimesA top-notch, gripping, intelligent thriller in the very finest traditions of the genre - Peter James on THE PARIS VENDETTAYou don't just read a Steve Berry novel. You live it. - James RollinsSteve Berry always finds intriguing ways to link the past to the present in his fast-paced thrillers. - Harlan Coben on THE PARIS VENDETTAAll the Berry hallmarks are here: scale, scope, sweep, history - plus breathless second-by-second suspense. I love this guy. - Lee Child on THE PARIS VENDETTASexy, illuminating...my kind of thriller - Dan Brown on THE AMBER ROOM

In his first stand-alone thriller since 2005, Berry (The Jefferson Key) takes advantage of the enigma that was Christopher Columbus to create a fascinating blend of legends, fables, contested historical facts, and imaginative fiction. Tom Sagan, a disgraced journalist of Jewish descent, is about to commit suicide when he is coerced into a plot to decipher secrets hidden in the coffin of his father. Sagan's estranged daughter, Alle, has fallen into the hands of ruthless Zachariah Simon, a wealthy Orthodox Jew in search of a treasure supposedly hidden by Columbus somewhere in Jamaica. Simon has temporarily allied himself with Bene Rowe, a Jamaican Maroon, descendant of runaway slaves, who has his own reasons for finding the treasure. But does it exist and, if so, what exactly is it? Many will risk their lives to learn the truth. VERDICT Thriller readers-from fans of Dan Brown's ciphers to Clive Cussler's fantastic adventures-will savor this intoxicating amalgam of Taino (indigenous) myth, Maroon legend, the history of Jews in Jamaica, the peregrinations of Temple treasures following Titus's sacking of Jerusalem in 70 C.E., and Columbus's mysterious deeds in the West Indies. Sure to be another best seller. [See Prepub Alert, 11/7/11; library marketing.]-Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This engrossing stand-alone thriller from bestseller Berry (The Third Secret) assumes the premise that Columbus was a Jew, Christoval Arnoldo de Ysassi, forced to convert to Christianity, and that aboard his ships were sacred artifacts rescued from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, including a golden menorah, which he hid on his last voyage to the New World. On the trail of those artifacts and a rumored gold mine are Bene Rowe, a wealthy and powerful Jamaican Maroon, and Zachariah Simon, a Jew intent on returning the artifacts to Jerusalem. The grave of Abiram Sagan, father of disgraced reporter Tom Sagan, may hold the key to finding the treasures. Simon succeeds in reawakening the reporter's dormant investigative skills, prompting a quest that wends through Vienna, Prague, and 500 years of history before culminating in the caves of Jamaica. Berry's imaginative mix of Judaic and Columbus lore as well as Tom's transformation from suicidal flop to heroic everyman should please his many fans. Author tour. Agent: Simon Lipskar, Writers House. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.