The Secret Crown

I enjoyed this book about two ex-military buddies who assist a friend in solving historical mysteries. This book is similar to the novels by Dan Brown, Steve Berry, and the Clive Cussler/Grant Blackwood Fargo series. This was the first book I read in this series. It would be better to read the books in the order they are written. There are several characters who pop up in the book that were in previous books that it takes a while to understand their relationship to the main characters.

The humor between the two main characters is interesting though somewhat stereotyped. The action portions of the story are plausible. The history portion maybe based on legend, I was not familiar with this legend to know. Several of the steps in solving show more the mystery and finding the treasure seemed to be little too large based on the information presented leading up to it.

This is a good book to sit down and read and just enjoy. It is perfect for a vacation for some light reading. show less

The Secret Crown by Chris Kazneski is a fast-paced adventure that reminded me a lot of a Clive Cussler novel.

Payne and Jones are ex-members of the MANIACS, a secret, highly trained group of soldiers. A call from a somewhat shady but trusted friend sends them on their way to Bavaria where they discover a clue to a long-rumored treasure hidden by King Ludwig, II, the Swan King. They, of course, are not the only ones on the trail and have to solve the riddles left behind by the long-dead King while also doing battle with the armed forces set out to stop them.

This book was a lot of fun and didn’t take itself too seriously. The banter between Payne and Jones reminded me of Cussler’s Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino and was one of my favorite show more parts of the story. The historical tie to the real King Ludwig, II was a very interesting foundation to the story, and the description of the real life places in and around Bavaria was fascinating. It added a lot to the story. (Once you are finished with the book, go to the author’s website and check out photos of the real-life locales described. But don’t go before, because it contains spoilers.)

The action sequences were well-done and kept the pace of the book moving along quickly, which is what I look for in a good thriller. The riddles and solutions were clever and the real-life antics and achievements of King Ludwig added a lot of flavor to the story.

My only complaint, and it’s a mild one, is the way in which some of the background information, including the history of King Ludwig, was revealed. It was almost entirely related through characters lecturing about it rather than shown in flashbacks to the time in question. The jeopardy of the heroes themselves never seemed too serious, although the battles were realistic and the outcome never entirely assured.

All in all, this book is a fun, light-hearted adventure with exciting action sequences and a very interesting back story. It made me look forward to reading other books in the series.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book through LibraryThing. show less

Prior to reading the last few chapters, I was prepared to give Chris Kuzneski’s “The Secret Crown” three stars. But given how it ended and the book’s title…I mean, c’mon. Let’s just say it’s analogous to "The Empire Strikes Back" being titled "Vader is Luke’s Dad" or "The Sixth Sense" being called "The Doctor’s Dead."

The novel tells of retired special ops buddies Jon Payne and David Jones, a wise-cracking duo who have a knack for treasure hunting. Care to guess what treasure they’re hunting for in “The Secret Crown?” But that’s the problem. It's one thing if we or the characters already know what they were looking for, and it was just a matter of unraveling various puzzles and traps. But all we know is show more there’s a treasure. Once we find out what it is…well…duh. It’s also extremely anti-climactic.

I liked the humor between the two main protagonists, although they were rather one-dimensional. The action was relatively well done, but there were long periods of explanation of King Ludwig II’s eccentricities that really slowed down the book. So pacing was a significant problem here.

Payne and Jones are called to the aid of a quasi criminal/friend, Kaiser, who needs their skills to hunt for this unknown treasure. But Kaiser, a former US supply sergeant (who now supplies other stuff to the highest bidders) has a severe problem with a competitor. However, we really find nothing out about this competitor other than he sends “goons” after our heroes. Kuzneski’s constant use of “goon” for the bad guys was extremely annoying. Goon? Really? This isn’t a 1930s Chicago gangster story. Can’t you think of another term?

I might have better enjoyed the book had I read the previous stories of Payne and Jones (as their adventures are referred to often). But unless a novel clearly states it’s part of a series, it’s not the reader’s responsibility to go back and read earlier works…especially if he won the book as a part of LT’s Early Reviewer program.

When it comes down to it, “The Secret Crown” is a history lesson about Ludwig II with a little action, wise-cracking, and puzzle-solving thrown in. show less

This is another Jones and Payne (former Special Forces members) adventure that takes them to Bavaria and the lost treasure of King Ludwig II. I found the camaraderie and banter between the two sometimes hysterical; sometimes irritating as they search for a secret from the past. Of course, they’d rather be at Oktoberfest then battling the bad guys.

Although, sometimes a little far-fetched, this is an enjoyable escapist novel that is filled with historical references, that it made me want to visit Bavaria and the castles built by Ludwig.

This review is of the uncorrected galley proof and, as such, may not reflect the final published version. This was my first Kazneski novel and, I must say, definitely made me want to pick up the others he has written. I was originally drawn to the book based on its setting. I've traveled extensively in Bavaria, and am quite familiar with mad King Ludwig, so I was interested in a novel wrapped around his story. The book did not disappoint with regard to its depictions of the area, the back-story of Ludwig's reign, and the action of the plot. Overall pacing of the story was decent and the action scenes were very enjoyable. Kuzneski moves the story along and interweaves several plot elements into a seamless narrative.

On the "not-as-good" show more side, Kuzneski's dialog between the main characters is a bit trite and cliche. Even considering I came into this series midway, the character development was stilted and uneven. Side comments made by the main characters left the reader wondering as to deeper meaning and, on occasion, begged further explanation. Additionally, from a "flow" point-of-view, there were several instances in the novel where lengthy, superfluous, descriptions and narratives distracted from the chain of events and plot pacing. Lastly, I found the ending a bit abrupt and unfulfilling. While I acknowledge this is one in a series and the story will resume (one assumes) in the next installment, "The Secret Crown" did leave the reading hanging as to a couple of plot elements particular to this storyline.

All-in-all, a very decent read for fun, relaxing entertainment. I'll definitely be adding Kuzneski's other works to my wish list. show less

While this was a quick and undemanding read I didn't enjoy it as much as his previous books.

I didn't like the way that one bad guy was introduced and then nothing much was done with him, I am assuming that he is going to play a major role in the next book otherwise there is no point to this character.

I also didn't like the way everybody dismissed as irrelevant something that DJ discovered and that he thought would be important in solving the mystery, but what annoyed me more about this is that when DJ is proved right nobody apologises.

The plot isn't bad, but Kuzneski was apparently told that his novel was too short, because the "banter" among the characters is so forced and false that there can be no other reason for it. The idea that Payne and Jones can run amok through Bavaria -- especially during Oktoberfest -- killing ten or more bad guys with no repercussions [OK, they do have a buddy at Interpol who seems to be their "cleaner"] is incredible, and they manage to get out of other scrapes with equal aplomb. Neither of them has any qualms about shooting first and not having to ask questions later.
If I were at all interested in Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria, this novel would make me lose that interest in a hurry. Don't waste your time.