The Atlas Maneuver

I always learn a great deal while reading Steve Berry's novels (not to mention, his Facebook posts) and Cotton Malone #18 is no exception. This time around, I learned all about bitcoin and blockchains as well as the CIA's shady origins. The action is unrelenting with nail-biting thrills taking place simultaneously in multiple locations and chapters flowing into further chapters keeping this reader riveted far beyond his bedtime several nights in a row. As always, I sincerely appreciate Berry's Writer's Note at the end, separating the fiction from the facts. It is always amazing to find out how much of the latter propels the former.

Steve Berry's latest Cotton Mather, The Atlas Maneuver, thriller showed up on my Kindle recently. I finished it in a marathon reading session last night. Berry has a similar style to Dan Brown: some historical authenticity coupled with evil power brokers and conspiracy theories. The chapters are usually short and move between perspectives so we get into the minds of the good AND bad guys. Cotton Mather is a former special agent who retired to run a bookshop in Copenhagen. But he is often pulled into clandestine activities as favors to friends in the intelligence community. He is joined by Cassiopeia Vitt, his partner in love and action. One feature of the series is that Mather often finds himself battling the bad guys in World Heritage show more sites.

Berry takes on blockchain and bitcoin in this installment and I was fascinated. I did not know that El Salvador had adopted bitcoin as legal tender, something that plays a role in the story. show less

The Atlas Maneuver is the 18th Cotton Malone spy thriller from Steve Berry. The story is action packed on 2 fronts. The pace is super fast and it felt like I was reading faster than normal in order to keep up with the pace. In this installment of the series Cotton unravels a mystery from World War II that involves the legendary lost treasure, Yamishita’s Gold, worth billions.

The publisher's summary:

1945. In the waning months of World War II, Japan hid vast quantities of gold and other stolen valuables in boobytrapped underground caches all across the Philippines. By 1947, some of that loot was recovered, not by treasure hunters, but by the United States government, which told no one about the find. Instead, those assets were stamped show more classified, shipped to Europe, and secretly assimilated into something called the Black Eagle Trust.

Present day. Retired Justice Department operative, Cotton Malone, is in Switzerland doing a favor for a friend. But what was supposed to be a simple operation turns violent and Cotton is thrust into a war between the world’s oldest bank and the CIA, a battle that directly involves the Black Eagle Trust. He quickly discovers that everything hinges on a woman from his past, who suddenly reappears harboring a host of explosive secrets centering around bitcoin. The cryptocurrency is being quietly weaponized, readied for an assault on the world’s financial systems, a calculated move that will have devastating consequences. Cotton has no choice. He has to act. But at what cost?

From the stolid banking halls of Luxembourg, to the secret vaults of Switzerland, and finally up into the treacherous mountains of southern Morocco, Cotton Malone is stymied at every turn. Each move he makes seems wrong, and nothing works, until he finally comes face-to-face with the Atlas Maneuver.

Berry has utilized several conspiracy theories surrounding bitcoin and made them into the background for the story. Around the halfway point I was so curious about bitcoin that I stopped reading and went over to Wikipedia to determine what parts of the story were true to life. I was astonished to learn that every fact Berry gave us concerning the creation of the bitcoin, including the name of its creator as well as the rules on buying and selling, were accurate.

Also, there are several figures from real life. We have General Yamashita and his cohort Prince Chichibu as well as the legendary creator of bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoyo. Characters from earlier books in the series have returned in The Atlas Maneuver including Derrick Koger (CIA European station chief) and Casseiopia Vitt (Malone’s lover). In addition, there are several other characters who don't even know who they are really working for. This was confusing for me because I couldn't identify whose side they were on until the end. Instead of adding suspense it created confusion. Also, it amazes me how realistically Berry brings Malone back into the spy world from retirement year after year. Perhaps Cotton Malone should never have retired but it doesn't really matter because his return to work is always seamless.

All of these characters are on the trail of a huge cache of bitcoin that, in the absence of any legal records of ownership, will belong to anyone who can track it down and grab it. As for what the Atlas Maneuver is, I will keep to myself in order to avoid spoiling the fun for future readers.

The Atlas Maneuver is an enjoyable read and I am thrilled to have received a copy from Net Galley. show less

The Atlas Maneuver is a well written and highly researched book about the origins of Bitcoin. Steve Berry did it again with this story. There are unexpected "bad guys" and "good guys" all wanting the same thing. Five stars were given to this review but unfortunately the review will not reveal any of the story, as the reviewer does not want to spoil anything. Enjoy the ride this book provides.