Cotton Malone, a former Justice Department operative who finds solace and succour in an antique bookstore in Denmark, once again teamed up with his love interest/colleague, and international agent, Cassiopeia Vitt in yet another exciting adventure in Steve Berry’s 16th novel of the series. The Kaiser’s Web is full of intrigue, political banter, and historical “what ifs” in the middle of an important election in Germany.
The story kicks off with former US President Danny Daniels who arrives in Germany with secret information to deliver to an old friend, Chancellor Marie Eisenhuth.
While Eisenhuth is running on the platform that the new Germany needs to grow and leave their misdeeds of the past behind, her competitor Theodor Pohl - a product of the Nazi past - believes that he is the long-lost child of one of Hitler’s henchmen, Martin Bormann, and Hitler’s infamous lover, Eva Braun. And he is fanning racial hate and bigotry. Pohl also has a man working for him - Josef Engle - who is a ruthless killer.
Malone and Vitt travel across three continents to uncover the truth behind a mystery that is 75 years in the making. And a glimpse into what might have happened in a Berlin bunker as well as the web of deceit that spun in its aftermath.
On April 30, 1945, when Hitler and his new wife, Braun, apparently took their lives rather than surrender, there is now evidence that contradicts that. While the Russians claimed to have found Hitler’s body and buried it, questions remain about Braun’s.
Malone and Vitt’s extensive research takes them to Chile where they face danger as they unravel the complexities of the post-war fates of many Germans. But neither is willing to dismiss the new facts that have surfaced. That Braun might have escaped with one of Hitler’s confidants and that they had a romantic relationship that bore a child - one who was whisked away and adopted by another family.
Their search for truth eventually takes them to South Africa where they learn just how complex this secret, dubbed the Kaiser’s Web, proves to be.
Eventually, Malone and Vitt have to visit some hidden vaults in Switzerland, where the reader will be offered some astounding revelations. The big finale, held in a bunker under Pohl’s own home, is where the entire plot is unveiled and how it is impacted by the looming shadow of Hitler and the Kaiser’s web.
Recommended to those who love Berry’s work, as well as the readers who enjoy a little historical pondering in their thrillers.