In the mesmerizing
“The Kaiser’s Web” (Minotaur, 452 pages, $28.99), the tried and true Steve Berry exceeds even himself in crafting his most ambitious and relevant thriller to date. A no-holds-barred, high-stakes romp with echoes of class spy novelists like John le Carré, Len Deighton, and Alistair MacLean.
Berry’s Hitchcockian “McGuffin” this time out is a Soviet spy dossier dating back to World War II that has the potential to upend the balance of power in Europe and, thus, the world. Good thing hero-without-portfolio Cotton Malone is on the job to prevent a catastrophic conclusion to an election in Germany, making that country only the first to fall in the face of the true fate of the primary Nazi principles. And the race is on to recover the mysterious dossier of the title that contains the terrifying revelations certain to bring the world to its knees.