I have just finished reading one of Steve Berry’s books: The Venetian Betrayal. It’s not as good as Romanov Prophecy, but it is an interesting read as well.

I always love the main character: Cotton Malone, who was also in the book that I previously read, The Charlemagne Pursuit. A former Justice Department agent, but now a book dealer. Seems like he just could not lead a normal life even after an early retirement. The importance of the Elephant medallion bugged me but made it more difficult to put down the book! The other characters who solved the mysteries were impressive as well. I especially like Cassiopeia Vitt, Cotton Malone’s love interest, for being so fearless and stubborn.

Do forgive me but I’m not really good at making synopsis. Also, I don’t want to give spoilers.

I could not entirely detest Zovastina, one of the villains. After all, she did all those ruthless things because of her obsession with Alexander the Great and finding the cure for aids! But making all those zoonosis to be used as biological weapons was unforgivable. The other bad guy, Enrico Vincenti, was so obsessed with money that he hid for twenty years the cure for aids! He was, in his words, “building up the market”. How these two were stopped, I guess you have to read the book to find out.

Reading this book somehow rekindled a fear in me. Zoonoses are really out there. And there are those pharmaceutical guys who are taking advantage of the zoonoses to make billions. It is also possible that the “draught” mentioned in the book really exists. Imagine, something that could cure aids, probably cancer, Mesothelioma, flu, anything! The draught could also resemble complete faith in God!