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    The Columbus Affair: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Columbus Affair: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Columbus Affair: A Novel
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    The Columbus Affair: A Novel

    Written by Steve Berry

    Narrated by Scott Brick

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A family's secret, a ruthless fanatic, and a covert arm of the American government-all are linked by a single puzzling possibility:

    What if everything we know about the discovery of America was a lie? What if that lie was designed to hide the secret of why Columbus sailed in 1492? And what if that 500-year-old secret could violently reshape the modern political world?

    Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Tom Sagan has written hard-hitting articles from hot spots around the world. But when one of his stories from the Middle East is exposed as a fraud, his professional reputation crashes and burns. Now he lives in virtual exile-haunted by bad decisions and a shocking truth he can never prove:  that his downfall was a deliberate act of sabotage by an unknown enemy. But before Sagan can end his torment with the squeeze of a trigger, fate intervenes in the form of an enigmatic stranger.  This stranger forces Sagan to act-and his actions attract the attention of the Magellan Billet, a top-secret corps of the United States Justice Department that deals with America's most sensitive investigations. Sagan suddenly finds himself caught in an international incident, the repercussions of which will shudder not only Washington, D.C., but also Jerusalem. Coaxed into a deadly cat-and-mouse game, unsure who's friend and who's foe, Sagan is forced to Vienna, Prague, then finally into the Blue Mountains of Jamaica-where his survival hinges on his rewriting everything we know about Christopher Columbus.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 15, 2012
    ISBN9780449008935
    Unavailable
    The Columbus Affair: A Novel
    Author

    Steve Berry

    Steve and Phil were founder members of the TV Cream nostalgia website and have written several books on popular culture.

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    Reviews for The Columbus Affair

    3.5/5

    137 ratings16 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is a self-contained book and does not belong to the Cotton Malone series. Was Columbus a Jew? Around this question Berry wrote his interesting and exciting mystery. In the appendix, Berry explains which facts he has used are historically proven and correct, and that is not a few.Now to the story: The story swings between the times as Columbus his journey, the 20th century and today and between the places Jamaica, USA, Vienna and Prague .. It is about the Jewish temple treasure, which is supposedly hidden by Columbus in Jamaica And only the Levite knows where this is hidden. As always, there is enough 'evil' to have this treasure for themselves.The story is fast-paced and gripping. I like the mix between History and mystery.
    • 2/5
      I have always enjoyed Berry's book - light - easy reads - kind of a quick but interesting ride - mostly based on historical fact. This book is not up to the level of his others. I was never able to connect with the story or the characters. I hope he gets back to his previous level of quality and excitement.
    • 4/5
      Loved it. Steve Berry is one of the better historical fiction writers today. I love the background info at the end of the book telling you what is fact and fiction. And even though this book stands on its own, I love that it still has a tie in to the Magellan Billet from the other books in the series.
    • 3/5
      Interesting twist to Christopher Columbus and a neat little thriller.
    • 4/5
      Intriguing plot, very interesting history, but rather vanilla characters. I do like how Berry presented the idea that Christopher Columbus could have been jewish, and that's what really drove this book. The current day people in this book just kind of rode along the plot as decorations. Berry has done better than this....
    • 1/5
      This is the second time I've had high hopes for a book by Steve Berry only to be disappointed. It was hard to get into this book, because the characters were unlikable. Even the 'hero' of the story seemed underdeveloped and lacked charm. His daughter, who I think Berry was trying to create sympathy for, was grossly dis likable. The story was frankly boring. It was supposed to be an action adventure book, but it was long winded and self important. I do NOT recommend this book.
    • 2/5
      I have always enjoyed Berry's book - light - easy reads - kind of a quick but interesting ride - mostly based on historical fact. This book is not up to the level of his others. I was never able to connect with the story or the characters. I hope he gets back to his previous level of quality and excitement.
    • 5/5
      Ever since grade school, we have heard the stories of Christopher Columbus and how he ?discovered? America. But what if the things we learned were wrong? I never realized that so many of the details of Columbus?s life are unknown. Even the most elementary aspects of his life, such as where and when he was born, remain a mystery. Like Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code," Steve Berry is able to weave together historical facts with rumors and theories to present a possible answer to one of history?s mysteries, and does so in an enjoyable thrilling manner. I have read many novels where the author has put forth a theory regarding a historical mystery. Some I have agreed with, and some I have not. What matters more to me than accepting the authors premise is how they tell the story and is their theory believable. Another thing I liked about this book was the way Berry devoted several pages at the end of this book to discussing what is fact, what is fiction, and what is conjecture in the preceding chapters. I never thought history could be so exciting and I found myself wishing that Steve Berry had been my teacher. Overall a very enjoyable (and educational) read.
    • 2/5
      When he was at the top of his game, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Tom Sagan could do no wrong. One story, based on scrupulously falsified information ended his career and with pistol in hand was about to end his life. On the verge of pulling the trigger his estranged daughter re-enters his life and she is in some serious trouble. In his quest to save her some long forgotten documents come to light and Tom is on his way to save not only himself and his daughter, but also to unravel a 500 year old mystery surrounding the connection between Columbus, his discovery of the new world and some long lost, but not forgotten, artefacts important to the Jewish faith.

      This book takes on a lot. It has enough history woven into the story to keep it very interesting but it’s a typical thriller.
    • 4/5
      There has been speculation for many years that Christopher Columbus was Jewish and that his voyages to The New World were an attempt to find a new home for Jews who were threatened by the Spanish Inquisition. In fact, his daughter-in-law received Jamaica from the Spanish crown and it was a haven for Jews for 150 years. In THE COLUMBUS AFFAIR, Steve Berry builds on this theory and adds a touch that his mission was to move three artifacts from the original Temple in Jerusalem to safety. While he allegedly accomplishes this task, some modern day people seek out the hiding place for these items with diverse ideas of what to do with them when they are located.The main character, Tom Sagan, was a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist who was exposed as a fraud after one of his reports turned out to be a fraud. Disgraced, he began ghost writing best selling novels. His marriage ended in divorce after it became clear that he was more committed to his work than to his wife and daughter. His daughter, Alle, now in her twenties, hasn’t seen him for several years and despises him. She has teemed up with Zachariah Simon and believes she is helping him to save the items.The story is primarily located in Jamaica, where the relics are believed to be hidden, but also travels to Florida, Vienna, and Prague. It alternates between Columbus’s time and the present. It is filled with adventure, deceit, treachery, and murder.While the book is based on fact, it is primarily fiction. It is well-written and engaging, though it does have a few errors. For example, regarding the coffin of one person, it states, “It took a few minutes to pry off. Long nails had been used, which was appropriate. Abiram would have kept things traditional.” Wooden pegs, not nails, are used in traditional Jewish coffins.At the end of the book, Berry relates what parts of the book are fact, which are fiction, and which might be either.
    • 4/5
      It's been seven years since Steve Berry last did a standalone book. Was this as good as a Cotton Malone book? Well I have to say no to that. I really enjoy the Malone series and at times this felt like a weaker version. But once I got pass the idea of no Malone I started enjoying this a lot more.

      A two-fold adventure one storyline centers on Jamaican Bené Rowe who is searching for a hidden mine to help out his people, the other on US ex-journalist Tom Sagan who is pulled into a web of conspiracy due to his estranged father.

      This is a Steve Berry novel so it's full of ancient conspiracies, myths and legends. This time it is based around Christopher Columbus and the "real" reason for his voyages of discovery. Compared to his other books though this one is fairly toned down. There's a lot less action (that's what happens when you replace a super-spy with a journalist), and a lot less travel. Though the settings in Jamaica sounded great. I would like to visit there one day.

      Overall this wasn't up to the same level of the Malone books. It was enjoyable though and I can understand Berry wanting to take a break. Can't wait for him to return to what he does best though.
    • 4/5
      I liked this book. The author presented a different reason as to why Columbusmat have decided to travel to the West and ultimately discover Jamaica. I know that it is all conjecture on the author's part but, raises an interesting theory. The one thing that I didn't like was the constant telling of history to the introduction of a new person or place. It was especially aggrevating when it happened during an exciting part of the story. The reader felt like yelling, "forget the history lesson and get back to the story!"
    • 4/5
      You cannot go wrong with a Steve Berry book if you want a fun, thrilling and enjoyable read - plus some great historical tidbits. His latest still in hardback is THE COLUMBUS AFFAIR, and it is one of his better books this time focusing on Christopher Columbus - and everything you THOUGHT you knew from grade school - well forget that! Pick up the book for a tantalizing peak at a time and place long forgotten with history you really missed! Berry at his best!
    • 2/5
      A fascinating story, but the book itself was poorly edited.
    • 4/5
      On the second Monday of every October since it became an official federal holiday in 1937, Americans celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus' first arrival in the Americas in 1492. Similar official holidays commemorate the event in Latin and South America, and in Spain. Unofficial remembrances of Columbus' feat predate by hundreds of years the official holidays. But as Steve Berry amply demonstrates in his engaging new thriller, "The Columbus Affair," no one really knows much about the man they've been honoring in scads of Octobers dating back centuries -- perhaps because that is exactly the way Columbus wanted it.Among scant facts known surely is the date of Columbus' departure from Spain to find a new seaway to India. Columbus sailed from the Spanish port of Palos de la Frontera late on the evening of August 2, 1492, bare hours before Ferdinand and Isabella's royal deadline for all Jews to be gone from Spain by August 3. Combining these and the handful of other verifiable facts about Columbus with a myriad of mysteries surrounding everything about the storied explorer from his real name, to his actual birthplace and upbringing, to his physical appearance, to his true religion, Berry weaves an enthralling tale of dangerous modern-day treasure hunting spanning locales from Florida to Jamaica via Vienna, Prague and Cuba. The reluctant hunter at the novel's center is a bitter, broken man named Tom Sagan. Stripped of his family and profession for reasons both just and unjust, the disgraced former journalist finds his imminent suicide interrupted by a forced quest to discover the real Columbus and a legendary treasure, with Sagan's life and the life of his estranged daughter hanging on every perilous step he takes.Berry tells Sagan's captivating story with breakneck pacing, and the plot never slows down. Alone, those make the book a worthwhile read. The addition of a section at the novel's end titled "Writer's Note," where Berry shares the fruits and dead ends of his research into the real Columbus, makes the book even more engrossing.
    • 4/5
      ARC provided by Goodreads GiveawayFormer Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter Tom Sagan is ready to end his life. He’s been called a fraud, his career has ended, his daughter won’t speak to him...what’s left for him? And then...a stranger shows up on his doorstep saying that if Tom doesn’t help him, his daughter will be killed. And Tom is pulled into a whirlwind adventure to solve a mystery dating back to Christopher Columbus and a lost treasure that has been missing for over 2,000 years. This journey will lead Tom, his daughter, and the stranger on a journey from Florida, to Europe, and to Jamaica where the mystery will finally be solved....and everything that we know about Christopher Columbus is changed. I’ve just recently discovered Steve Barry’s novels and was excited to be able to have a chance to read the ARC of his next book, The Columbus Affair. This book follows the similar pattern of his other works, being based in part on historical fact and incredibly well researched, with elements of fiction mixed in. But unlike his other books I’ve read this one just didn’t grab me the same way. In part, because I had trouble relating to the characters. While Tom was a some sympathetic character, his daughter and Simon (the stranger) just seemed completely devoid of any trace of reality. In fact any time the daughter opened her mouth and spoke I wanted to slap her because she came off as so shallow and stupid. I also thought the book was a bit too long. Halfway through the book I was convinced that we were almost done because it seemed like we had solved the mystery and the book had reached its climatic point and then it kept going on. But...even with these two faults the mystery created about the lost treasure, a different type of story about Christopher Columbus, and the history mixed in created an entertaining and interesting story that was worth the read in the end. Barry does an excellent job of research and weaving historical elements into the story. Overall I’d give the book 4 out 5 stars.