The Secret Crown by Chris Kuzneski

I wrapped up The Secret Crown by Chris Kuzneski a couple weeks ago. It's another Payne and Jones action on the trail of history and treasure story. This one centers on the possibility of the existence of Ludwig II, the Swan King, and his hidden treasure. Some of which may be property of foreign nations. Most of the action in the book takes place in Bavaria, with references and wonderful descriptions of Schloss Neuschwanstein, Schloss Linderhof, and several other castles and buildings ordered built by Ludwig. The story starts off fun enough with Payne and Jones asked to look at a bunker discovered by old friend Kaiser, a prior service supply soldier stationed in Europe who know ran an underground supply exchange across the globe from Germany, that contained gold and art long since lost to World War II. An eager foot soldier for Kaiser's main rival notices the commotion in the forest by the bunker and sees this as an opportunity to move up in his organization. Unfortunately for him Payne and Jones react well to adversity. Unfortunately for the story this is where the violence seemed to occur for the sake of violence. Kaiser's main rival Mueller, and his organization learn Kaiser was present for the commotion along with Petr Ulster from the Ulster Archives. Interest piqued but without really knowing what Kaiser found Mueller has his men chase Payne and Jones to the Linderhof palace. Payne and Jones can still handle themselves even with their backs to the wall so the confrontation at the Linderhof Palace doesn't really last long. Ultimately Payne, Jones, Petr Ulster, and a woman called Heidi (who in typical fashion is attractive and flirtatious with Payne) they met at the King's House on Schachen, eventually follow the clues found to a jeweler in Munich who'd been taught to wait for someone to show up with the right information so he could pass on the crown made for Ludwig II. Payne and Jones enlist another old friend, Nick Dial from Interpol, to help clean up the trail of bloodshed before wrapping the action up. All in all it was a fun quick read with the typical action and predictable banter. However the banter at times seemed too generic and contrived and the violence seemed needless. This book seemed more of a springboard into stories featuring Kaiser and Mueller. Not the best Payne and Jones but still a fun read.

Sword of God by Chris Kuzneski

Chris Kuzneski delivers another fun Payne and Jones story in Sword of God. The content can be touchy, or even controversial to some readers, however the story still delivers just read it with a grain of salt. The tale starts on the island of Jeju in Korea, beautifully described as the Korean Hawaii. The beauty is corrupted by the find of a torture chamber inside a cave by a small and curious boy from a local village. In typical Payne and Jones fashion the action builds from there bringing the reader on a fun, and fast paced adventure culminating in Saudi Arabia at the holy city of Mecca. The typical quips and euphemisms Payne and Jones are known for are ever present as well as the simplified references to military operations and lifestyle. Mr. Kuzneski writes fun action stories and this one is no exception. Although this story trespasses in the somewhat taboo topics of Islam and the Quran it does present positive characters and negative characters from all walks of life. Of interest is the potential find of original pages that the Quran was built from. All in all a fast read, somewhat violent, and not to be taken seriously.

Sign of the Cross by Chris Kuzneski

I recently finished another Chris Kuzneski work, "Sign of the Cross." The reason for reading more Payne and Jones is simple, they're fun! Despite the somewhat corny dialogue the bond between the two main characters is clearly deeper than blood. The name of their previous military affiliation seems contrived however the unit described is well within the realm of possibilities given the joint nature of armed forces and the coordination between military and civilian entities under DSCA (Defense Support to Civil Authorities) operations. All that aside, it really is a fun read through history. Payne and Jones find themselves detained in Spain for unknown reasons, however it becomes apparent that a group with influence on the Spanish law enforcement agencies and knowledge of the pair are behind the detention. Coerced via the detention to assist the agents purporting to be representative of the CIA, the heroes engage in a cross-european adventure chasing a Professor presented as an international thief. Along the way the two learn the truth about the Professor, his assistant, and their "CIA" representatives. Payne and Jones discover some curious facts about the story of Christ's Crucifixion, the Roman Emperor Tiberius, the Catholic Church, Tiberius' General Paccius, and Pontius Pilate. All the while Payne and Jones along with Detective Nick Dial of Interpol lead the reader from Kronborg Castle in Denmark to Orvieto Italy, Tripoli, Libya,the Forbidden City in China, and Boston, Massachusetts in a chase of Benito Pelati. Despite the book blending in with the many other historical religious adventures saturating the market this book stands out due to it's main characters and their bond. AS stated above, it's simply fun! Don't take it too seriously.

The Plantation - Chris Kuzneski

I finished another Chris Kuzneski book today, The Plantation. It's another Payne and Jones story by Mr. Kuzneski. Jon Payne and David Jones served together in an ultra elite military organization called the MANIACs, or Marine Army Navy Intelligence Air Force Coast Guard. The group is comprised of the best Special Forces operators and tacticians from all the military, intelligence and homeland security branches. While somewhat simplistic as opposed the Magellan Billet of Steve Berry/Cotton Malone fame the group serves as a catalyst for the camaraderie and unspoken bond between the two main characters defining their ability to execute deadly missions together with little or no planning at all. However if you are a true student of tactics, wartime operations and missions, and military planning this is not likely the book for you as it does not delve into tactical decision making or Special Forces type procedures. The Plantation is Mr. Kuzneski's first published novel and debut's the main characters, Payne and Jones. The story begins with several abductions, one being the girlfriend of Mr. Payne who just happens to be an ex SF commander and CEO of a major corporation out of Pennsylvania. He pairs with his best friend, his former second in command, David Jones who now runs a detective agency from space within Payne's corporation. The two track down the abducted girlfriend by identifying a tattoo and learning the license plate of the van that drove off with the girlfriend. The story takes the pair to New Orleans where they stumble across an obvious enemy in an amazing coincidence of acquaintance in former NFL player Levon Greene. It is painfully obvious that Greene is playing the two fro the outset when he conveniently disappears to use the bathroom while the two heroes press a local tattoo artist for info on the tattoo after Greene begged to be a part of the action. When our heroes firearms don't work, acquired by Greene for them, they fail to consider Greene as an enemy again. This running theme of failure to notice the obvious works against readers who thrive on accuracy and detail however Kuzneski's story is more a fun fast paced adventure that uses simple drivers such as the MANIACs and disregard of the obvious to keep the story going. In fact even after the shooting at the tattoo parlor the New Orleans police release Payne and Jones without ever bring them to a police station. The end result is the discovery and destruction of a secluded island being used as a plantation similar to pre-Civil War times, where white slaves are being put to work and viciously abused by their new captors after their abductions. Payne and Jones, with the help of a local named Bennie Blunt (another obvious actor playing a part to mislead, in this case the plantation owners)do a great job of destroying the operations on the island but do not save all the captives or get to Greene and his lone surviving conspirator, Octavian Holmes. Using a hard drive found on the island Payne and Jones are able to track Greene, Holmes, and the rest of the captives to Nigeria where they are intended to be sold. Once again they successfully destroy a compound and save some more captives and are lead to the final battle wherein the eventually have an almost anticlimactic final face off with Greene and Holmes ultimately freeing the remaining captives including Payne's girlfriend. Of course the raid in Nigeria occurred with the complete active MANIACs team, all of whom survive. In the end the superficial nature and out of place dialogues and jokes don't detract from the fast paced and fun. If you have a flight and get stuck in an airport this may be a great way to pass the time.

The Lost Throne

I recently finished The Lost Throne by Chris Kuzneski. It was pretty good, in fact I prefer this book to the Paul Christopher Templar series by far. Although I don't believe it's quite up to Steve Berry, in my opinion, it's still a worthwhile read and I am sure to look for more in the Payne and Jones series. Despite the contrived convergence of the characters and events the story kept moving and didn't dwell on needless detail or side story. The main characters were likable and mostly believable. The book inspires more interest in Greek islands, Turkey, and the Orthodox monasteries. Overall I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an enjoyable, historical, fast paced book as a great escape from reality.