Стив Берри - The Kaiser's Web--A Novel

Why is this happening?

A number of factors are contributing.

The greatest mass movement of humanity since the beginning of the 20th century, refugees from Eastern Europe, Turkey, Africa, and the Middle East, has placed an enormous strain on resources. A decade of little to no European economic growth has only added to the frustration, as has the failure of the old social welfare state. A generation of strong leaders are aging and dying off, their places taken by less competent populists who have a growing disillusionment with the European Union. They argue that the EU is no longer a place of peace, prosperity, cooperation, and harmony.

And many are agreeing.

Which has made it easy to spur the rise of nationalism.

Compounding this is widespread voter apathy and an inherent inability of government to counter extremism.

So instead of fading away, fanatics prosper.

Sadly, memories of World War II, the Holocaust, and the gulags fade by the day. New-right leaders promise a return to the strong welfare state of the past, but with the caveat that it be ethnically and racially bound. They spew forth a range of patriarchal, racist, and homophobic ideas, each made more palatable by wrapping those concepts in racial purity and national honor.

And they are winning elections.

Even more important, they are framing issues.

And the old wisdom is correct.

He who frames an issue, wins that issue more often than not.

Sadly, what Hitler said so long ago still rings true today.

The masses have little time to think.

And how incredible is the willingness of modern man to believe.

ALSO BY STEVE BERRY

C OTTON M ALONE N OVELS

The Warsaw Protocol

The Malta Exchange

The Bishop’s Pawn

The Lost Order

The 14th Colony

The Patriot Threat

The Lincoln Myth

The King’s Deception

The Jefferson Key

The Emperor’s Tomb

The Paris Vendetta

The Charlemagne Pursuit

The Venetian Betrayal

The Alexandria Link

The Templar Legacy

S TAND-ALONE N OVELS

The Columbus Affair

The Third Secret

The Romanov Prophecy

The Amber Room

C ASSIOPEIA V ITT N OVELLAS (WITH M. J. R OSE)

The Museum of Mysteries

The Lake of Learning

The House of Long Ago

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

STEVE BERRYis the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of sixteen Cotton Malone novels, four stand-alones, and several works of short fiction. He has 25 million books in print, translated into 40 languages. With his wife, Elizabeth, he is the founder of History Matters, which is dedicated to historical preservation. He serves as an emeritus member of the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board and was a founding member of International Thriller Writers, formerly serving as its co-president. You can sign up for email updates here.

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CONTENTS

Title Page

Copyright Notice

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Epigraph

Prologue

Three Days Later

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Five

Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Seven

Chapter Forty-Eight

Chapter Forty-Nine

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty-One

Chapter Fifty-Two

Chapter Fifty-Three

Chapter Fifty-Four

Chapter Fifty-Five

Chapter Fifty-Six

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Chapter Sixty

Chapter Sixty-One

Chapter Sixty-Two

Chapter Sixty-Three

Chapter Sixty-Four

Chapter Sixty-Five

Chapter Sixty-Six

Chapter Sixty-Seven

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Chapter Seventy

Chapter Seventy-One

Chapter Seventy-Two

Chapter Seventy-Three

Chapter Seventy-Four

Chapter Seventy-Five

Chapter Seventy-Six

Chapter Seventy-Seven

Chapter Seventy-Eight

Chapter Seventy-Nine

Writer’s Note

Also by Steve Berry

About the Author

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

First published in the United States by Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group

THE KAISER’S WEB. Copyright © 2021 by Steve Berry. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.

www.minotaurbooks.com

Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein

Cover images: flag © Negro Elkha / Shutterstock.com; Nazi pin © Collaboration JS / Arcangel; texture © Abstractor / Shutterstock.com

The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

Names: Berry, Steve, 1955– author.

Title: The kaiser’s web / Steve Berry.

Description: First edition. | New York: Minotaur Books, 2021. | Series: Cotton Malone; 16 | Identifiers: LCCN 2020040135 | ISBN 9781250140340 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250797988 (international, sold outside the U.S., subject to rights availability) | ISBN 9781250140357 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Malone, Cotton (Fictitious character)—Fiction. | Political fiction. | GSAFD: Suspense fiction. | Spy stories. | LCGFT: Novels.

Classification: LCC PS3602.E764 K35 2021 | DDC 813/.6—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020040135

eISBN 9781250140357

Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.

First Edition: 2021