A Book Review: The Secret Crown by Chris Kuzneski (Jonathan Payne and David Jones #6)

When it comes to reading fictions, some people like their fictional novels based on facts, while some people like fictions based on imaginative worlds.

I think there is value in both types of fictions and I enjoy reading both of them. This is why I try to mix my literary diet with books from a spectrum of genres, all the way from fantasy to thrillers. For me, reading fictions occupies a large chunk of my spare time and I find it an enjoyable hobby. I do it mostly for pleasure, but I also welcome the added bonus should I learn something new while reading a book.

Three years ago, I became enamored in thriller fictions. Over the years, thriller novels have provided me with plenty of enjoyment, as well as inspiring me to read up on the historical and scientific facts mentioned in these books. This is definitely the case for The Secret Crown, a treasure-hunt thriller novel written by best-selling author Chris Kuzneski.

The Secret Crown is based on the life of King Ludwig II, a 19^th century Bavarian monarch who led a very interesting life. Through this book, I learned the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland is actually inspired by Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany. The construction for this stunning castle was commissioned by none other than King Ludwig II. I think The Secret Crown is a fun and interesting book. I would describe this book as a tasteful blend combining together Indiana Jones, James Bond, and The Da Vinci Code.

If any of this interests you, then please feel free to continue reading my book review.

Synopsis:

Upon the lofty mountain of Bavaria sleeps a hidden bunker, its existence was brought to light when a hunter, who, by accident, stumbled upon its unseen entrance.

The bunker's discovery attracted retired MANIAC operatives, Jonathan Payne and David Jones, to the scene for investigation. The bunker, dated to an era before WWII, concealed caches of gold, jewels and document marked with the stamp of black swan, the insignia of King Ludwig II. The discovery pulled Payne and Jones into a deathly struggle to uncover the truth behind the death of Ludwig II and his fabled treasure.

My thoughts on this book:

Chris Kuzneski writes good thrillers. He is most famous for a series of treasure-hunt thrillers featuring his characters Jonathan Payne and David Jones, who are retired operatives belonging to a fictional military organization called MANIAC.

I have read four of Kuzneski's novels from this series and I enjoyed all of them. Especially Sign of the Cross, a religious conspiracy thriller bearing resemblance to The Da Vinci Code. Up to now, most novels in this series are centred on religious conspiracies. In The Secret Crown, Kuzneski changed the formula, shifting the theme away from religious conspiracy to a genuine treasure hunt story. Personally, I like this change because The Secret Crown injects refreshment into the series.

In terms of its writings, The Secret Crown, like most Kuzneski's novels, moved at a lightning fast pace. This book is a page-turner. Kuzneksi strung his story up with suspense and tension. The crux of the story is solving a riddle of the treasure's whereabouts. And this is where I think The Secret Crown succeeds at being a good thriller novel. This book managed to shroud the riddle in mystery, where the suspense is kept, unspoiled and unrevealed, until the very end of the book. Action scenes, from gun fights, car chase, to fist fights, do fill the pages in this book. However, Kuzneski deployed actions scenes fitfully in this book, where the actions serve to spice up the story rather than devices or fillers that drove the plot. In other words, while The Secret Crown is an action-oriented thriller novel, but it is not an action-driven thriller novel. The story in this book appeals to readers with an interesting mystery, one that will keep you guessing at the answer of the riddle from the first page to the last. Without spoiling the story, let me just say The Secret Crown is one of very few thriller novels that broke the genre's formula and its story didn't end with a big fight, and I appreciate this new approach.

Jonathan Payne and David Jones return in The Secret Crown as protagonists. The story follows their exploration and struggles to uncover Ludwig's hidden treasure. These two characters are likable, and they displayed good sense of humor in their dialogues. In this book, Payne and Jones' constantly bickered against and teaseed each other. Their dialogues not only brought comic reliefs to a tense story, but it also carved features on their characters. While it is true that character development is minimal in this book, but these two characters do possess enough star power to carry the story through, making The Secret Crown a memorable adventure.

With a sense of satisfaction, I returned The Secret Crown to my local library. This book tells a thrilling story and it has interesting history about King Ludwig II. The author did good research and weaved historical facts, masterfully, into the fabrics of the story. I enjoyed reading this book, and I think Kuzneski's thriller novels are some of the better novels in this genre. I recommend The Secret Crown to fans of treasure-hunt thriller books.