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The Secret Crown
The Secret Crown
Apr 24, 2025 7:23 PM

Author:Chris Kuzneski

The Secret Crown

Bavaria, 1886

King Ludwig II, infamous for his eccentric behavior, is declared insane by his government and removed from his throne. A day later, Ludwig's corpse washes up in the shallows of Lake Starnberg. Rumours about the cause of the tragedy abound, but few people know why Ludwig was really killed. Or what secret was silenced by his death.

Germany, present day . . .

Hidden among the crates in a newly discovered Nazi bunker are documents stamped with a black swan, the insignia of the murdered king. As a favour to a friend, Jonathon Payne and David Jones fly to Bavaria to protect the documents, but soon face a life-or-death battle against an unknown enemy. From the depths of the Black Forest to the water canals underneath Ludwig's castles, the duo must solve the mystery behind the king's death or share his tragic fate.

Reviews

Praise for Chris Kuzneski

—— -

Excellent! High stakes, fast action, vibrant characters ... Not to be missed!

—— Lee Child

Think Indiana Jones and The Da Vinci Code and you're in Kuzneskiland

—— Sunday Sport

Makes you wish it would never end

—— Clive Cussler

Kuzneski's writing has raw power

—— James Patterson

Writing at full throttle, with unparalleled acceleration and expert control. Hop aboard for a great ride.

—— Steve Berry

A fast and furious thrill ride with the perfect amount of history and humour blended in . . .

—— Raymond Khoury, bestselling author of The Last Templar

Nonstop action, ancient mysteries, twisted villains, and memorable heroes. Kuzneski's books have got it all!

—— Boyd Morrison

Chris Kuzneski is a remarkable new writer, who completely understands what makes for a good story: action, sex suspense, humour, and great characters.

—— Nelson DeMille

The writing is lean and mean, and the climax will blow you away

—— The Independent

Compelling

—— Daily Mirror

a taut, mystical thriller and a thoughtful meditation on humanity

—— Philip Womack , Daily Telegraph

Burnside's story uses suggestion and ambiguity rather than explicit statement, but has the power that comes from leaving plenty of space in which the reader's imagination can go to work

—— Nick Rennison , Sunday Times

remarkable, genre-defying...Glister is a remarkable book...a fusion of styles and genres, and it succeeds magnificently on those terms...powerfully imagines and beautifully written...A haunting tale, not as depressing as you might expect, and highly recommended

—— Simon Appleby , www.bookgeeks.co.uk

Writing 'this dreamy melange of gritty urbanism with poetic crime puzzler, will appeal to the right reader very highly

—— The Book Bag

A dark fable

—— Colin Waters , Sunday Herald

Burnside's writing conveys an almost palpable thrill of discovery, a delight in the play of his imagination over this bleak terrain, an irrepressible joy in cultivating metaphor after metaphor and seeing them all, improbably, bloom...The emotion this brilliant and disturbing novel leaves you with is like the spooked feeling Leonard experiences...It takes your breath away, but you don't know if that comes from awe or terror. The Glister" is that kind of story. It's terrifying, and it feels like a gift.

—— Terrence Rafferty , www.nytimes.com

I'm a year late (quite punctual, for me) in recommending John Burnside's austerely poetic novel

—— David Mitchell , Guardian
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