Part of Cotton Malone, book 20
First published 2026
Cotton Malone gets a call that brings him to Sweden. The younger sister of King Wilhelm has been taken. The kidnappers want something specific in return: the Codex Gigas, an enormous medieval manuscript that Sweden has housed for nearly four centuries. This ancient book, also called The Devil's Bible, was seized from Bohemia in 1648 as spoils of war. Now the Czech Republic demands its return, and Sweden has agreed to hand it over. But someone wants to stop that transfer from happening. Russia tops the list of suspects for both the kidnapping and the sabotage. Cotton teams up with Cassiopeia Vitt to track down the missing royal and protect the codex. The mission takes unexpected turns as trusted friends become enemies and old adversaries switch sides. Figures from Cotton's past surface to complicate an already volatile international crisis. The chase moves from Stockholm's waterways and cobbled streets across the Baltic Sea to a legendary Swedish warship from the 1500s. Cotton and Cassiopeia face a threat that will alter both their lives permanently.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Bohemia, Czech Republic, Russia, Stockholm, Sweden
Period: 1500s, 1648, Medieval
388 pages · Hardcover · Grand Central Publishing