Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

The 16th Amendment to the Constitution is why Americans pay income taxes. But what if there were problems associated with that amendment? Secrets that call into question decades of tax collecting? In fact, there is a surprising truth to this hidden possibility.

Cotton Malone, once a member of an elite intelligence division within the Justice Department known as the Magellan Billet, is now retired and owns an old bookshop in Denmark. But when his former-boss, Stephanie Nelle, asks him to track a rogue North Korean who may have acquired some top secret Treasury Department files—the kind that could bring the United States to its knees—Malone is vaulted into a harrowing twenty-four hour chase that begins on the canals in Venice and ends in the remote highlands of Croatia.

With appearances by Franklin Roosevelt, Andrew Mellon, a curious painting that still hangs in the National Gallery of Art, and some eye-opening revelations from the $1 bill, this riveting, non-stop adventure is trademark Steve Berry—90% historical fact, 10% exciting speculation—a provocative thriller posing a dangerous question: What if the Federal income tax is illegal?

Izdevniecība/Publisher: Minotaur Books

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no torenta

Vērtējums/Rating: 3.5/5

Mana recenzija/My review

Pēc attiecību pajukšanas ar Kasiopeju, Malons pats sāk meklēt spriedzi un briesmas, piesakoties atpakaļ uz laiku zem Stefānijas vadības, un meklētais galu galā arī atrod viņu.

Iesaistīti ne tikai amerikāņi, bet arī ķīnieši, ar kuriem amerikāņiem samērā draudzīgas attiecības, īpaši pēc The Emperor’s Tomb notikumiem, kā arī ziemeļkorejieši.

Kim Yong Jin cer atriebties pusbrālim par kļūšanu par Ziemeļkorejas mīļo Līderi, kaut patiesībā tam būtu bijis jābūt viņam (šis aspekts vēsturiski patiess). Pie viena sagraujot ļaunāko ienaidnieku ASV, kā arī Ķīnu. Kims par sevi ir augstās domās, kaut arī īpaši neatšķiras no saviem radiniekiem, un uzskata, ka ir pietiekami viltīgs, lai pārējos apspēlētu.

Bet iemesls, kāpēc, kas tāds pat teorētiski iespējams, jo pastāv lielas šaubas vai federālā ienākumu nodokļa pieņemšana un ratifikācija bijusi atbilstoša un likumīga. Par visa katalizatoru kalpo Anan Wayne Howell, kurš apsūdzēts un notiesāts par izvairīšanos no nodokļu maksas, bet paguvis aizbēgt no valsts un pat izdod e-grāmatu atspēkojot apsūdzību.

Kims neceļo viens, kopā ar viņu ir viņa meita Hana. Hanai bērnība bijusi no traģiskākajām, līdz pat deviņu gadu vecumam viss, ko viņa zināja bija skarbā dzīve iekšpus darba nometnes sienām. Kaut arī pagājuši 14 gadi kopš Kims par viņu uzzināja un deva civilizētu dzīvi, Hanai joprojām labā atmiņā ir viss agrāk notikušais, kas neglābjami viņu izmainījis.

Malons nav nolemts mesties briesmās viens, vēlreiz darbībā atgriežas prezidenta brāļa dēls Lūks. Klāt nāk arī Izabella Šēfere. Varam vērot, cik labi dažādas izlūkošanas organizācijas spēj sadarboties; sākums nav tas gludākais.

Patika, ka bez ienākumu nodokļa, ir vēl kāda neliela mistērija.

                                                                                                                                                

After breakup with Cassiopeia Malone looks for danger himself, and is temporally back at Magellan Billet. Of course shortly enough the danger do find him.

Americans aren’t the only ones involved, their supposed allies with whom they should have friendlier relationship after The Emperor’s Tomb, and also North Koreans.

Kim Yong Jin hopes to have against North Korea’s Dear Leader and his half-brother who has taken his rightful position. Simultaneously destroying the greatest evil USA and with China too. Kim thinks about himself very highly and believes that he can outsmart anyone.

The reason why all this is even theoretically possible is that there are serious doubts if the 16^th Amendment was correctly ratified and if the Federal income tax is legal. Anan Wayne Howell serves as a catalyst to everything when he flees the country after prosecution of tax evasion, he publishes an e-book where defends and explains himself.

Kim doesn’t travel alone, together with him is his daughter Hana Sung. The childhood for Hana was horrible, living inside the walls of labor camp until an age of nine when Kim found out about her and got her out. It has been 14 years since then but those 9 years are still deeply inside her memory which changed her forever.

Malone isn’t doomed to fight alone; once again Luke Daniels is there to help with assistance of Isabella Schaefer. We can observe how nicely different intelligence agencies can play together, and the start isn’t a smooth one.

I liked that besides taxes there was also another little mystery.