Paris Vendetta

by Steve Berry
I bought this book thinking it was a mystery but it was really more of an action/thriller like the Da Vinci code and written in a similar style.

The story involves an ex-U.S. Justice Department agent who has settled for life as a bookseller in Copenhagen.  He finds his life interrupted by a young American who breaks into his store followed by some people intent on killing him.  The young man is a friend of the booksellers friend and sponsor so he sets off with the young man to the home of their joint friend.  They find out that the Dane has killed two intruders, one of whom had killed his son.

The story then develops with two different people who are trying to track down the location of what they believe is a treasure left by Napoleon for his son. They are trying to decipher clues in coded text to determine the location of the stash.  One of the people is a corsican whose family was wronged by Napoleon the other is an unscrupulous collector.  The two people while they are competing to find the treasure are also developing a plot to distabilize the world and profit from the consequences.  There are also conspiracy theorists involved in the story and double-crosses.

Of course, the Americans save the day, coming in to France and taking over the case to stop/interfere with terrorist attacks.  This was an okay read but it is not my cup of tea, I like books that are more mysteries with analysis of clues and character rather than "shoot-em"/'blow-em-up" action.
I'm glad I bought this book on the discount table, wouldn't have wanted to pay full price for it!