This is my least favorite of the Cotton Malone series. I'm grudgingly giving it three stars because I respect the research and travel Steve Berry did prior to writing the book. I did learn some interesting things about China and its history, and also discovered that there are some debates about the nature of what we consider fossil fuel. As for the story, though, it was just too muddled and confusing. I could never keep track of who was on whose side and who was double-crossing and who was good and who was bad and who had power and why they had it. There was no feeling of satisfaction when I finished the book. More like a feeling of relief, because I had a hard time making myself finish. I probably won't continue with the series. It's getting a little repetitive and predictable.
