The Columbus Affair: A Novel

For 500 years historians have pondered the question: Who was Christopher Columbus?

The answer truly is another question.

Who do you want him to be?

For Simon Lipskar, literary agent

Thank you

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For the 11th time, thank you Gina Centrello, Libby McQuire, Kim Hovey, Cindy Murray, Quinne Rogers, Debbie Aroff, Carole Lowenstein, Matt Schwartz, and everyone in Promotions and Sales. It doesn’t seem like nine years have passed since we were working on The Amber Room.

To Mark Tavani, thanks for another great job.

A few special mentions: Johanna Hart who showed us Jamaica; my old friend Mikey Blount in Prague; Rupert Wallace, our expert Jamaican driver; Frank Lumsden, colonel of the Charles Town Maroons who led us on an extraordinary journey into the Blue Mountains; Richard Keene for some appreciated reconnoitering in Vienna; Chuck Watson, for insights on Florida orange groves; Morris Shamah for help with things Sephardim (though any remaining mistakes are mine); Meryl Moss and her extraordinary publicity team for all they do each day; and Jessica Johns and Esther Garver, who keep me out of trouble (which is not an easy task).

And there’s my wife, Elizabeth, who’s always “in the car.”

The antagonist of this book is named Zachariah Simon. That label came from my agent, Simon Lipskar, incorporating his first and middle names. Simon mentioned one day that he’d love to be the bad guy in a book. But nothing more than his name is associated with the character. Simon is smart, savvy, straightforward, and widely regarded as one of the top agents in the business. He also co-heads one of the largest and best literary agencies in the world—Writers House. The birth of this stand-alone came about partly because of his advice.

I’m honored to have him on my side.

Simon, this one’s for you.

ALSO BY STEVE BERRY

NOVELS

The Amber Room

The Romanov Prophecy

The Third Secret

The Templar Legacy

The Alexandria Link

The Venetian Betrayal

The Charlemagne Pursuit

The Paris Vendetta

The Emperor’s Tomb

The Jefferson Key

E-BOOKS

“The Balkan Escape”

“The Devil’s Gold”

“The Admiral’s Mark”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

STEVE BERRY is the New York Times bestselling author of The Jefferson Key, The Emperor’s Tomb, The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, The Alexandria Link, The Templar Legacy, The Third Secret, The Romanov Prophecy, The Amber Room, and the short stories “The Admiral’s Mark,” “The Devil’s Gold,” and “The Balkan Escape.” His books have been translated into forty languages and sold in fifty- one countries. He lives in the historic city of St. Augustine, Florida. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have founded History Matters, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving our heritage. To learn more about Steve Berry and the foundation, visit www.steveberry.org.