Trying to get through Steve Berry's Romanov Prophecy

Steve Berry's Romanov Prophecy isn't much of a page turner. Have had it since Christmas and I haven't even read half of it. If I really found it interesting, I would have finished it in 2 days... that includes having 3 full meals a day, having bathroom breaks and getting enough sleep.

It isn't exactly like Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons, and thank God for that!

Funny thing. Jeng and Menchie tried to sell the book to me by saying Berry's books are like Brown's... except that - according to Menchie - Brown's approach is logical while Berry's approach is historical. Whatever that means.

Making Brown a standard isn't a good idea if you're talking to me ... his two books that I just mentioned have only one plot: 1) mysterious murder; 2) hero meets woman who will be helping him on the case; 3) a secret organization is involved; 4) hero meets someone whom he thinks is a friend but 5) said friend is actually the enemy; 6) there's one secret that will be revealed that may shatter people's beliefs; and 7) the reader has already guessed what the secret is or who the bad guy is a good many chapters before the hero does. Apart from the predictable plots, I also couldn't care less if Jesus' blood line or the Illuminati do exist.

What hinders me from devouring the Romanov prophecy? 1) I'm already familiar with the story of the Romanovs, so there's no pull on me to learn something new - apart from bits like the supposed Rasputin prophecy and top secret files that Berry mentions and have yet to be verified if true. Amusing to note that apart from supposedly predicting that he'll die before 1917, Rasputin also said Jesus will emerge in 2005, followed by the Loch Ness monster in 2006. 2) I do not believe the premise that was used to justify the necessity of bringing back the Romanovs to head Russia. If some British already think that they don't need the Windsors, do you think Russians would overwhelmingly want the Romanovs back, and in power? Ofcourse, they may already have a tsar in Vladimir Putin if you listen to CNN's special reports. he he he! 3) The assassins are so dumb, they make the villains look stupid.

After I finish this book, I'll try to read The Third Secret. Hopefully that one's a better read. If so, then maybe I'll be interested enough to buy the latest Steve Berry book for myself (with Jeng and Menchie waiting for me to finish reading it so they can borrow the book).