Steve Berry ventures into uncharted waters with The List, abandoning his signature Cotton Malone adventures for a chilling standalone thriller that feels both intimately personal and disturbingly plausible. This corporate conspiracy tale, originally conceived in 1992 but refined over three decades, emerges as Berry’s most grounded and emotionally resonant work—a story that trades ancient mysteries for modern moral corruption.
Set in the fictional town of Concord, Georgia, where Southern Republic Pulp and Paper Company has woven itself into the very fabric of community life, The List follows Brent Walker as he returns home after a ten-year self-imposed exile. What begins as a homecoming to care for his ailing mother quickly transforms into a nightmare when Walker uncovers his employer’s most horrifying secret: a systematic murder program designed to control healthcare costs.
A Masterclass in Escalating Tension
Berry demonstrates remarkable restraint in his pacing, allowing the horror to seep in gradually rather than exploding onto the page. The discovery of the “Priority program”—a euphemistic term for corporate-sanctioned murder—unfolds through layers of misdirection and half-truths that mirror real corporate obfuscation. When union leader Hank Reed accidentally discovers a cryptic list of numbers, neither he nor Walker initially comprehends they’re looking at a death roster spanning decades.
The author’s legal background serves him exceptionally well here. Having practiced law in a small Georgia paper mill town for thirty years, Berry infuses the narrative with authentic details about union negotiations, small-town dynamics, and corporate hierarchies. The authenticity is palpable—from the suffocating atmosphere of boardroom meetings to the casual cruelty of executives discussing murder as casually as quarterly projections.
Christopher Bozin emerges as the novel’s most complex character. One of Southern Republic’s three founding partners, Bozin carries the crushing weight of having conceived the Priority program decades earlier. His late-in-life crisis of conscience drives much of the plot’s momentum, but Berry wisely avoids painting him as a simple redemption figure. Bozin remains complicit in mass murder even as he attempts to expose it, creating a morally ambiguous character whose actions feel both heroic and deeply selfish.
The Banality of Corporate Evil
Where The List by Steve Berry truly excels is in its depiction of how ordinary people justify extraordinary evil. Hamilton Lee and Larry Hughes, Bozin’s business partners, discuss murder with the same clinical detachment they might apply to layoffs or plant closures. Their rationalization—that the Priority program saved jobs and preserved a community—becomes a chilling indictment of capitalism’s ability to reduce human life to spreadsheet entries.
Jon De Florio, the company’s security chief who oversees the murder program, represents perhaps Berry’s most unsettling creation. A man who has built an entire corporate identity around his secret role as an assassin coordinator, De Florio embodies the terrifying normalcy of institutional evil. His matter-of-fact discussions about “processing Priorities” and maintaining “Rules” transforms murder into bureaucratic procedure.
The author’s decision to ground the story in recognizable corporate culture makes the horror more effective than any supernatural thriller. Berry understands that the most frightening monsters often wear business suits and speak in euphemisms.
Character Development and Relationships
Brent Walker serves as an effective protagonist, though he occasionally feels overshadowed by the more compelling secondary characters. His relationship with Ashley Reed, Hank’s daughter, provides emotional grounding but sometimes feels underdeveloped given its importance to the plot. The romantic subplot, while adding personal stakes, lacks the complexity of the corporate conspiracy storyline.
Hank Reed emerges as the novel’s most authentic voice. Based on a real union leader Berry knew, Reed embodies the working-class determination and skepticism that makes him the perfect foil to corporate duplicity. His protective instincts toward his daughter and granddaughter add genuine emotional weight to the thriller elements.
Key Character Strengths:
- Christopher Bozin – Morally complex antagonist seeking redemption
- Jon De Florio – Chillingly bureaucratic representation of institutional evil
- Hank Reed – Authentic working-class hero with genuine motivations
- Hamilton Lee – Effectively depicts corporate sociopathy
Writing Style and Technical Execution
Steve Berry’s prose in The List feels more grounded and naturalistic than his historical thrillers. The absence of exotic locations and ancient conspiracies forces him to rely on character development and atmosphere—areas where he proves surprisingly adept. The dialogue crackles with authenticity, particularly in scenes between union leaders and corporate executives.
The author employs a multi-perspective narrative that builds tension effectively, though occasional shifts in point of view feel jarring. Berry’s legal background shines in courtroom scenes and corporate machinations, but some action sequences lack the polish of his more experienced thriller contemporaries.
The pacing generally serves the story well, though the middle section occasionally stalls during exposition-heavy passages. Berry’s decision to reveal the Priority program’s full scope gradually pays dividends, maintaining reader engagement while building to a genuinely shocking climax.
Social Commentary and Relevance
Written originally in 1992 and revised during the COVID-19 pandemic, The List by Steve Berry feels disturbingly relevant to contemporary healthcare debates. The idea of a self-insured company controlling costs through murder becomes a dark satire of American healthcare’s profit-driven model. Berry’s exploration of how economic pressures can corrupt moral decision-making resonates powerfully in an era of corporate consolidation and healthcare rationing.
The novel also functions as an elegy for disappearing American manufacturing communities. Concord’s dependence on Southern Republic mirrors countless real towns where single employers wield enormous power over local populations. Berry captures both the benefits and dangers of such arrangements with nuanced understanding.
Comparisons and Context
The List by Steve Berry invites inevitable comparisons to John Grisham’s corporate thrillers, particularly The Firm and The Pelican Brief. While Berry lacks Grisham’s facility with legal procedural elements, he surpasses his predecessor in creating genuinely unsettling atmosphere. The horror of systematic corporate murder feels more visceral than Grisham’s typically financial crimes.
Readers of Harlan Coben will appreciate Berry’s skill at revealing character secrets gradually, though The List maintains a more serious tone than Coben’s often darkly humorous works. The novel shares David Baldacci’s interest in institutional corruption but achieves greater emotional depth through its small-town setting.
Within Steve Berry’s own catalog, The List represents a significant departure. Cotton Malone fans seeking historical mysteries will find little familiar territory here, but those willing to follow Berry into contemporary thriller territory will discover his most emotionally resonant work.
Flaws and Criticisms
Despite its considerable strengths, The List by Steve Berry suffers from several notable weaknesses. The romantic subplot between Brent and Ashley feels perfunctory, more plot device than genuine relationship. Their shared history receives insufficient development to make their rekindled romance emotionally compelling.
The novel’s conclusion, while satisfying from a justice perspective, feels somewhat rushed. After building tension so effectively throughout the majority of the book, Berry resolves multiple plot threads quickly, leaving some character arcs feeling incomplete. The fate of Southern Republic’s employees after the company’s exposure deserves more attention given Berry’s emphasis on community throughout the narrative.
Some dialogue, particularly among younger characters, feels stilted and artificial. Berry’s strength lies in depicting middle-aged professionals and working-class characters; his attempts to capture different demographic voices sometimes miss the mark.
The action sequences, while competent, lack the kinetic energy readers might expect from an experienced thriller writer. Berry’s background in historical fiction serves him better in atmospheric and character-driven scenes than in high-tension physical confrontations.
Recommended Similar Reads
Readers who appreciate The List by Steve Berry should consider exploring:
Contemporary Corporate Thrillers:
- The Firm by John Grisham – The gold standard for legal corporate conspiracies
- The Insider by Reece Hirsch – Modern tech company corruption
- Company Man by Joseph Finder – Corporate executive caught in conspiracy
Small-Town Corruption Stories:
- The Chill by Scott Carson – Supernatural elements in rural corruption
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens – While gentler, captures small-town dynamics
- Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn – Dark secrets in small Missouri town
Social Commentary Thrillers:
- Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler – Corporate dystopia and social collapse
- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel – Community survival and corporate influence
Final Verdict
The List by Steve Berry succeeds as both an engaging thriller and a disturbing meditation on corporate power. Berry’s willingness to explore genuinely dark territory results in his most mature and emotionally complex work. While it lacks the globe-trotting adventure of his Cotton Malone series, it gains immeasurably in psychological depth and social relevance.
The novel’s greatest achievement lies in making corporate evil feel both shocking and utterly believable. In an era where healthcare costs bankrupt families and corporations wield unprecedented power, Berry’s nightmare scenario feels uncomfortably plausible. The List serves as both entertainment and warning—a reminder that the most dangerous conspiracies often hide behind quarterly reports and employee handbooks.
For readers seeking intelligent thriller entertainment with genuine substance, The List by Steve Berry delivers admirably. While it may not achieve the escapist thrills of Berry’s historical adventures, it offers something potentially more valuable: a mirror reflecting our own society’s darkest possibilities. This haunting corporate thriller confirms that Steve Berry’s talents extend far beyond ancient mysteries into the equally treacherous territory of modern moral corruption.
