The latest thriller from #1 bestselling author Chris Kuzneski!
AN ANCIENT TREASURE:
While visiting the scenic country of Malta, Jonathon Payne and David Jones bump into an old friend who has come to the islands to search for a long-lost treasure of the Knights Hospitallers, an organisation that dates back to the First Crusade in 1099 AD.
A VENGEFUL CRIMINAL:
When Ivan Volkov -- the ruthless leader of a Russian crime syndicate -- is betrayed, he is willing to do anything to get retribution. Protected by a team of hackers and henchmen, he travels to the Mediterranean, where he leaves a trail of bodies in his wake.
A FINAL SHOWDOWN:
Before returning home, Volkov learns about the ancient hoard, one with possible ties to Paul I and the Russian Empire. With pride and riches on the line, he focuses his wrath on the only people who stand in his way... but Payne and Jones refuse to back down as they try to locate one of the most important treasures of antiquity, while battling one of the world's most dangerous criminals in a deadly fight to the finish.
Filled with action, adventure, history, suspense, and side-splitting humour, this is Chris Kuzneski at his very best.
Michel de Nostredame, the French apothecary commonly known as Nostradamus, has gained a cultlike following since the sixteenth century. His loyalists credit him with predicting numerous world events - the Great Fire of London, the rise of Napoleon and of Hitler, the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima. Although much has been learned about Nostradamus over the centuries, his most important collection of prophecies has remained hidden . . . until now. The discovery of a puzzling message, written in a series of codes and ancient languages, prompts a young woman to seek out Jonathon Payne and David Jones at a charity event at the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning. Unfortunately, their meeting is interrupted by an assassin, sent to kill everyone who knows about the document. Relentlessly hunted by those determined to learn the secret, Payne and Jones are forced to fight back. In an adventure that spans two continents and several centuries, they must locate the sacred text that may change everything we think we know about the future.
The first to disappear is a ski instructor in the secluded mountains of Colorado. Hours later, a pregnant woman is abducted from a crowded hospital. Two places, two incidents, a single motive. And so it begins... One by one, in cities across America, people of all ages are taken from their homes, their cars, their lives. But these aren't random kidnappings. They're crimes of passion, planned and researched years in advance with a singular objective in mind. Revenge. Ariane Walker is one of the victims, dragged from her apartment with few clues to follow. The police said there's little they can do for her, but that isn't good enough for her boyfriend, Jonathon Payne. With the help of his best friend, Payne gives chase hoping a tip about New Orleans somehow pays off. Together, the duo slowly uncovers the mystery of Ariane's abduction and the shocking truth behind the South's most violent secret: THE PLANTATION.
Carved into the towering cliffs of central Greece, the Metéora monasteries are all but inaccessible. Holy Trinity is the most isolated, its sacred brotherhood the guardians of a long-forgotten secret. In the dead of night, the sanctity of the holy retreat is shattered by an elite group of warriors carrying ancient weapons. One by one, they hurl the silent monks from the clifftop to the rocks below - the holy men taking their secret to their graves. Halfway across Europe, Richard Byrd has uncovered the location of a magnificent treasure. But there are those who have dedicated their lives to protecting it, and they will stop at nothing to prevent its discovery. Afraid for his life, Byrd calls Payne and Jones and begs for their help. Although they've never met him, Payne and Jones get involved when they learn a friend of theirs is in danger. Before long, they are swept up in an adventure of a lifetime, one that will rewrite history and change lives forever.
Off the coast of South Korea, a young boy discovers a cave soaked in human blood. Less than a week later, everyone in his village disappears... In Saudi Arabia, a female archaeologist unearths an artifact that threatens the very foundation of Islam. To some, it is a discovery that must be silenced at all costs... In a secret bunker run by U.S. intelligence, the unthinkable has happened. While interrogating one of the world's most dangerous terrorists, an ex-member of the MANIAC Special Forces squad is brutally executed. Jonathon Payne and D. J. Jones, his former commanders, offer to spearhead the investigation. They quickly realize there is more to this atrocity than terrorist reprisal-there is a plot in motion that will burn the world in the fires of a holy war... "Chris Kuzneski writes as forcefully as his tough characters act." -#1 New York Times bestselling author Clive Cussler "A nonstop locomotive of a thriller...had me burning the midnight oil 'til breakfast." -New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn
On a Danish shore, a Vatican priest is found - hanging on a cross. Within days, the same crime is repeated...this time in Asia and Africa. Meanwhile, deep in the legendary Catacombs under Orvieto, Italy, an archaeologist unearths a scroll dating back two thousand years, revealing secrets that could rock the foundations of Christianity. Its discovery makes him the most wanted criminal in all of Europe. But his most dangerous enemies operate outside the law of man... "An immensely inventive and rewarding thriller." - Lewis Perdue, author of Daughter of God "I was hooked at the first sentence...it was one continuous wild ride." - John Gilstrap, author of At All Costs
