Part of NUMA Files, book 1
First published 1999
Kurt Austin leads NUMA's underwater exploration team when he rescues marine archaeologist Nina Kirov from attackers off Morocco's coast. Nina discovered a carved stone head that challenges Columbus as America's first European visitor. Texas industrialist Halcon wants her dead for this discovery. Austin learns that Halcon plans to create a new nation from southwestern United States and Mexico. The scheme connects to a priceless pre-Columbian artifact resting inside the sunken Andrea Doria off Nantucket. Austin's NUMA crew attacks the conspiracy from multiple angles while uncovering evidence that Columbus made a secret fifth voyage to America seeking treasure. The luxury liner's steel hull contains answers about what the explorer found and threatens America's future. Austin must decode the historical puzzle before Halcon's wave of destruction reshapes the continent.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Morocco, Nantucket, United States, Mexico
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
480 pages · Paperback