Part of Fargo Adventures, book 1
First published 2009
Sam and Remi Fargo are treasure hunters exploring the Great Pocomoke Swamp in Delaware when they make a stunning discovery. A German U-boat from World War II lies hidden in the murky waters. Inside the submarine, they find a wine bottle from Napoleon Bonaparte's lost cellar. The bottle holds clues to an ancient treasure that stretches back thousands of years. Persian King Xerxes the Great once stole two solid gold pillars from the Treasury at Delphi. Napoleon found those same pillars in the Pennine Alps in 1800 but couldn't move them. Instead, he created a treasure map using the labels of twelve rare wine bottles. The Fargos want to find the remaining bottles and solve the mystery. But they face a dangerous opponent in Hadeon Bondaruk, a wealthy Russian-Persian millionaire who believes he descends from Xerxes himself. Bondaruk considers the treasure his birthright and will stop at nothing to claim it.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, treasure-hunt
Setting: Delaware, Delphi, Great Pocomoke Swamp, Pennine Alps, Persia
Period: 1800, World War II
375 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons