Matt Bondurant

When Walter Rothschild, an American Egyptologist, is entrusted by the British Museum with the task of deciphering the real-life mystery of the Stela of Paser, an ancient funerary stone, he finds himself stepping into a world of conspiracy, cults, and danger.

Walter Rothschild is an American Egyptologist living in London and charged by the British Museum with the task of unlocking the riddle of the Stela of Paser, one of the last and most important hieroglyphic mysteries in existence. Estranged from his wife and grown daughter, alone in the world except for his dead languages and dreams of ancient worlds, Rothschild becomes the dupe in a seduction, robbery, and developing conspiracy engineered by a cult devoted to ancient Egyptian mysticism. Aided as well as hindered by a group of highly idiosyncratic Londoners, Walter must force his middle-aged body to perform acts of heroics to defeat the plotters and take back what rightfully belongs to the museum—and most importantly to save his career. In the process, two friends will end up dead, and Walter will find himself allied with a young, distinctly English librarian who becomes as unlikely a heroine as Walter is a hero. Extensively researched and utterly original, the novel is told in electric prose that weaves together a novel of self-discovery and the inner yearnings of men, with a fast-paced plot about ancient mystery and modern conspiracy. This is a novel to savor and to urge on all your friends—read it and be amazed.

Jack's Stories Prequel The Arizona Territory was a dangerous place, but gunslinger Jake Redman was half-Apache and all man--more than a match for the wilderness. Sarah Conway was something else again. She was every inch an Eastern lady, yet she was determined to make Lone Bluff her home. Jake was annoyed to find himself playing guardian angel to this tantalizing innocent--even more disgusted to find he liked it. Little did he suspect that beneath Sarah's ladylike demeanor beat the heart of a frontier woman ant that her body yearned for his hard embrace, her heart for his words of love .. . .