by Davis Bunn
The book opens with Sean Syrrell, a dealer in art and antiquities, firing his granddaughter from his firm, and then within an hour being killed. Before he died, he arranged for a treasure hunter, Harry, to be released from prison in Barbados, where he has been confined because he found a treasure that the government wanted for its own. Harry is given instructions to protect Sean’s granddaughter, a headstrong girl with the unfortunate name of Storm. The two team up, and together they begin to unravel the events that led to Sean’s untimely end.
Davis Bunn, the author of nineteen national bestsellers, is obviously an excellent writer and he shows his stuff in Gold of Kings. I was drawn in immediately, and compelled to keep turning pages to the end. When Storm and Harry and Emma (a lawyer who’s in deep with the FBI and Interpol) realize they’re tracking the stolen treasures from Herod the Great’s Second Temple, my interest perked up even more. Bun provides plenty of action, some of the most compelling chapter endings I’ve ever read, and a satisfying conclusion. I enjoyed this book more than I expected to, and even got used to Storm’s distracting name. If you like fast-paced plots and intricate stories with a touch of history sprinkled throughout, you’ll love this book.