Only then did he consider what he was mixed up in. Only then did he weep with fear and relief, the salt water on his cheeks mingling with the saltiness of the breeze and his sobs lost amid the slap of waves on the hull. Abruptly the tears ceased. He would try not to cry again. He was strong, he knew that now. The storm had blown itself out and a chink of moon winked at him through the clouds, a pale eye keeping up its watch on the affairs of men.

When journalist Jake Wolsey stumbles upon a declassified file showing Winston Churchill’s interest in the ancient Etruscan civilisation, his curiosity brings peril in its wake. He soon attracts the unlikely attention of alluring archaeologist Florence Chung – and that of MI6. As the two are pursued across Europe and Africa in search of the Etruscans’ sacred text, danger closes in and more questions than answers arise. Are there powers in the sky modern science has yet to understand? Could the ancients predict the future? And what really explains the rise of Rome, that of Nazi Germany, the ebb and flow of history itself?

In a thrilling race against time and enemies known and unknown, Wolsey begins to question fate and free will – and fears the very survival of the West may depend on his ability to stay one step ahead of his adversaries.

‘This one unfolds against a broad canvas, the plot expertly controlled, pushing the envelope to the edge and beyond.  There’s everything I like:  action, history, secrets, and conspiracies.  You’re going to like it too.’

      – Steve Berry, international best selling author of The Templar Legacy.

‘We have ourselves a cracking good read. This is a thriller injected with inside nowse as well as heart-attack-inducing paranoia, appealing to all who like their adrenaline rushes fast and engrossing.’

      – One of the top 10 thrillers of 2015 and five stars, The Book Bag.