I wish to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this fascinating, thoroughly researched non-fiction book in return for an honest review. This true story of the Parker Expedition of 1909 has been based on recently recovered and original records, newly translated sources, various publications, and first-person narratives. I have always enjoyed true, factual adventure accounts, including stories about archaeology. This is an intriguing and informative account of the expedition to find the fabled Ark of the Covenant, which they believed to be hidden within branching tunnels under Jerusalem.

The story for the search for the Ark conveyed the difficulty of crawling through dusty tunnels, sometimes muddy and dripping with water. Their tedious excavations where the tunnels branched off in new directions are the backbone of an exciting, thrilling story. I felt the story veered off into too many other historical directions rather than being concise.

Monty Parker, from a noble family, was approached by an obsessed, eccentric Finnish Bible scholar who claimed he had translated a hidden code in the Old Testament revealing the location of the Ark. The man claimed he had cryptic clues enabling him to discover Moses's grave in a different location. Parker was dared by Ava Astor and became interested in the endeavour to locate the legendary Ark.

Parker assembled a team of ex-military friends from elite families who were bored and anxious for adventure. One was most famous as a professional cricket player. Added to this team was a local Dominican father who was an archaeologist and religious historian, giving credibility to a group with no experience in archaeological excavations. The code-obsessed Biblical scholar also claimed he had deciphered Biblical instructions that lead him to make maps of the tunnels. Also connected were a psychic and translators of modern languages and ancient scripts.

Bribes were paid to political figures and guards to enable them to carry out their secret digs outside the walls of Jerusalem. There was much interesting history involved, including mention of battles in the past war, the opening of King Tut's tomb, local politics and the legal system, Whitechapel, New York and British high society, the Titanic, etc. With so many characters involved, and some not included in the summary at the beginning of the book, I found the narrative of this gripping adventure to lack cohesiveness and become disjointed at times. The book was helped by having each chapter clearly labelled as the featured character, the year, and the location.

I frequently stopped my reading to look at photos of the leading characters and the Parker expedition on the internet as none were used to illustrate the fascinating book. The expedition ended in infamy. Parker, with others, had bribed guards and sneaked into the holy and revered Dome of the Rock and were seen digging there. During Moslem, Jewish and Christian religious days, and news of their desecration set off riots through the city. They managed to flee by boat, but false rumours spread that they had escaped not only the Ark of the Covenant but a crown and ring associated with David and Solomon.

Recommended for those interested in history, Biblical study, and archaeology. 3.5 stars raised to 4 for the impeccable and painstaking research.

relics, archaeology, old-testament, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture****

I guess that I just like my historical archaeology more of the Publish or Perish sort. There is a multiplicity of interesting major and minor characters, an abundance of dialogue, and a lot of interesting new things to learn. I geek history and archaeology, so it was a good read for me.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

I received a free e-ARC copy of this book through Netgalley.

I've always liked the Indiana Jones movies so hearing this was possibly a real-life Indiana Jones did pique my interest. The story timeline jumps back and forth between key events and people involved with the search for the Ark of the Convenant. It was written in an interesting way and kept my attention. It made history come to life for me.

This was very well written! I liked the narrative structure and that each chapter was clearly labeled with the focal person and the year and place. This helped to keep me, as the reader, rooted in where and when the story was taking place.

I will definitely recommend this - it was a great history of this expedition and something that is still very interesting to me.

This book has a lot going on. There’s quite a few characters which at times are hard to keep track of. The story jumps back and forth a lot too. All this I found confusing. I was expecting a different type story
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I love a non fiction that reads like a fiction novel. This story managed to be captivating and fast paced even with the wealth of information included. I would definitely recommend for anyone interested in history, adventure, or the Indiana Jones franchise. So many interesting tidbits I never knew, and places I didn’t expect this book to go. A very enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

True Raiders by Brad Ricca is a well-written and engrossing read with well developed characterizations. Well worth the time spent reading.

You might think it's fiction, but this is actually a true account of an archaeologist's search for the Ark of the Covenant, in company with a team of searchers and experts that seem right out of Central Casting.

Archeology in the Holy Land is a hot, dirty business, and you have to deal with political issues and permissions as well as the actual digs. This is an interesting adventure tale that will engage younger readers as well as adults.

Hmmmm. I am very torn on this book. Is it historical nonfiction? Or is it, as it read to me, historical fiction? There was a lot of dialogue. A lot. And way more telling than showing. That’s part of the reason why I’m of 2 minds with this title. Plus, there are a lot of characters (again, a lot) and while there’s a who’s who at the beginning of the book, it still feels very disjointed and hard to find a cohesive narrative.

Despite these points, it was fascinating to see a Whitechapel/Jack the Ripper connection. I won’t spill on that because all readers deserve to stumble upon this at the moment it is least expected.

Still overall very torn on this book, however.

This was an informative and fascinating book. The true story of the Parker expedition in search of, wait for it, The Ark of the Covenant. Real life Indiana Jones. I couldn't put this one down. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I've so far read 1/4 of the book in a morning and will probably finish by tomorrow. This intriguing and beguiling search for the Ark of the Covenant has me hooked.

It does drag a little in parts because archeological excavation is, by necessity, tedious at times. But the charm of this group of men hunting for the greatest treasure aside from the true cross is a page turner. It's like an Eroll Flynn film in print!

I'll update my review when finished but at this point - if you're waiting for the next Indiana Jones film - read this!

I'll

True Raiders by Brad Ricca is an excellent book that is the cumulation of facts, stories, documents, historical accounts, first-person narratives, publications, and so on of a retelling of the infamous Parker Expedition. I loved this!

Being a life-long and passionate fan of archeology, I instantly grabbed up this book to see what could be made of the famous and mysterious Parker Expedition that took place in the early 20th century. Boy, I am glad I did!

Headed by Monty Parker, amongst many other players (in which the author presents at the beginning in a Who’s Who list, and in alternating viewpoints, this archeological dig/expedition/quest involved the ultimate goal of locating, unearthing and deciphering the location and contents of the biblical (and at times mystical) Ark of the Covenant. (For movie fans...does Harrison Ford and Raiders of the Lost Ark ring any bells?)

We get to meet all of the unique, fascinating, and fabulous players within this group, and the author is beyond impressive in weaving a narrative that is based on all the above research into what feels like a smooth, intriguing, and easy fictional novel. Alternating viewpoints are used to help round out the information that has been gathered from the plethora of sources to help weave the storyline into place.

It was gripping, fascinating, intriguing, entertaining, and fantastic. It just makes me love history and archeology even more so. I am in love with this book!

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and St. Martin’s Press for this arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.