During Operation Desert Storm, Major William Harrison led a team of Special Forces on a secret mission to capture Haidar Kamel, a ruthless arms dealer.
The operation revealed a treasure trove of dangerous weapons, along with a series of strange artifacts from the ancient world. One of the most unlikely discoveries was a small bronze medallion.
They named it the Medallion of Petra, and somehow, it was much more dangerous and valuable than anyone could have ever imagined…
…and now Sam Reilly must unlock its secrets, before it’s too late.
Christopher Cartwright writes spellbinding mysteries and suspense novels. Often with a backdrop of ocean adventure. Born in 1983, he has a background as a paramedic, and is an avid sailor and SCUBA diver.
He holds degrees in paramedics, nursing and emergency management.
Chris currently lives in Sydney with his wife and two children.
This action adventure book has a really good balance of the many elements I like in a book. There is the quest along with its intrigue, competition and battles. There is the history, which the author does a really good job of presenting. The book presents a lot of history overall, but not too much at once and it is all easy to understand. There is a smidge of romance and nothing graphic, which is just the way I like it. And the adventure of going into novel and less-traveled locations, all of the discoveries and challenges. The problem-solving and team work.
In this tale, we meet a man that is hard to classify. At first he appear to be an adversary and is treated as such. He is an enigma. Where did he come from, who is he working for, why is he also on this quest? Additionally, we have an adversary that we know is an adversary who makes life very difficult for all concerned.
In this course of this story, we learn so much more about the regular cast of characters and get some surprises in that department. So not only do we get the history of Petra, but we also get some of the backstory of some of our characters. It's always nice to flesh the out a bit more and the author slides this information into the story in a very natural way.
I enjoy this series and over time the author has become much better at writing this books. Keep them coming!
This is the first Christopher Cartwright book I've ever read and the first Sam Reilly book as well. It is rich in detail and a good read. It has made me go looking for other books in this series. Book 1 which I found is called "The Last Airship" But this book a old friend of Sam's asks him to find and use the medallion of Petra to find the "Atlantis of the Sands" in Jordan....There are many looking for the fabled lost City and Sam and his team are in constant danger but because he has given his word he WILL find the medallion and through it find access to the lost city. If you are looking for interesting information on a few subjects this might be the book for you :) Sam has much to contend with as he gets a crack on the head which puts him in the hospital to have an operation to fix his skull He also does not like heights but must climb with his friend Tom come along and join Sam and his crew as they race against time to find the medallion and the City it holds the key to unlocking..... this is a good book .and worth the time for the listen if you do the audiobook or the time for the read if you have the physical copy...I hope you enjoy it if you do read it....
The Medallion of Petra was one of Christopher Cartwright’s better novels. It has a mixture of action, Middle-Eastern / Nabataean history, sci-fi, and an overall interesting plot. From the author’s description of Petra and Southwestern Jordan, it certainly piques one’s interest to visit these historical sites. It is apparent that the author did an enormous amount of research on almost every element of the story from the historical to the scientific to the medical. A big thumbs up. There were times where I felt that the plot occasionally veered a little sideways, such as Tom/Sam’s diving excursion, or it dwelled on repeated descriptions of Nabataean structures via different characters. The introduction of Pax (who reminded me of Reacher) was an interesting addition to the plot. Overall: Very Good!
Cartwright does it again. After 28 books in the Sam Reilly series one would think that something was bound to suffer and go downhill. But this is not the case with our author. Things just continue to get better. Reilly and his crew at their best with an amazing story that you can’t stop reading. Filled with enough twists and turns and action to keep you riveted. You will be thrilled with this latest offering! Can’t wait for no. 30
This story is a stunner! Petra is on my bucket list, but I never expected to visit with Sam Reilly. Such an adventure there and in the surrounding area trying to find a city which vanished over 3K years ago. This story has everything, great plot, well developed characters, and even a bit of romance? Also lots of gut clenching action. One of the author’s best books.
this is the typical Sam Riley that I'll always start reading and can't put it down. Even though these books are so much alike as far as plot, but the characters are done so well and make it so interesting and exciting. Can't wait till the next ones out.
This book was slow starting compared to all the other Sam Reilly stories. Wasn’t sure when/how/if Sam and Tom were going to be in the story at all! But once into the meat of it, I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot. The character of Pax was oddly appealing. And the ancient cites were brought to life. Now can’t wait for the next Sam Reilly thriller!
DNF. I got halfway through this, just waiting for the story to develop. The drip feed of historical facts should have made this an interesting read, but I felt too many of the facts were shoe horned in. The characters are two-dimensional and did nothing to draw me in and believe in them. Sadly, not for me.
My only complaint about this novel is that it was over too soon! I really enjoyed the action and the characters that I know well from earlier novels. This series is one of my favorite action/ thriller and I can’t wait to read the next installment.
The excellent as a expected. This really holds the attention from beginning to the end.
A captivating tale of great mystery. Beautifully written as always. A dream of a read. So looking forward to the next which purposes to be be another masterpiece. Wonderful.
Absolutely FABULOUS. Once you start reading, you can't stop.
Christopher Cartwright gives you the BEST of everything: characters, locations, intricate plot, action, adventure, extreme danger, and a great team of professionals who accomplish the mission against all odds - no matter what! Brilliant!!
This is definitely a cliff hanger. Way more twists and turns than normal. A great story with suspense, great characters, and well thought out storyline. One of the best yet.
What a great read. Sam and Tom are always getting into a major action packed storyline though. I hope Pax becomes part of the team. Mister Cartwright always comes up with the best story lines. I can't wait to get to the next book.
Again, another booking just I couldn't put down. Fast paced, intriguing and exciting. Loved the storyline and the characters. Looking forward to the next book. Thank you Christopher.
Very well written. Full of action and suspense. New characters made the book even better The ending was spectacular! I did not see the Dragons Breath being used again. Continuity wad great. An all around good book.
Book is part historical, geographical, Arthrological. and fantasy. I learned about a civilization I had never heard of before; the Nabateans who occupied the Region of Southwest Jordan in and around Petra.