Spartan Gold is the first in a new series by New York Times bestseller Clive Cussler in cooperation with action novel writer Grant Blackwood.

Referred to as “Fargo Adventures,” the new series is, as the name suggests, based on the adventures of the Fargos, a married couple by the names of Sam and Remi.

Independently wealthy, the Fargos have devoted their lives to their obsessive passion for archeological treasure hunting, and they do not shy away from any obstacles to find what they are looking for.

While this new series features a new set of characters and a different venue – archeology – the typical Clive Cussler calling cards that we have come to expect still remain: Exotic foods and drinks, rare collectors’ vehicles, and a lot of action taking place in water, above or below the surface.

Through Spartan Gold we follow Sam and Remi Fargo as they pursue a trail of clues left behind by Napoleon Bonaparte on the back of wine-bottle labels from his lost wine cellar. Not only are the clues written as riddles but they are also in code, which they must first crack.

Naturally, their quest to unravel this mystery does not go unimpeded. Relentlessly on their heels are the hired ruffians of Bondaruk, a former Soviet freedom fighter from an ethnic minority group, who has since turned into a ruthless mafia billionaire.

The treasure at the end of the trail consists of two ancient Greek statues of pure gold which were stolen and hauled off by Persian ruler Xerxes the Great, to be stashed away and forgotten at a hitherto unknown location. Bondaruk believes himself to be a direct descendant of Xerxes and the rightful heir to this lost and forgotten treasure.

The wine-bottle trail leads Sam and Remi, as well as their adversaries, from a sunken German submarine in the Great Pocomoke Swamp, Maryland, to the Bahamas, through much or Europe, from Germany, France and Italy to Croatia and Ukraine: not necessarily in that order.

In the end, Spartan Gold is a solidly written treasure hunting action novel in the spirit of The Da Vinci Code, and also a distinctly Cusslerian novel undoubtedly destined for a top-spot on the New York Times best-seller list.

Britt Hellman lives in Western North Carolina with her husband and three children, operating her own copywriting business from home. Clive Cussler is a long time favorite author. Visit her dedicated Cussler site to order the Spartan Gold novel or read her review of the latest Dirk Pitt novel, Arctic Drift.