“Spartan Gold” by Clive Cussler
Series: Fargo Adventures
Published: September 1, 2009 by Berkley Publishing Group
Genres: Adventure, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
Clive Cussler introduces us to new characters Sam and Remi Fargo in this book “Spartan Gold,” which is the first book in the Fargo Adventures series.
Husband and wife, Sam and Remi Fargo are treasure hunters with a team of 3 researchers helping them along the way. In “Spartan Gold” Sam and Remi discover a World War II German U-boat and in it a very old bottle of French wine that they learn is from “Napoleon’s Lost Cellar.” The clue on the bottle leads to another bottle which reveals another clue. The bottles lead Fargos on an adventure across Europe to uncover a thousands year old treasure of two solid gold pillars that Napoleon discovered 200 years ago.
They are not the only ones searching for this treasure though. A very unfriendly half-Russian, half- Persian millionaire is also on the hunt for the same treasure. He believes himself to be a direct descendant of the Persian King, Xerxes the Great, who is said to have raided the Treasury at Delphi, carrying away two gold pillars as tribute.
There are so many things to like about this book. The history is interesting, the discoveries are exciting, the riddles are fun, and the bad guy is really bad. I really love Sam and Remi’s relationship too. They are a very sweet couple. They appreciate each other, they can count on each other, they are romantic and you can feel the love between them without the author writing a single sex scene.
Sometimes Cussler’s descriptions can get a little wordy, but his writing style really puts you into the story. I have already started the second book in the series and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. I give this book a 5 out of 5. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves a little adventure and treasure hunting. It makes me wanna go spelunking…okay maybe not, but I sure like reading about someone else doing it.
