"The Atlantis Prophecy" by Thomas Greanias (pub. 2008)

With Indiana Jones hitting the theaters soon, and the prior success of both the "National Treasure" movies and "The DaVinci Code" book & movie, it seems as though treasure hunting, conspiracy fighting action stories are here to stay. Thomas Greanias has been in the this genre since the release of his 2004 novel "Raising Atlantis." His latest book "The Atlantis Prophecy," continues where "Raising Atlantis" left off and leads into exciting action, mysteries in the form of puzzles to solve and a great conspiracy covered up by the U.S. Government, the Freemasons, the Vatican and "The Alignment."

Astro-Archaeologist, Conrad Yeats is attending his father's funeral. (His father, General Yeats, former head of DARPA, was killed it Atlantis, or rather, Antarctica.) At the end of the funeral the headstone General Yeats had commissioned is revealed to Conrad. The headstone is an obelisk similar to the Washington Monument, but with mysterious markings and numbers carved strategically on the stone. The new head of DARPA, a former genetic engineer, wants to know what Conrad thinks the strange markings mean. The Government knows that they are a clue to finding something, but what?

Conrad at first doesn't know, what they could mean but soon discovers a conspiracy that has been covered over the years. A conspiracy that could mean the end of the United States of America and the world. The story starts with George Washington signing a mysterious treaty for America, and a secret he took to his deathbed. The clues are found in a famous painting of George Washington and his family and the original L'Enfant map of what would be the nation's capitol.

The Vatican sends Sister Serena Serghetti to help Conrad find the major missing piece, a celestial globe which was used to align the major monuments of Washington D.C. with constellations. But Sister Serghetti is not supposed to allow Conrad to open the globe, the secrets inside are to be brought back to the Vatican. With the history betweend the sister and Conrad this becomes hard for her to pick a side.

The book is a great romp through some of America's history and some great treasure hunting, with clues that can be found by the reader and viewed in actuality. I was constantly looking at the items mentioned in the book on the internet and felt as though I were hunting for clues with Yeats. Especially the painting of George Washington and Family by the artist Edward Savage, some great fun clues there.

Not only was this a great action thrillride but the book ended with a huge clue that points to what will be the 3rd book in what seems to be a trilogy, "The Atlantis Revelation."

You can check out the trailer for the book in the video below: