“ The Dakota Cipher is a supple, elegant thriller that carries the reader triumphantly from one exciting climax to the next.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Jefferson Key Ethan Gage is a fearless adventurer who has crossed paths (and, sometimes, swords) with the likes of Napoleon Bonaparte and Benjamin Franklin—and whose unabashed derring do puts even Indiana Jones to shame. Now Gage is back for a third time in William Dietrich’s The Dakota Cipher , an ingenious page-turner that carries our hero to the American wilderness in search of an almost unthinkably powerful ancient artifact. No stranger to thrilling action himself, New York Times bestseller James Rollins, author of Black Order , The Last Oracle , and Altar of Eden , is a dedicated fan of Dietrich’s Ethan Gage novels, and proclaims that, “ The Dakota Cipher should be read by anyone who loves adventure at its grandest.” Ethan Gage, the expatriate American who starred in The Rosetta Key (2007) and Napoleon’s Pyramids (2008), returns for another adventure. The story, which takes place in 1800, finds Ethan joining forces with a Norwegian, the splendidly named Magnus Bloodhammer, to find Thor’s Hammer, the possibly mythical artifact that, so the legend goes, enables its possessor to control the weather. The quest takes Ethan back home, to America, where he once again follows a twisting path to an uncertain conclusion. If there weren’t already an Indiana Jones, Dietrich’s Ethan Gage could certainly fit the bill: he’s a likable risk-taker who, in his quests for priceless antiquities, has a knack for narrowly escaping near-certain death. Dietrich does an excellent job of creating the historical settings of the novels, and the real-life characters Ethan meets along the way (in this novel, it’s Thomas Jefferson) feel just right—not historically accurate but labored creations but real people. A spirited installment of what promises to be a long-running series. --David Pitt “William Dietrich is a born stylist, moving characters around on an historical chessboard with the assured hand of a master novelist firing on all cylinders. Ethan Gage is a wiry, battle-scarred hero, with great decency, who rings absolutely true. And The Dakota Cipher is a supple, elegant thriller that carries the reader triumphantly from one exciting climax to the next.” - Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author “Superb. . . . Dietrich combines a likable hero surrounded by a cast of fascinating historical characters. . . . Readers will cheer.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Attention to those of you who like thrillers to be high-concept, historical and swashbuckling!” - Daily News “A big, exciting romp that will keep high-concept thriller fans on the edge of their seats.” - Booklist “Dietrich is becoming a leader among historical novelists. . . . This work is rousing, swashbuckling fun and proof that a good writer can make history not only interesting but an exhilarating romp. Highly recommended.” - Library Journal “Fast, fun and full of surprises, Dietrich’s rollicking third Ethan Gage escapade (after The Rosetta Key ) takes the expatriate American diplomat and soldier-of-fortune home to investigate the Louisiana territory, preceding Lewis and Clark, for Napoleon, who claims it was secretly sold back to France. . . . The tale twists and turns like a spitted serpent, but Dietrich shows his sure hand as a storyteller, leavening a tale rich in intrigue and impressive historic detail with abundant wit and humor.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) William Dietrich is back with another fast-paced new adventure—one that brings together Norse mythology, the American wilderness, and a swashbuckling explorer in an irresistible page-turner. Ethan Gage, the hero of Napoleon's Pyramids and The Rosetta Key , just wants to enjoy the fruits of victory after helping Napoleon win the Battle of Marengo and end an undeclared naval war with the United States. But a foolish tryst with Bonaparte's married sister and the improbable schemes of a grizzled Norwegian named Magnus Bloodhammer soon send Ethan on a new treasure hunt on America's frontier that will have him dodging scheming aristocrats and hostile Indians. In 1801 newly elected president Thomas Jefferson, taking office in the burgeoning capital of Washington, D.C., convinces Ethan and Magnus to go on a scouting expedition—one that precedes that of Lewis and Clark—to investigate reports of woolly mammoths and blue-eyed Indians. The pair have their own motive, however, which they neglect to share with the president: a search for the mythical hammer of the Norse god Thor, allegedly brought by fugitive Norsemen to the center of North America 150 years before Columbus. Can the hammer control thunder and lightning? Is there a core of truth to this myth? Ethan's journey takes him across the Great Lakes to country no white man has seen, but not before he becomes entangled with a British temp