Payne & Jones Series

The New World, 1545: Vanquished by the Spanish Empire, little remained of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. From the ashes of their cities, a unified legend emerged: their conquerors possessed a mysterious object, an artifact so powerful—so deadly—that it came to be known as “the Death Relic.”

Yucatan Peninsula, present day: When Maria Pelati’s research team disappears in Mexico, she calls Jonathon Payne and David Jones, who embark on a perilous mission to find the missing archaeologists. They soon realize that Maria’s research may hold the key to solving one of the darkest mysteries of the New World. But their quest to learn the truth about the Death Relic may end up costing them their lives.

King Ludwig II ruled Bavaria for twenty-two years, commissioning extravagant castles throughout his homeland and exhibiting such bizarre behavior that he was eventually declared insane. According to legend, Ludwig had stockpiled a massive cache of gold and jewels that would finance the construction of the largest castle of all time. But in the years since the king’s mysterious death, no one has found any evidence of such a trove.

Until now.

Jonathon Payne and David Jones are pulled into the mystery by a colleague, who asks them to investigate the legend. They agree, and quickly find themselves in a life-or-death struggle to uncover the truth about Ludwig’s death, his mythical treasure, and who would be willing to kill for it.

The legendary Nostradamus predicted numerous world-changing events. But his most important prophecies remained hidden. After discovering a message written in a series of codes and ancient languages a young woman is prompted to seek out former Special Forces Operatives Jonathan Payne and David Jones for help. Unfortunately, their meeting is interrupted by an assassin whose only mission is to kill all who know of the secret message. Pursued across two continents, Payne and Jones must locate this sacred text from the past that could change the future.

The fourth Payne and Jones thriller from New York Times bestselling author Chris Kuzneski.
 
“A reader’s delight from beginning to end. Tautly written, expertly told, smart, and exhilarating.”—New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry

Carved into the towering cliffs of central Greece, the Holy Trinity monastery is all but inaccessible. Its sacred brotherhood has protected its secret for centuries. In the dead of night, the monastery’s sanctity is shattered by an elite group of warriors carrying ancient weapons. One by one, they hurl the monks from the cliff-top to the rocks below—the holy men taking their secret to their graves.

Halfway across Europe, Richard Byrd has uncovered the location of a magnificent treasure, but there are those who will stop at nothing to prevent its discovery. Hoping to save himself, Byrd contacts Jonathon Payne and David Jones and begs for their help. The duo rushes to Saint Petersburg, Russia, and quickly finds themselves caught in an adventure that will change their lives forever.

In a secret bunker, one of the world’s most dangerous terrorists is under interrogation-until he is rescued, and his captors are slaughtered.

Ex-MANIAC honcho Jonathan Payne vows revenge-but there is more to the bloody atrocity than terrorist reprisal. There is a plot in motion that will burn the world in the fires of holy war.

On a Danish shore, a Vatican priest is found—hanging on a cross. The next day, the same crime is repeated…this time in Asia and Africa. Meanwhile, deep in the legendary catacombs near Orvieto, Italy, an archeologist unearths a scroll dating back two thousand years, revealing secrets that could rock the foundations of Christianity. Its discovery makes him the most wanted criminal in all of Europe. But his most dangerous enemies operate outside the law of man…