Skip to main content

The I Index

True Raiders: The Untold Story of the 1909 Expedition to Find the Legendary Ark of the Covenant

Bottom of the pile

3

/100

I Index Overall Rating

Readers

1/100

Critics

6/100

Scholars

N/A

Author:

Brad Ricca

Publisher:

St. Martin's Press

Date:

September 21, 2021

This book tells the untold true story of Monty Parker, a British rogue nobleman who, after being dared to do so by Ava Astor, the so-called "most beautiful woman in the world," headed a secret 1909 expedition to find the fabled Ark of the Covenant.

What The Reviewers Say

Andrew DeMillo,
The Associated Press
For fans of Raiders of the Lost Ark, there’s something just as exciting as seeing Indiana Jones swashbuckling his way through the jungles in search of treasure. That thing is hearing Dr. Henry Jones describe the history behind the Ark of the Covenant, and what makes it such a sought-after archeological find. That history is what makes Brad Ricca’s True Raiders such a fun read, even if it lacks the cinematic payoff of a Stephen Spielberg’s film.
Tom Scocca,
Air Mail
True Raiders belongs to the genre of book where any shortcomings in the documentary record are smoothed over with abundant made-up stuff.
Bill Heavey,
The Wall Street Journal
The story of the expedition has the elements of a good thriller—desperate characters, hidden tunnels, an ancient code, and intrigues among the treasure hunters themselves—and aims for a cinematic feel.

Publishers Weekly
... dramatic.