The Ark Files (Eden Black Archaeological Thrillers #1)

A SECRET SOCIETY…
AN ANCIENT MANUSCRIPT…
ONE WOMAN TO SAVE THE WORLD…

Professional treasure hunter EDEN BLACK is no stranger to action. After all, the artifacts she spends her life returning to their rightful owners aren’t always easy to access.

When Eden’s father dies in a plane crash, her life’s turned upside down. Grief turns to fear when she learns that it wasn't an accident. Everyone involved in an archaeological dig twenty years ago has met with a similar untimely end. Everyone that is, but Eden who was ten at the time.

When her father’s house is raided and burned to the ground, Eden’s forced into action. To learn the truth about her father’s death and save herself from sharing his fate, Eden must uncover the manuscript and expose its secrets once and for all.

But this time the world is watching, and not everyone is on her side.

THE ARK FILES is the first in a brand-new pulse-pounding archaeological thriller series by Luke Richardson. Fans of Dan Brown, Clive Cussler, and Ernest Dempsey will devour this in hours!

The Ark Files Frequently Asked Questions:

What is The Ark Files about?
The Ark Files is a fast-paced archaeological thriller about a mysterious set of ancient tablets and a secret society determined to keep them hidden. When Eden Black inherits her father’s work after his sudden death, she is pulled into a dangerous conspiracy stretching back thousands of years — one rooted in real historical artefacts, ancient mysteries, and questions about the Great Flood.

What is the object they’re after in The Ark Files?
The story revolves around a set of ancient clay tablets connected to real discoveries from the great Mesopotamian archaeological expeditions of the 19th century. The real figures behind those discoveries include George Smith, Hormuzd Rassam, Sir Austen Henry Layard, and Sir Henry Rawlinson, who helped uncover and translate thousands of tablets across the Middle East, including material connected to the Epic of Gilgamesh. In The Ark Files, the tablets are not just a fictional invention. They are based on real ancient texts, real archaeological discoveries, and real questions about the ancient world that still fascinate historians, archaeologists, and readers today.

Is The Ark Files a true story?
Eden Black and her adventure are fictional, but The Ark Files is built around real historical mysteries. One of the main inspirations is The Diary of Aloma, a 1878 manuscript presented as the diary of a woman living before and during the Great Flood. The book also draws on real debates around the Great Flood, ancient Mesopotamia, the Fertile Crescent, Egypt, and the dating of early civilisation. The adventure is fiction, but many of the historical threads behind it are real.

Who is Eden Black?
Eden Black is a tenacious, resourceful adventurer who spends her life returning stolen artefacts to their rightful owners. After her father’s death, she finds herself in the crosshairs of a powerful secret society determined to stop her uncovering the truth. She is a strong female lead for readers who enjoy characters like Lara Croft, Indiana Jones, and other action-adventure heroes.

Where is The Ark Files set?
The Ark Files begins in Brighton, England, where the real-life archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam is buried. From there, Eden’s investigation takes her to Lebanon, following the trail of the missing tablets through Baalbek and toward the ancient coastal city of Byblos. Hidden tombs, ancient ruins, and the Mediterranean landscape all play a major role in the story.

Is The Ark Files an archaeological thriller?
Yes. The Ark Files is an archaeological thriller combining ancient artefacts, hidden tombs, real historical mysteries, secret societies, and a globe-trotting investigation with the pace of a modern action thriller. It is ideal for readers who enjoy Dan Brown, Clive Cussler, Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, National Treasure, and adventure fiction about lost civilisations.

Who will enjoy The Ark Files?
Readers who enjoy fast-paced adventure, ancient mysteries, strong characters, historical conspiracies, and clean action thrillers should enjoy The Ark Files. It is especially suited to fans of archaeological thrillers, Biblical mysteries, the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Great Flood, ancient Mesopotamia, and lost-civilisation stories.

Is The Ark Files clean or family-friendly?
Yes. The Ark Files has no swearing, no sexual content, and no gory violence. It still contains action, danger, suspense, and thriller tension, but the content is not graphic or gratuitous. Older teenagers and adults who enjoy clean adventure fiction should find it a comfortable read.

What order should I read the Eden Black books in?
The Ark Files is book one in the Eden Black archaeological thriller series. It introduces Eden, her world, and the mystery that runs through the books. After The Ark Files, the next book is The Giza Protocol.