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Published Apr 2009
368 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
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 temptress, a comely captive, a French voyageur, and a landscape as breathtaking as it is perilous.
Ancient Norse runes will lead him to his most fantastic discovery yet—and to wonder, danger, mystery, and sorrow that will test every ounce of wit and skill Gage can muster. The Dakota Cipher is another exciting adventure by a writer who has quickly become one of America's most beloved and inventive thriller masterminds.
"Starred Review. [A] tale rich in intrigue and impressive historic detail with abundant wit and humor." - Publishers Weekly.
"This fun blend of history and adventure makes for a terrific, fast-paced read as Gage once again winds up inadvertently impacting history." - Library Journal.
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
William Dietrich grew up near Puget Sound in the shadow of Mount Rainier.The
influence of dramatic landscapes on people permeates not only his non-fiction but
his novels, which are set in various places around the globe including Antarctica, the Australian Outback, Tibet, and the Caribbean.
The
Pulitzer-winning journalist’s non-fiction has been widely used in university
classes and his fiction has been sold into twenty-eight languages.
Dietrich was born on Sept. 29, 1951 in Tacoma, WA, graduated from Mount Tahoma
High School, and attended Fairhaven College,
an experimental liberal arts division of Western Washington University. Interest
in writing led him to journalism at Western, and his first job was covering
agricultural Skagit County for the Bellingham, WA, ...
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