A Novel (Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase) - Kingdom of Darkness

Nina and Eddie always come thru! Indiana Jones type of action and adventure as always. I would recommend reading the series from the beginning as they build upon the characters and history in each book.

Another awesome book by Andy McDermott. The book is just jam-packed full of action, evil Nazis and funny one liners. I never get tired of reading about Nina and Eddie and their many adventures. Hollywood should make a movie about these characters and I can see Jason Statham and Amy Adams playing the parts. Can't wait for the next instalment. 5 out of 5 for this excellent read.

When it comes to archaeological adventure thrillers, I'm not sure that there's anyone writing in the genre today who is stronger, smarter, or more consistent than Andy McDermott. His Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase series is like a mixture of Indiana Jones, James Bond, Dirk Pitt, and Jack Bauer. He offers up all the insane chases, explosions, fights, treasure hunting, and puzzle solving you might expect, but does so with a self-referential sense of irony. What really sets his work apart for me is its sly winks to the reader - not quite tongue in cheek, but honestly ironic - that acknowledge the genre tropes, even as he gleefully plays along with them.

Following the rather sobering conclusion to The Valhalla Prophecy, which left our heroes with a life-altering tragedy, Kingdom of Darkness opens on a bittersweet note. Nina and Eddie have come to Hollywood on their bucket list world tour, finding themselves guests of a big budget Hollywood thriller. Their good friend, Grant Thorn, is racing around the set in a Lamborghini Aventador Roadster, part of an over-the-top chase scene that Eddie acknowledges is slightly ridiculous, and which Nina accuses of ignoring the rules of physics. Later that day, of course, when a blonde stranger is gunned down while begging Nina for help, Eddie steals a Hummer limo and leads them on a chase that pretty much mirrors that Hollywood script, right down to the climactic jump through an exploding tanker truck.

It's not just in the Bond/Bauer elements that McDermott has so much fun playing the irony card, however. The story soon takes us beneath the streets of Cairo, to the sealed entrance of Alexander the Great's tomb. There, the young archaeologist in charge accuses Nina and Eddie of destructive archaeology, lecturing them on the fact that real archaeology is not all about brute force and explosions. Of course, it's not long before the Nazis blow their way in, destroying priceless artifacts with a hail of automatic gunfire and grenades. Not to be outdone by the bad guys, Eddie smugly exposes the secret hidden inside the statue of Alexander's horse by deliberately shattering it upon the floor, even as the young archaeologist reminds him they could have done the same thing with x-rays, without destroying it.

What is hidden inside is a clockwork fish that is said to be the key to finding the Spring of Immortality. It's a clever little piece of ancient technology that the young archaeologists compares to the famous Antikythera mechanism - which, as is pointed out, remains unsolved a hundred years later. When Nina dismisses that, and expresses her certainty that solving the fish will only take a couple of days, her own hubby accuses her of doing a Robert Langdon (in a wink-and-a-nod to Dan Brown). She does just that, of course, but it's really just the first step in solving the puzzle and leading the heroes to the ultimate discovery.

I could go on, but I don't want to give the impression that this is all about irony and self-referential humor. That would be to do the series a serious injustice. In terms of history and mystery, Andy McDermott ranks right up there with Cussler and Brown. He does his research, explains the history well, and cleverly weaves fact, myth, and supposition to shape his puzzles. It is fascinating stuff, and it all comes across as plausible - keeping in mind, of course, that a thriller like this can't take decades to develop, decode, and discover. They very conventions of the genre demand that the race for the treasure be both breakneck and dangerous, and once McDermott has acknowledged that, he gives the readers precisely what we're craving. Nina, Eddie, Macy, and Banna do get a chance to steal a few naps or use the facilities (unlike Jack Bauer), but for the most part this is breathless, non-stop action.

The whole Nazi storyline might seem a little preposterous to readers who are new to the series (and there are multiple characters who share that doubt), but when you've already discovered Atlantis, the tomb of Hercules, Excalibur, and the poisonous eitr of Norse mythology, the Spring of Immortality isn't that much of a stretch. What's important here is that McDermott's doesn't settle for the cartoonish villains Indiana Jones - he delves deep into the darkest aspects of their culture and their agenda. These are evil, despicable villains who are still pursuing Hitler's genocidal vision with a zeal and a fanaticism that has only grown stronger over the years. Their maniacal Anti-Semitism, their deplorable treatment of women, and their willingness to sacrifice innocent lives (including a truly terrifying scene involving a burning nursery) are all on display here.

As for the final set piece, the Spring of Immortality itself is one of the most exciting grand discoveries I've ever come across in the genre. It incorporates all of the most fantastical elements of the Alexander romance itself, establishing them not as fanciful narrative additions to the legend, but as a carefully coded series of clues for navigating the traps leading up to the Spring. McDermott doesn't stop there, however. He does have a bit of a moral/philosophical point to make here regarding the uses and abuses of power, and the final climax does a stellar job of forcing the reader to consider the possibilities of immortality in the wrong hands.

Kingdom of Darkness is smart, clever, and exciting stuff. Fans of Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase will appreciate how McDermott resolves some past issues and opens up a new future for them, but new readers will have no trouble getting up to speed on our heroes. If you're looking for a solid archaeological adventure that is as committed to the history as to the thrills, then this is definitely worth a read.

Kingdom of Darkness by Andy McDermott is a highly recommended adrenaline packed thriller for action/adventure junkies.

This tenth addition to the Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase series opens with Nazi's finding a jar that descendants of Andreas, the cook for Alexander the Great, have hidden away. It contains the secret of immortality that Andreas found in the Kingdom of Darkness.

Then the action jumps to the present day. Nina and Eddie are in Hollywood when a young man approaches them, telling Nina, “Dr. Wilde, I must give you this. They must not be allowed to raid Alexander’s tomb!” He manages to show Nina the plans and tells her "...they are going to break into the tomb and steal the statue of Bucephalus. You have to stop them!”

Eddie is naturally alarmed, but Nina explains to him that the papers show a plan of Alexander the Great’s tomb, in Egypt. The young man manages to tell Nina that the "Oberkommando” is behind the planned theft and that he needs the statue to lead them to the Spring of Immortality. Then, suddenly the young man is killed by a mysterious gunman. The chase is on, as Eddie tries to find out the identity of the gunman.

After the dust settles (barely) Nina and Eddie are off on another globe-trotting adventure to discover the statue and the location of the rumored Spring of Immortality. This time there are real Nazi's, and plenty of action and ground to be covered in order to untangle the truth behind the myth of Alexander the Great's tomb. To add to the stress, Nina is not well, but she and Eddie are as devoted to each other as ever and Eddie is still quick witted and full of one liners.

Nina and Eddie are well established characters at this point, but that shouldn't deter anyone in just picking up this book and reading it. It can stand alone because, let's face it, we're reading these books for the action-packed plot more than anything else. McDermott knows what his fans want at this point and he delivers. (There is a series changing event in this one.)

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Random House for review purposes.

Another great story with Nina & Eddie. This is another wild adventure with non stop action. Nina is very ill as she was exposed to a deadly virus. But they know her time is running out and they want to enjoy their time together. But Nina gets involved with helping find Alexander's the Great tomb but little do they know that someone is wanting an relic from that tomb and will stop at nothing to get it. This group of Nazi's that should have been dead ages ago want it so that they can find the stream of immortality. It is a race against time to stop them and save Nina & her friends. But there are many foes & so called friends that will do anything to get that one chance. Can Eddie persuade Nina to walk away or will he lose her forever. Nina is stubborn as she wants to find the stream but it could have deadly costs. Can they stop this group of Nazi's and their mad plans or will they be too late. This is a great novel it is fast paced lots of action & all filled with so many facts it makes you want to learn more every time. Can't wait to see what happens next in their lives. I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley

Received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Having never read any of Nina and Eddies prior adventures, I was able to delve right in to this action packed adventure. Right from the beginning, they are faced with near death when a Nazi from the WW2 era tries to kill Nina because of the knowledge that she now possesses about Alexander the Greats Tomb.

Luckily through some crazy driving skills that Eddie has, they escape death are then asked to help with the opening of Alexander the Greats Tomb. Knowing that their lives are potentially on the line, they head off to Egypt.

Action packed this one, from beginning till end. Nina and Eddie are hilarious and so perfect for each other. They work so well together even though Eddie tends to go off impulsively and Nina seems to think through their adventures. They are determined that the Nazi's that are perusing the grand treasure that Alexander the Great has hidden will not win. For if they do, the great evil that destroyed so much during WW2, may just have the capacity to do it again.

Great action/adventure story. Those that love Dan Brown and Lee Child are sure to love this grand adventure.

I reviewed a digital ARC provided via NetGallery and Edelweiss, without remuneration.

Review: KINGDOM OF DARKNESS (Nina Wilde & Eddie Chase #10) by Andy McDermott

The newest exciting chapter in the continuing thrills of archaeologist-explorers wife and husband duo, Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase, reaches back into classical Greek antiquity (specifically Macedonian) and more recently (seventy years) to The Third Reich. If there's any group of True Believers the world doesn't want to achieve immortality, it's the Nazis. But then, it may be too late--that may have already come true. Leave it to Wilde & Chase, archaeology's trouble magnets, to rush to the rescue. Enjoy another nonstop thrill fest!

This was a really great, fun book. It was action packed and grabbed my attention from page 1. It is my first Andy McDermott book. I wish I had read the other Eddie and Nina books first, but I still was able to follow everything reading it as a stand alone. I will definitely go back and read the others. I really enjoyed the characters and the story. I'm excited I found a new author to read! If you like action packed books with great, strong characters, this would be a great book for you! I highly recommend it!

The "ancient mystery" genre has become more popular and more common over the past couple of decades. As with any other genre, some authors handle it well, some...not so well. Andy McDermott is one of the best! This is the second Nina and Eddie book that I have read and as of two days ago I have ordered five of the remaining eight. The plots are well-researched and the characters are written so that I care about them. I look forward to enjoying this series for many years to come.

Eddie Chase is a degenerate who has no respect for his wife. His language is deplorable. McDermott needs to get real and not evidence machismo with foul language. Virtually EVERY paragraph of his dialogue contains an "f" bomb. Real life? Hardly! Last of his books for me.

This is another action packed book in the Nina Wilde/ Eddie Chase series. A group of ex SS officers are searching for a source of water that appears to be a capable of giving eternal life. . Nina is kidnapped and taken to a Nazi camp in Argentina. Now with her life in the balance Eddie and the Mossad need to stop the Nazis from finding the source and rescue Nina.

The same as in the other novels - action etc., this time flavoured with some Nazis.
I really would have liked the book, but the author tryed to be as authentic as possible, so the bad guys (the Nazis) talk German - or something Mr. McDermott thinks is German. I do speek German and I was verry irritated by these sentences...
There is a scene where one of the Nazis shouts "Sie werden die Statue zu schießen! Nehmen ihn am Leben!" etc.
Did the author use Google translator to get a translation ? And the lector must have been blind not to see that.
It makes the bad guys look not threatening but ridiculous.

Another fun read
I have read the entire series and always want for the next fix. I put this in the somewhat predictable outcome given the prequels. The characters are what I enjoy. The over the top action, you just have let loose with the firm grip on reality and enjoy the ride.