While chasing down scrolls stolen in sixth-century North Africa from a priest who retaliated by cursing the Vandal kingdom, treasure hunters Sam and Remi Fargo deliver supplies to a school in Nigeria. Then Remi and several students are kidnapped. Eleventh in a popular series.

In the prologue of bestseller Cussler's exceptional 11th Sam and Remi Fargo adventure (after 2018's The Gray Ghost, also coauthored with Burcell), Gelimer, the king of the Vandals, consults an oracle in a North African town in 533 C.E. Gelimer must retrieve a stolen scroll and return it to its rightful owner if his kingdom is to survive. The kingdom falls before he can find the scroll, whose location remains a mystery until the present day, when some clues turn up in an archaeological dig sponsored by Sam and Remi's foundation. Meanwhile, the theft of a shipment of supplies to the girls' school the Fargos support in Nigeria prompts the couple to travel from California to Africa to deliver replacement supplies. The subsequent kidnapping of Remi and some of the school girls by robbers appears to be related to the missing scroll. Witty dialogue, loads of detail about the local culture and food, and plenty of red herrings will delight Cussler fans. This entry may be the best yet in the series. Agent: Peter Lampack, Peter Lampack Agency. (June)