Travis Simpkins: "Powdered Gold" by David S. Brody

Powdered Gold

Templars and the American

Ark of the Covenant

by David S. Brody

Eyes That See Publishing, 2014

Notes by Travis Simpkins

Powdered Gold is the third book in David S. Brody's "Templars in America" series, and for all intents and purposes, essentially picks up where Thief on the Cross left off… continuing the story of protagonist couple Cameron Thorne and Amanda Spencer as they investigate the secret pre-Columbian history and artifacts of North America. However, it is also very much a stand alone novel and can still be thoroughly enjoyed without prior reading of the first two installments in the series.

The plot switches setting and pace, relocating the action from New England to the desert landscape of southern Arizona. The story begins with Cameron, Amanda and Astarte in Tucson, AZ where Cam is assigned to examine the Tucson Lead Artifacts and deliver a lecture on Templar exploration in Pre-Columbian America. His presence draws the attention of an eccentric scientist, who also happens to be the leader of a group of armed survivalists holed-up in a fortified compound. The man is convinced that a radioactive golden chest, filled with a mysterious white powder, is concealed inside a desert cave… and he needs Cam's expertise to locate it. Could this really be the fabled Ark of the Covenant? Or something else entirely? And what interest can the Government have in such a discovery? To discuss the plot further would be an injustice to the many surprises contained within the book's pages.

Like in his previous work, David S. Brody assembles a collection of artifacts related to the European exploration of America long before Columbus and weaves a fast-paced thriller around them in expert fashion. This book mentions the Tucson Lead Artifacts, the Mustang Mountain Rune Stone and the Los Lunas Decalogue Stone amongst other Southwestern objects. Also included are references to the Freemasons and Brody's beloved New England sites like America's Stonehenge, the Newport Tower and the In Hoc Signo Vinces Stone (also in Newport). Both informative and entertaining, this book (along with Brody's other work) is deserving of praise and more wide-spread attention.