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Neptune’s Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire, from the Bestselling Author
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Expected 29 Jan 26Roger Dooley wasn’t looking for the San Jose. But an accidental discovery in the dusty stacks of a Spanish archive in the 1980s led him to the story of a lifetime—the journey of a ship that had gathered a mountain of riches from the New World for a long-awaited delivery to the King of Spain nearly three centuries earlier. But that ship, the galleon San Jose, never reached its destination. Instead, the Spanish treasure fleet was drawn into a pitched battle with British ships of war off the coast of Cartagena. When the smoke cleared, the San Jose had disappeared into the ocean.
Though a diver at heart, Dooley was an unlikely candidate to find the San Jose. Half Cuban by birth, he lived a life that stretched from the ballfields of Brooklyn to the shores of Castro’s Havana at the dawn of revolution, where he would help birth a fledgling nation’s diving program and make films with Jacques Cousteau, before finding himself placed on an international watch list and barred from the United States. Dooley had little in the way of serious credentials, yet his tenacity and single-minded devotion to finding the San Jose led him to breakthroughs once thought impossible. As he jousted with famous treasure hunters and well-funded competitors, Dooley ultimately homed in on a patch of sea that might contain a three-hundred-year-old shipwreck—or nothing at all.
Neptune's Fortune plunges into a rarified world through the eyes of an idiosyncratic protagonist, one whose work would spark the hopes of presidents and make real the dreams of a nation. This tale of temerity and treasure is a one-of-a-kind story of a lost fortune and the decades-long quest to shine a light on the bounty at the bottom of the sea.
Though a diver at heart, Dooley was an unlikely candidate to find the San Jose. Half Cuban by birth, he lived a life that stretched from the ballfields of Brooklyn to the shores of Castro’s Havana at the dawn of revolution, where he would help birth a fledgling nation’s diving program and make films with Jacques Cousteau, before finding himself placed on an international watch list and barred from the United States. Dooley had little in the way of serious credentials, yet his tenacity and single-minded devotion to finding the San Jose led him to breakthroughs once thought impossible. As he jousted with famous treasure hunters and well-funded competitors, Dooley ultimately homed in on a patch of sea that might contain a three-hundred-year-old shipwreck—or nothing at all.
Neptune's Fortune plunges into a rarified world through the eyes of an idiosyncratic protagonist, one whose work would spark the hopes of presidents and make real the dreams of a nation. This tale of temerity and treasure is a one-of-a-kind story of a lost fortune and the decades-long quest to shine a light on the bounty at the bottom of the sea.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication January 27, 2026
9111 people want to read
About the author
Julian Sancton
7 books294 followersJulian Sancton has written for Vanity Fair, Departures, Esquire, The New Yorker, Wired, and Playboy, among other publications. He spent most of his childhood in France and attended Harvard University, where he studied European history. He lives in Larchmont, New York, with his partner, Jessica, and their two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 2, 2025
I had high hopes for Julian Sancton's newest, Neptune's Fortune. After all, Madhouse at the End of the Earth is a perfect mixture of claustrophobic horror and perseverance in the age of polar exploration. It was a tight narrative which left me, a shipwreck addict, supremely satisfied. Of course, seeing that Sancton was taking on a different shipwreck meant I knew what I was going to get all over again. I was psyched.
Instead, Sancton went the complete opposite way. Neptune's Fortune is a story which crosses hundreds of years, tackles international politics, and follows a man who may not be able to be trusted. This isn't Madhouse Part 2. This is completely different and still utterly fantastic. I demand that Sancton never write about anything but shipwrecks. (Please.)
This book is three parts. The first tells the story of how a Spanish galleon, the San Jose, ends up on the sea floor with over a billion dollars in gold and silver. While this is only the first part of the book, Sancton is not rushing. The battle was so engaging I literally stayed up too late to make sure I finished that part. The second part follows Roger Dooley. Who is Roger Dooley? Probably easier to say what he isn't. Let's just say he is a treasure hunter. For good or bad, well, like everything else about him, it's complicated. The third part follows Dooley as he goes searching for the San Jose.
Literally nothing about this story is simple. Did the San Jose blow up? Is Dooley a liar or an obsessive genius? Even if the San Jose is found, who actually owns it? There are so many ways to take this narrative and Sancton always makes the right choice. It's a must read.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by NetGalley and Crown Publishing.)
Instead, Sancton went the complete opposite way. Neptune's Fortune is a story which crosses hundreds of years, tackles international politics, and follows a man who may not be able to be trusted. This isn't Madhouse Part 2. This is completely different and still utterly fantastic. I demand that Sancton never write about anything but shipwrecks. (Please.)
This book is three parts. The first tells the story of how a Spanish galleon, the San Jose, ends up on the sea floor with over a billion dollars in gold and silver. While this is only the first part of the book, Sancton is not rushing. The battle was so engaging I literally stayed up too late to make sure I finished that part. The second part follows Roger Dooley. Who is Roger Dooley? Probably easier to say what he isn't. Let's just say he is a treasure hunter. For good or bad, well, like everything else about him, it's complicated. The third part follows Dooley as he goes searching for the San Jose.
Literally nothing about this story is simple. Did the San Jose blow up? Is Dooley a liar or an obsessive genius? Even if the San Jose is found, who actually owns it? There are so many ways to take this narrative and Sancton always makes the right choice. It's a must read.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by NetGalley and Crown Publishing.)
September 17, 2025
"The sea is broad and her paths are many."
I read Sancton's other book, Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night, as part of my deep dive into arctic exploration, and was really pleased with the result. I somehow missed(!) that he has another book coming next month (and will absolutely pick it up soon), but did manage to snag the ARC for this upcoming book of his. I went into it basically blind; I didn't know much about either the San Jose or treasure hunting in general, but I ended up walking away with more treasure hunter knowledge, historical and naval knowledge, and information about the players involved than I expected.
This book covers a lot of ground in its journey to the San Jose. The opening few chapters recounting how and why it sunk in the first place set the stage for later on, but also were interesting in their own right. I thought the different accounts for the lead up to and the actual battle of was a nice touch; you get to experience multiple angles of the incident. After this introduction of sorts, we're thrust into the role of Dooley-watcher, where we're introduced to him first later in life and then from childhood on up in Cuba. I sort of thought the Dooley life chapters were a mixed bag; some were really interesting, and sort of shows how and why Dooley made the choices he made later on, and some felt a bit extraneous and made things feel a bit slow. The treasure hunter asides were universally interesting to me, as was the actual search for the San Jose later on. Lots of neat footnotes are included here, particularly about the preponderance of shells around the wreck site and the connection between them and bones. Nature is metal.
I will say that I sort of expected a bit more about the wreck itself. It felt like by the time it was located, the book was basically over. With what happens later, I guess that's to be expected, but it felt a bit anticlimactic given the title of the book. But as a book about treasure hunting vs. deep sea archaeology, I was very pleased.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I read Sancton's other book, Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night, as part of my deep dive into arctic exploration, and was really pleased with the result. I somehow missed(!) that he has another book coming next month (and will absolutely pick it up soon), but did manage to snag the ARC for this upcoming book of his. I went into it basically blind; I didn't know much about either the San Jose or treasure hunting in general, but I ended up walking away with more treasure hunter knowledge, historical and naval knowledge, and information about the players involved than I expected.
This book covers a lot of ground in its journey to the San Jose. The opening few chapters recounting how and why it sunk in the first place set the stage for later on, but also were interesting in their own right. I thought the different accounts for the lead up to and the actual battle of was a nice touch; you get to experience multiple angles of the incident. After this introduction of sorts, we're thrust into the role of Dooley-watcher, where we're introduced to him first later in life and then from childhood on up in Cuba. I sort of thought the Dooley life chapters were a mixed bag; some were really interesting, and sort of shows how and why Dooley made the choices he made later on, and some felt a bit extraneous and made things feel a bit slow. The treasure hunter asides were universally interesting to me, as was the actual search for the San Jose later on. Lots of neat footnotes are included here, particularly about the preponderance of shells around the wreck site and the connection between them and bones. Nature is metal.
I will say that I sort of expected a bit more about the wreck itself. It felt like by the time it was located, the book was basically over. With what happens later, I guess that's to be expected, but it felt a bit anticlimactic given the title of the book. But as a book about treasure hunting vs. deep sea archaeology, I was very pleased.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 1, 2025
A mostly self taught diver and ocean archeologist yearns of finding the big treasure. From his childhood in Cuba to moving to the U.S. Roger Dooley was determined to find the largest Spanish sunken treasure shipwreck in history. The problem is he had to locate it without knowing the general area where it sank, searching for any documents over 300 years ago, then finance it and then put a claim on it before local governments or other treasure seekers could. In superb storytelling Julian Sancton shares Roger Dooley's life and obsession with finding the San Jose as well as the history of Europe's thirst for gold and silver that led to the fateful battle and ship sinking and the early history of deep sea wreck exploration and treasure salvage. The one and a million chance he would find it and the toll it would take. Armchair history buffs, wannabe treasure seekers and curious readers who enjoy a biography of a man who wouldn't give up on his dream. It is an enjoyable and thrilling journey that readers of the Key West Florida treasure hunters, the search for the Titanic and THE WIDE WIDE SEA will enjoy. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.
August 29, 2025
This was a fun book, thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As a history buff but not all that familiar with this particular wreck, I found the historical piece interesting and enjoyed reading about the process to find the galleon.
I liked the authors style here, it was very readable and made you want to root for Dooley. Pacing overall was pretty good, and while there was a lot of background on Dooley, it felt about right to paint the picture of who he is and what helped drive him to his fascination.
As a history buff but not all that familiar with this particular wreck, I found the historical piece interesting and enjoyed reading about the process to find the galleon.
I liked the authors style here, it was very readable and made you want to root for Dooley. Pacing overall was pretty good, and while there was a lot of background on Dooley, it felt about right to paint the picture of who he is and what helped drive him to his fascination.
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January 8, 2026A while back, I read the author’s Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night as part of my sad boat obsession, and absolutely loved it. I had gone into my local indie bookstore, and the owner gave me this ARC to read, knowing how much I enjoyed Sancton’s earlier book. I admit it took me entirely too long to read it, but it was quite the ride!!
The book opens with a discussion of the Spanish empire and from where came the precious metals that European colonizers were obsessed with. It’s insane to think of how much literal treasure was on these ships that were bound back to Europe; everyone on the ships would have huge quantities of contraband that was hidden from the Spanish authorities, so it’s difficult to know exactly how much riches were on each journey. But suffice it to say it was A LOT. Hence why there have been so many treasure hunters wanting to find these shipwrecks as a quick way to become insanely wealthy.
We also see the battle that sunk the San Jose from multiple angles. This gives a really clear picture of what exactly had happened, though for hundreds of years it was unclear exactly where.
Enter Roger Dooley, an American raised in Cuba during the Castro years who found refuge under the sparkly waters of the Caribbean. Though initially he comes across as a little suspect, Sancton shows that Dooley was motivated mostly by the hopes of learning new information from these wrecks. For him, the treasure was secondary. He wasn’t in it to make money, unlike many of the other treasure hunters Sancton profiles. It hurts my heart so much to think of the damage these men did to these historical sites by blowing up the coral and the wrecks in hopes of getting their hands on gold and silver. Knowledge meant nothing to them.
It was also interesting to see how Colombia handled the discovery of the San Juan site, and how it changed depending on who was president. Having one president act out of spite regarding his predecessor is somewhat amusing, though sad at the same time.
I really hope people enjoy this book. I wish I had been able to give it more of my attention, but I am so glad to have read it. Sancton is quickly becoming a must-read author for me.
The book opens with a discussion of the Spanish empire and from where came the precious metals that European colonizers were obsessed with. It’s insane to think of how much literal treasure was on these ships that were bound back to Europe; everyone on the ships would have huge quantities of contraband that was hidden from the Spanish authorities, so it’s difficult to know exactly how much riches were on each journey. But suffice it to say it was A LOT. Hence why there have been so many treasure hunters wanting to find these shipwrecks as a quick way to become insanely wealthy.
We also see the battle that sunk the San Jose from multiple angles. This gives a really clear picture of what exactly had happened, though for hundreds of years it was unclear exactly where.
Enter Roger Dooley, an American raised in Cuba during the Castro years who found refuge under the sparkly waters of the Caribbean. Though initially he comes across as a little suspect, Sancton shows that Dooley was motivated mostly by the hopes of learning new information from these wrecks. For him, the treasure was secondary. He wasn’t in it to make money, unlike many of the other treasure hunters Sancton profiles. It hurts my heart so much to think of the damage these men did to these historical sites by blowing up the coral and the wrecks in hopes of getting their hands on gold and silver. Knowledge meant nothing to them.
It was also interesting to see how Colombia handled the discovery of the San Juan site, and how it changed depending on who was president. Having one president act out of spite regarding his predecessor is somewhat amusing, though sad at the same time.
I really hope people enjoy this book. I wish I had been able to give it more of my attention, but I am so glad to have read it. Sancton is quickly becoming a must-read author for me.
September 27, 2025
Julian Sancton’s Neptune’s Fortune was an absolute pleasure to read. As a huge fan of his first work, I came into this book already knowing that his style of writing and approach to history were exactly what I look for—and this one did not disappoint. It had everything you could ask for in a great work of narrative history: meticulous research, gripping storytelling, and a cast of characters brought vividly to life.
By the end, I found myself deeply invested in the fate of Dooley. His story pulled me in so completely that I was genuinely concerned about how things would turn out for him. Some people live the most fascinating, unpredictable lives, and Dooley is one of those rare figures who seems larger than life yet entirely real. He is an extremely enchanting man, and Sancton captures that energy perfectly.
This is history at its most compelling—an adventure that feels both deeply human and endlessly intriguing. For readers who love history told with heart, drama, and an eye for the extraordinary, Neptune’s Fortune is everything you could hope for.
By the end, I found myself deeply invested in the fate of Dooley. His story pulled me in so completely that I was genuinely concerned about how things would turn out for him. Some people live the most fascinating, unpredictable lives, and Dooley is one of those rare figures who seems larger than life yet entirely real. He is an extremely enchanting man, and Sancton captures that energy perfectly.
This is history at its most compelling—an adventure that feels both deeply human and endlessly intriguing. For readers who love history told with heart, drama, and an eye for the extraordinary, Neptune’s Fortune is everything you could hope for.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I appreciate NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Neptune's Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire by Julian Sancton.
This nonfiction book follows Roger Dooley and his over 50-year search for the Spanish galleon San José, which sank off the coast of Cartagena in 1708 after a battle with the British. While the ship is known for the massive treasure it was believed to carry, the story isn't just about recovering the gold.
Dooley is an interesting man who grew up in Cuba and even had dealings with Castro, adding an unexpected political and historical layer. His passion for shipwrecks lasted more than 50 years, and he was clearly just as interested in the historical significance of the artifacts as he was in their value. An interesting read for anyone who enjoys maritime history and real-life treasure hunts.
This nonfiction book follows Roger Dooley and his over 50-year search for the Spanish galleon San José, which sank off the coast of Cartagena in 1708 after a battle with the British. While the ship is known for the massive treasure it was believed to carry, the story isn't just about recovering the gold.
Dooley is an interesting man who grew up in Cuba and even had dealings with Castro, adding an unexpected political and historical layer. His passion for shipwrecks lasted more than 50 years, and he was clearly just as interested in the historical significance of the artifacts as he was in their value. An interesting read for anyone who enjoys maritime history and real-life treasure hunts.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to @crownspublishing and @netgalley for a copy of this book. Also, thanks to @histerynerdaunited for the recommendation
There is a lot going on in this book and it’s told in three parts. The first part was fun and I liked learning about how the Spanish galleon and all that gold and silver ended up on the sea floor. It was engaging and my interest was peaked. Then we got to part two and were introduced to Roger Dooley. Now Dooley isn’t necessarily a treasure hunter, but he’s not not a treasure hunter because he does go looking for the sunk San Jose. There is so much going on, and while the author did do a good job with the writing I wasn’t as fully engaged in part two as I had hoped. Things did pick up again towards the end, and it ended up being an enjoyable read, it just wasn’t a top read.
There is a lot going on in this book and it’s told in three parts. The first part was fun and I liked learning about how the Spanish galleon and all that gold and silver ended up on the sea floor. It was engaging and my interest was peaked. Then we got to part two and were introduced to Roger Dooley. Now Dooley isn’t necessarily a treasure hunter, but he’s not not a treasure hunter because he does go looking for the sunk San Jose. There is so much going on, and while the author did do a good job with the writing I wasn’t as fully engaged in part two as I had hoped. Things did pick up again towards the end, and it ended up being an enjoyable read, it just wasn’t a top read.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I think I may have officially read too many books of this type, or types -- books about treasure hunting, disasters at sea, and just generally, boats. This one is perfectly serviceable -- though not as vivid as Sancton's Madhouse at the End of the Earth -- but will likely prove a better read for someone closer to the beginning of their "boats! boats! boats!" journey.
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Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This extremely engaging history is about the sinking of the San Jose and its fortunes that lay undiscovered on the ocean floor for over 300 years. It deals well in the importance of archaeological integrity, treasure hunters, even has parts about the Cold War as the main protagonist Rodger Dooley is an American born Cuban with an obsession on this ship long lost to history. So many fantastic elements and I highly recommend you grab your copy upon its release later this month.
October 2, 2025
Great book, everything I love to read about, history, shipwrecks, and we even got some Cuban American history. Enjoyed being reminded of the Atocha and Tommy Thompson also
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews