Alexander's Gold: An Archaeological Thriller

by Dave Bartell

Ancient secrets. Ruthless hunters. Survival is the only treasure.

When a coin cache left by Alexander the Great turns up at the State Museum of Azerbaijan, archaeologist Darwin Lacroix connects it to a legend of a lost shrine. Finding it could rewrite history and unearth untold treasure. Unfortunately, clues point to it being in the volatile Nagorno-Karabakh wilderness.

He partners with ex-Army Ranger Zac Johnson and enigmatic curator Leyla Ibrahimova to embark on a high-stakes mission. The trio must navigate perilous mountains to locate a cryptic inscription that points to a secret guarded by time and blood.

But they’re not alone.

Viktor Tarasov, a cold-blooded former GRU operative turned antiquities smuggler, tracks their every move. Hungry for his first big score, he aims to seize the treasure at any cost.

With danger at every turn and a ruthless foe closing in, Darwin and his team must outsmart their enemies and protect the region’s rich history. Alexander’s Gold is an action-packed archaeological thriller blending ancient mysteries with modern-day suspense.

116 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 23, 2026

About the author

Dave Bartell has spent his life chasing questions across mountains, deserts, laboratories, and quiet places where the universe feels close enough to touch. He climbed the highest mountain in the continental United States at ten, earned the nickname 'mountain goat' for his relentless pace on the trail, and could start a campfire with a single match before he learned algebra. As a teenager, he preserved indigenous bone beads found on a Southern California peak—his first archaeological discovery, long before he knew the word for it.
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A degree in biochemistry sharpened his sense that humanity is made of stardust and story. Air Force survival training taught him how to think when options vanish. Zen meditation taught him how to listen to mysteries hiding in the quiet. He raced road bikes at more than fifty miles an hour, circled Lake Tahoe in four hours, and learned that endurance is a kind of prayer.
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Today, Dave writes archaeological thrillers that blend science, history, and wonder. A member of the Archaeological Institute of America, he draws from a lifetime of adventure to craft stories of discovery, danger, and the search for meaning in a vast, ancient world. He lives in Los Gatos, California, where the hills still offer enough wilderness to spark a novel.