The Prisoner's Gold

The Hunters #3

by Chris Kuzneski

***ITW Thriller Award Winner for the 2016 Book of the Year***


THE At the end of the 13th century, Chinese Emperor Kublai Khan gave an Italian merchant unfettered access to his kingdom. The traveler was Marco Polo, and his journey would become legendary. Aided by a special passport that protected him throughout the land, Polo amassed unbelievable wealth and hid it before his return to Italy. To this day, the location of his treasure remains a mystery.


THE The Hunters—an elite group assembled by an enigmatic billionaire to locate the world’s greatest treasures—are tasked with finding the missing fortune. Guided by firsthand accounts of Polo’s travels, they quickly discover there are hostile forces willing to do anything to stop them from taking the riches from Chinese soil. Before long, the treasure hunt becomes a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that will rewrite history while taking the lives of many.


THE As the danger continues to mount, will the Hunters rise to the challenge? Or will the team be eliminated before they find Polo's treasure?

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Adventure, Action, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Historical Fiction

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 8, 2015

About the author

Chris Kuzneski is the #1 international bestselling & New York Times bestselling author of twelve novels and one novella. His thrillers have been translated into more than twenty languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. One of his books (THE HUNTERS) is currently being made into a major motion picture, and another (THE PRISONER’S GOLD) won an ITW Thriller Award for Book of the Year.

Armed with witty prose, a unique narrative voice, and a penchant for blackmail, Kuzneski has garnered praise from many of the top authors in the world: James Patterson, Nelson DeMille, Lee Child, Vince Flynn, James Rollins, Tess Gerritsen, Douglas Preston, Lisa Gardner, Steve Berry, Scott Mariani, Allison Brennan, W.E.B. Griffin, Graham Brown, Boyd Morrison, John Gilstrap, Raymond Khoury, David Morrell, Andrew Gross, Joseph Finder, Jeremy Robinson, and his writing idol, Clive Cussler.

Simply put, his books are awesome.

A former football player at the University of Pittsburgh, Kuzneski worked as a journalist until he realized it was easier to make stuff up in the comfort of his own home. He has been writing fiction and sleeping in ever since. The only thing that has slowed him down is his obvious need for a pen name, since most people don't know how to spell or pronounce 'Kuzneski'. [Hint: Seven of the letters are silent.]

Reviews

[Brenda H · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Prisoner’s Gold, we join our treasure hunters several months after the last mission…each recovering in their own way from the traumatic events in Alexandria. Chris Kuzneski is sending the team on a hunt for Marco Polo’s lost treasure.

As the team follows first-hand accounts of Polo’s travels, they are attacked and hunted by hostile forces that are intent on keeping the national treasures in China. Often it seems that the hostile forces are one step ahead of the team – is there a mole?

This is the third book in The Hunters series by Chris Kuzneski. The first book was rough; the second was better and this third one is the best so far. Kuzneski now has the team working as the professionals they are. There is a better sense of camaraderie and the team has begun to gel. One problem with this book is that it seems to have been written with the intention of turning it into a film (Kuzneski apparently is working with the studio to cast and produce these books) so there is a lot of “visual” action vs deduction and consideration. (more Indiana Jones than National Treasure).

Rating: 4.25

[Rosalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this 3rd outing in the hunters series and found all the detail regarding malta and the vatican very interesting.
I am now left hanging on waiting for the 4th book which I really hope will get written even if the publishing numptys dropped the author by saying action adventure was out of fashion. They are so very wrong. I for one will be on the pre order list when/should the 4th book be written

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

feel this is the best so far in the hunters series as the team goes in search of the lost treasure of marco polo and is a real page turner and doesn't disappoint

[Wenzel Roessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best use of characters and character development in the series. Too bad the ending leaves many unanswered questions and it's been ten years since this book and no book 4.

[Steven Walle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This masterful novel is about a group of treasure hunters on the hunt for Marco Polo's treasure. They pour over Polo's writings to find clues to the treasure's where abouts. It is very suspencful and tiviting. I recommednd this book to all who have an interest in history and treasures.Enjoy and Be Blessed.Diamond

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Prisoner's Gold by Chris Kuzneski
The Hunters series Book #3
5★'s

What's It About?
At the end of the 13th century, Chinese Emperor Kublai Khan gave an Italian merchant unfettered access to his kingdom. The traveler was Marco Polo, and his journey would become legendary. Aided by a special passport that protected him throughout the land, Polo amassed unbelievable wealth and hid it before his return to Italy. To this day, the location of his treasure remains a mystery.

The Hunters—an elite group assembled by an enigmatic billionaire to locate the world’s greatest treasures—are tasked with finding the missing fortune. Guided by firsthand accounts of Polo’s travels, they quickly discover there are hostile forces willing to do anything to stop them from taking the riches from Chinese soil. Before long, the treasure hunt becomes a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that will rewrite history while taking the lives of many.

What Did I Think?
This is an exceptional series written by a very talented writer. The excitement is high level... going from a car chase to an air chase to fights to shooting and everything imaginable in between. This one had a twist that I didn't see coming, but it was a good thing. Glad it wasn't like the twist in the book before this one. You really must read this series in order or you will never figure out what is happening or why. This series will appeal to all that like a good thriller with plenty of action and a large dose of history.

[Jamie Dawes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well…
What a mix of emotions this produced.
The Hunters team went out to find the treasures of Marco Polo. And what an adventure this was!!!
Very descriptive, and very visual.

The ended was quite… sudden? I feel like it could’ve been extended a little bit more. But a great ending it was!!

Hopefully Kuzneski will write a final book in the series to wrap up what has yet to be closed. But I’m happy to let my imagination wander for a little while 😁

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first novel I’ve read by Chris Kuzneski and it was pretty good fun. The action rattles along at a good pace and there are plenty of twists and turns. A quick Internet search reveals that there are a couple of books in The Hunters series already published. There appears to be a couple of references to these previous novels scattered throughout the narrative, but I never felt like I was missing out on anything massively relevant.

I have a tendency to devour thrillers pretty quickly. I find them easy reading and I love it when the action kicks off on page one and doesn’t quit until the book is done. The good news is that The Prisoner’s Gold does exactly that, the globetrotting action never really lets up. How best to describe it? The premise is pretty straightforward. The Hunters are a group of specialists put together to locate and retrieve treasures all over the world. The novel reads like a cross between a rock solid action movie and the Uncharted game franchise. The characters are fun (possibly a bit underdeveloped but I’m not really looking for that in this case anyway), the locations are all suitably exotic and there is enough going on that you can quite easily lose yourself in the non-stop rollercoaster of a plot.

In a nutshell, we’re talking chases, explosions, double dealing, backstabbing and more pithy one liners than you can shake a big pointy stick at. If you’ve enjoyed the likes of Scott Mariani, James Rollins or Matthew Reilly, then I would suggest you give this a try. This is exactly the sort of thing I like to read when I’m travelling. A good thriller should always promise a bit of escapism.

I enjoyed my first experience of Chris Kuzneski’s writing. I’m curious to see where the overarching plot is heading. There is a distinct suggestion that there is a much larger plot unfolding. I’ll be keep my eyes peeled for Kuzneski’s next Hunters book.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great third book to this series that continues to keep my interest. You should read this series in order to understand prior events that have already occurred.

[Ryan Rauber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third book in the Hunters series, and probably my favorite so far. This time around, the team follows the trail that Marco Polo took during the 13th on the hunt for his fabled treasure. Plenty of what you'd expect from a Chris Kuzneski book: action, humor, colorful characters. We also learn a little more as to who and what is behind their adventures in finding hidden treasures from the past.

I love the Chris Kuzneski books, and although I like the Payne/Jones series more, the Hunters books are shaping up to be a great series. Can't wait for the next book.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third outing for the hunters, see's them on the hunt for Marco Polo's lost treasure. With a new team member they travel to Italy, China and Sri Lanka. Whilst looking, Cobb is also trying to track down the man pulling the strings! The team interaction is again good, as they continue to gel as a unit. Looking forward to the next hunt.

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third in the Hunters series and it is a real page turner and keeps you guessing right to the end. Hunting the treasure of "The Traveller" but also being hunted by fanatics and not knowing who's really in charge, this is a fantastic read and I hope we don't have to wait quite as long for the next instalment.

[dennis barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prisoners gold. Chris kuzneski

Book 3 of The Hunters. An extraordinary group of extremely talented and lethal individuals. Not mercenaries. They are tasked with finding the hidden treasure of Marco Polo. Extremely fast paced, betrayal, intrigue and full of extensive historical documentation. A action packed thriller and a stupendous read!!!!

[Agnes Melissen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Chris Kuzneski. I loved the Payne and Jones books, the action and the dark jokes. The first 2 books of the hunters I thought were ok, not the level of his previous books, but still entertaining. With this 3rd book he's back to his old level of Payne and Jones books again. Well done, can't wait for the next one.

[David Eppenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrillers are a guilty pleasure of mine and I follow a handful of authors in this genre, Kuzneski being one of those. I am a fan so the fact that I enjoyed this book can be viewed in that light. However, this was an entertaining page turner full of action, exotic locales, and a historical basis all combining for a lot of fun for the reader. Enjoy.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm Hooked

Book 3 in the series is as good or better then the first two. Can't wait for book four. I had never read a Kuzneski novel before the Hunters series but I will be reading all of his works now.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly entertaining mystery action thriller. This is now a favourite thriller series of mine.

[Vikas Datta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thrilling but some plot gaps, and some situations happen too pat..

[A Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Enraged and disgusted by the offense, McNutt turned around and punched the dead guide in his face to teach him a lesson. Instead, the force of the blow popped the corpse's eyes wide open, startling McNutt so much that he actually believed Ali had come back to life. Worried for his own life and the survival of the human race, McNutt instinctively pushed the body out of the moving truck before the zombie transformation could take full effect..."😂😂😂😂😹

... "Road? Where we're going, we don't need roads," McNutt said with a laugh. "Hold on to your spleens. Things are about to get bouncy."🤣🤣🤣
Sarah quickly realized that McNutt intended to bypass the winding path and drive straight down the side of the mountain. "Oh, you crazy mother---😹😹😹😹😹

I truly, truly was shocked at the ending because I figured there was a mole I just didn't know who it was😱
I hope and pray that Kuzneski Chris will continue the hunter series because now that I'm finished I really, really want the other five books ❣️ I took off a star because I'm not a fan of cliffhanger series.

[Bo Manson · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the tragic and success of a previous tasks, the team took a time off. But, they were summoned back. There’s another new task awaited. The team assembled once again with a new historian. They learned about the Travels of Marco Polo and his hidden treasure during briefing. On this mission, Cobb as a leader had doubts about Papineau’s new historian and the amounts of money funded their journey across the world and his suspicion grew larger but a mission is a mission and they are very well paid. This time, the mission required them to go separately to Italy and to China following clues after clues. While in China, Cobb found out that he was ambushed by a xenophobic gang that eventually followed the whole team wherever they gone to. Upon completion, they regroup and the history once again led them to Tibet and then to Sri Lanka where the clues of the story revealed its secrets. Trapped by Cobb, Papineau then gave him the name who pulled the string all this while.

[Rohan Raj Kansal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another great story. Another great hunt.
I have liked all the three books so far. The salient feature about this series is that it takes actual events from our history and builds on top of that. It's a very fun way to learn history. I really like the chase in this book ( which was for most of the part, unlike the previous 2 editions ). This series has added quite a few places that I would like to visit in my bucket list. Hopefully I'll able to do that in this lifetime.

Although I have completed this book, I am sad as I don't know if there will be a sequel to the story or if it's abandoned. I would have consumed all the other parts in an instant as well. Also, I find no news about Chris. If someone knows what he is up to these days, please lemme know.

[Eadie Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the 3rd book in Chris Kuzneski's The Hunters Series. I liked Kuzneski's humor and his writing. The team seemed more of a cohesive group in this book and I was glad to see Papi fitting in better with them instead of spying on them. I found the information about Marco Polo very interesting and loved following his travels to Florence, China, Tibet and Sri Lanka. I found the plots are thrilling and the characters are fascinating especially McNutt. The fast moving action kept the pages turning all the way until the cliff-hanging ending which leaves you hungry for the next installment. I would highly recommend this series to those who love adventure thrillers.

[Mellanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the ending of The Forbidden tomb I was very curious of how the team would deal with the loss and what was going to happen next. Part 3 of the series was just as intriguing as the previous 2. I somehow ended up learning some of the history of Marco Polo what I didn't know before. Somehow I had started to like Jasmin in the previous 2 books and in this one she was replaced by Maggie and basically from page 1 i disliked her.
It was also interesting to see how Cobb was starting to rebel against the invisible man behind the curtain who gives them their assignments. The story ends with Cobb making a promise and it leaves the reader curious to see how the story will continue from here.

[Chandrayan Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this two years ago, when the back blurb caught my attention. Since then, I tried reading it thrice, but failed to make it past the first fifty pages each time. Now that I've forced myself to finish it, here's what I think -
The book has some good moments, but it's just not my kind of story. The pacing is off, the constant humor is both unnecessary and cringey, and the prose is weird at times. The characters are well-developed and fleshed out. I could imagine them as real people. But beyond that, I didn't find much enjoyable about this book. The concept of the story is thrilling, but the execution is poor.

[Andre Lahouter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book immensely. Continues the great adventure after Book 1(not so great) and Book 2 (loved it) . I still feel to a small degree the actual climax of finding the treasure feels a bit rushed. So much action..and then suddenly..oh wait here is a cave that is so obvious yet no one found it in thousands of years. And guess what..there is a treasure in it..so easy! But still..read the book. It is still a great read.

[Chromatic Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Kuzneski book I have read, I enjoyed, it made me think of the A team meets The Da Vinci Code, lots of good characters each with a special skill? The story is all about the hidden treasure of Marco Polo with lots of action, I reckon it would make a great film.
It prompted me to try another of his books, currently reading The Plantation, and I am finding it difficult to put down.

[Dan Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent adventure thriller. The characters have some good banter (even if it feels a little forced at times), there are plenty of gunfights and chases, and the central treasure seeking plotline keeps things moving along. Not quite as compelling as other adventure writers out there, but an ideal holiday read.

[Dee Haddrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Kuzneski had written another action-packed thrill ride adventure story in the Hunters series. While the main story is the hunt for treasures, there's the underlying thread of intrigue and betrayal that keeps you guessing, and rooting for Jack and his time to succeed. I can't wait to see where we go next!!!

[Zallee Pepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read!

Almost like he's now settled into the new characters. And still perhaps the best writer in the genre, even possibly including Clive Cussler. And I love the setting... Typically got plenty of action, a great mystery, tension and drama, and humour through the excellent dialogue - something so many writers overlook.

[Tom B · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could go into great detail about how much is wrong with this book, but I won't. If you want a nice fantasy novel, featuring a cast of heroes with supernatural skills, and if you don't mind juvenile descriptions of violence, corny movie references, and obsessive details on weapons and military equipment, then this book is for you.