The Midas Legacy

Nina Wilde & Eddie Chase #12

by Andy McDermott

American archaeologist Nina Wilde and her husband, ex-SAS bodyguard Eddie Chase, search for King Midas's legacy in the latest thrilling adventure in Andy McDermott's globe-spanning series.

For Nina Wilde and her ex-SAS husband Eddie Chase, locating the legendary lost city of Atlantis was just the beginning of an even greater quest: to discover what mysterious treasure drew an ancient Atlantean explorer to the Himalayas. But they're unaware of the risks they face, the secrets gathering around them, and the powerful forces desperate to possess history's greatest prize.

High in the snowbound peaks, Nina and Eddie uncover a cave guarded by Buddhist monks. There, a shadowy enemy awaits them. And after a vicious battle, Nina finds herself with a fragment of a millennia-old puzzle--and questions only one person can answer: her long-lost grandmother. Drawing on her family's painful secrets, Nina gains knowledge that will lead her and Eddie from a remote Icelandic retreat to the Hermit Kingdom of North Korea--and expose the shocking truth about the mythical King Midas and a terrifying plot that could doom all humankind.

Praise for Andy McDermott

"Nonstop, relentless extreme action . . . What a fantastic series!"--For Winter Nights, on Kingdom of Darkness

"A fun, frantic read that moves along at a breakneck pace . . . big-time popcorn adventure fun, complete with a dose of history and humor."--Beauty in Ruins, on The Revelation Code

"Adventure stories don't get much more epic than this."--Daily Mirror (U.K.)

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

640 pages, Paperback

First published September 22, 2016

About the author

Andy McDermott was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and now lives in Bournemouth. As a journalist and magazine editor, amongst other titles he edited DVD Review and the iconoclastic film publication Hotdog. Andy is now a full-time writer.

Reviews

[Gopal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase adventure from the stable of Andy McDermott. When the series started with Wilde & Chase it was among my favorite series with lots of action and adventure mixed with archaeology. As time moved on, unfortunately the series character did not move on. The remained the same one-dimensional cardboard cut outs. Yes the story line appeared linear with Wilde & Chase falling in love an marrying, but the depth to the characters was missing.

With so many books released in the series, there was a real chance here for the author to expand on the characters and really allow the readers to relate to them. But I guess that's a missed opportunity. Nina Wilde is now a consultant and an author, she's famous but not very happy with her life. I really did not like how the character of Wilde has developed, she constantly bitches in the book, harangues her husband and is completely miserable with her life as a mother and a non-archaeologist. The character did not develop in my point of view, she came across as a person who took a decision and then decided to spread the misery of it to everybody around her. I would give Chase a medal for just putting up with her in this book.

Being a reader of all the books in this series, the plot was relatively easy to guess, the bad guys were not even one dimensional, the twists could be predicted from almost a proverbial mile away and the baddies were overtly buffoonish in their approach. Other than our lead pair, I guess everybody and their pet must have seen through the twists. As usual when Wilde and Chase are involved in their shenanigans some priceless artifact, site or piece of history gets utterly destroyed because the world is a proverbial hell and only Wilde and Chase have the moral compass to do the right things, the rest of the people are always selfish and utter b******s who like to destroy things for selfish gain.

The books are formulaic and can be read for escapism. I liked to read through the book to understand if I could guess all the bad guys before the author revealed them and then also guess the finale or the things that the lead pair would break or destroy on their way to saving a precious artifact which always ends up getting destroyed.

Overall I would give this 2 stars. I have read better from McDermott and would like to see him write some better ones in future.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore the Nina and Eddie books - they will always, without fail, go straight to the top of my reading pile. The Midas Legacy is, in my opinion, one of the weaker books of the series, possibly partly because of the new dynamic presented by Macy, the couple's 3-year-old daughter who here makes her debut into the series. New readers to the series are definitely advised to start with an earlier novel. Nevertheless, an entertaining and thrilling pageturner. 3-3.5 stars.

[Ayomikun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually pretty good and I was able to follow up with previous story events despite this being the 12th book.
I was a bit daunted by the size (my copy is 616 pages), but I actually breezed through it pretty well.
All in all it was good and I’d love to read more from the Wilde and Chase adventures.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting

Another fabulous and exciting Wilde/Chase adventure. Full of action and audience, it is thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining from beginning to end.

[Brandon Cronk · Rating 2 out of 5]

These stories are usually fun with an interesting plot and some fun action scenes but this one was extremely predictable in almost all of its aspects. I'll probably keep reading the series and hope that the stories get a little better.

[Adam Davies-Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book in one of my favourite series. It was a case of the usual formula for a book in this series really - wise-cracking, ridiculous action sequences, artefacts or other priceless things being discovered, and subsequently stolen or destroyed and a mostly happy ending after many trials. But that's why I love them and what I've come to expect.
The nice thing about this one is that it further develops the background to characters that I already feel I know so well and links that in to events in more recent books.
I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it over a quicker time period, as opposed to the four months it had taken me! But that was not the fault of the book... more life happening, Christmas being very busy, starting a new job and planning a proposal.
Regardless, I am looking forward to the next already!

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Midas Legacy by Andy McDermott is the latest addition to the popular action/adventure series featuring Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase.

The first book in the series is The Hunt for Atlantis, and The Midas Legacy actually continues part of that story. Nina has a grandmother, whom she was told was deceased, contact her about her family's connection to a mysterious cave guarded by Buddhist monks. Apparently an Atlantean explorer went to the Himalayas and left a treasure in a cave there - a treasure tied to King Midas of Greek mythology. Nina's mother had looked for the location of the cave unsuccessfully. Nina looks at her mother's notes, given to her by her newly discovered grandmother, and determines that a trip to the Himalayas is warranted. An unknown enemy is waiting for them, though, which starts the nonstop action.

Nina and Eddie are known, established characters at this point. You expect Nina to have the research and historical/archeological knowledge at the forefront of her mind. You expect Eddie to have amazing tactical/military knowledge and the ability to get them out of any situation. Nina does have some mad tactical skills too. Nina will have a smart mouth, and Eddie will make bad jokes and wise cracks. They will escape everything.

We're jumping ahead three years from the last book. Nina was pregnant in The Revelation Code. Now Nina and Eddie's daughter Macy is three. In the last book Nina mentioned that she was pregnant on about every other page. Be forewarned that this time it will be mentioned just as frequently that they have a daughter, they have to get back to Macy, they need to survive for Macy, etc. etc. Yes, it is just as annoying. Macy herself is w-a-y too precocious for her age.

While there isn't any further character development beyond the two being parents, let's be honest, these aren't the books you read for great character development and subtle clues you must carefully follow to unlock the secrets. These are formulaic action/adventure thrillers and I can't fault McDermott for writing what his fans want. The heroes will escape from totally unbelievable circumstances in incredibly unrealistic ways, even though they are wounded or hurt, while making bad jokes. There continues to be globe-trotting action with little or no preparation. The pair remain an "almost a magnetic draw for megalomaniacs, murderers, and terrorists."

This is an "airplane book" and at 640 pages you can count on a distraction for hours. You can even skim through some pages and still follow the action. I'd have a backup book around just in case you are stuck overnight at an airport as this one does grow tiresome after so many pages.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of the Random House Publishing Group.
on 3/24/17: http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel sad giving this such a low rating, especially because I have enjoyed this series so much in the past. But there was definitely something missing from this story and I found myself struggling to get through it and finish. I can't pinpoint what exactly the issue was, although there were a few small things that probably just added up.

The dynamic of Nina & Eddie having a child was possibly part of it, along with the discovery of long-lost family. It's hard to believe given Nina's fame and security clearance that it wasn't known earlier her rich, socialite grandmother was still alive.

The lack of memorable secondary characters, with only tiny appearances from Matt, Grant, and Lola - although I guess with what has happened to Mac, Macy and Kit in the past, maybe that's a good thing.

The villains didn't seem very interesting either and none stuck around long enough to make much of an impact. Although I did find the threat of North Korea a little bit too close to current political commentary.

Lastly, and I think most importantly, whilst I enjoy a bit of action, those scenes are not why I read and love these books. I know they make up a large part of the plots for this entire series, but it's what is in between that I usually enjoy the most - the archaeology and human element. And both those things felt sorely lacking with this entry.

Still I will eagerly await the next book and hope it will be an improvement!

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

I already knew when I started it that this wouldn't be my favorite book after the last one, but it was actually worse. Somehow, by sheer chance, I read the two books I had of this series in order. Which was lucky as this one again pretty much spoiled all the previous books in the series. They really should be labelled a lot better, with clear numbers to indicate that they need to be read in order.

As with the last one, this book was entirely unbelievable plot wise, but it went a lot further with the absurdity of it all. To the point where I just started skimming certain scenes as they were so utterly ridiculous and beggaring of belief. The entirety of the North Korea section for one.

At least the other book seemed to have bits that weren't just an endless, unbelievable action sequence. This one practically had nothing else. It's very clear that McDermott has run out of anything and everything else with these characters and is just stretching the whole thing out for money. Which I'm glad I didn't pay for this. Book swap to the rescue and that's where I'm dumping this first chance I get.

Overall, not recommended, there are far better books to spend your money and time on!

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always a thrill ride.

Honestly, I'm not sure why I keep reading these books. They are predictable, unbelievable, hokey and over the top. Yet, I'm always getting the latest one each time a new one comes out and once I pick it up, I keep reading it.

They are exciting and enjoyable, just not overly original. I do like how the ancient myths and stories are woven into the bad action.

A fun read anyways.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no problem with the outrageous secrets of the world that Nina and Eddie deal with. I do have a problem with them not engaging basic smarts. Like doing a background check on a stranger who is claiming connections. Or flying across the globe on a "I'll explain where you're here." Or, I dunno, agreeing to go to North Korea.

[Ben Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of the same from Andy McDermott. Action mixed with science and history.
Thoroughly enjoyed it, as usual, but thought this one went on a little too long.
Not sure about giving our two heroes a child either. It changes the dynamic and the jury's out on whether that's a good move.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

The worst of McDermott's books I've read. Or rather, tried to read.
He must have been paid by the word. Parts of the book just drool on and on. How many pages do I need to read that they miss Macy. I get it, you miss her.
630 pages! I ditched it about 2/3 of the way through.

[Jae · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF 40%. Started off like most of his others, but the inclusion of Eddy and Nina's child was not well done. Speaks like an adult, and it's jarring to read. I thought I could ignore it, but after a while it got really annoying and I lost interest.

[Caralyn Rubli · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was okay. I didn't like any of the characters

[S.B. (Beauty in Ruins) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the latest outing for Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase is more James Bond than Indiana Jones - complete with a Tomorrow Never Dies type subplot that (thankfully) turns out to be a red herring - The Midas Legacy is still a rollicking good read from Andy McDermott, and one that has a great historical/mythological twist.

The opening scenes are absolutely fantastic, with an underwater exploration of Atlantis that is almost worth the price of admission alone. The highlight of the story, though, is the exploration of a hidden cave, high in the Himalayas, which has an Atlantean connection . . . and which offers up a very cool (and reasonably plausible) explanation for the legend of King Midas and his golden touch. McDermott has a knack for teasing something new from history and mythology, turning fiction into fact, and it works really well here.

That is really there where the Indiana Jones aspect comes to a close, with secrets and revelations about Nina's family history carrying the story through to the James Bond portion. I do like, however, that McDermott explores the family past here, explaining how and why her parents came to be such experts in Atlantis, and creating an even more interesting back-story for them. It adds a new layer of conflict into the story as well, with lies, secrets, and ulterior motives abounding.

As for that James Bond portion, it is a ton of fun, action-packed, over-the-top, and entirely catastrophic. I have absolutely no problem with that aspect - I'll take the scene-chewing villains and cartoon explosions over another bleak Daniel Craig outing any day - I would just prefer more digging, exploring, and unearthing of historical treasures.

The Midas Legacy isn't Andy McDermott's best, but it's still one hell of a fun read.


Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins

[Phil Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult review to write as I've been a big fan of Andy McDermott since I found THFA in Tesco and took a punt as the cover caught my eye. But I genuinely struggled at times to get through this book.

The story arc is a solid Chase & Wilde premise and like other reviews have said it does veer off more on the James Bond side rather than the Indiana Jones and this works and was a nice change if you can suspend belief that one notch more than usually needed. The "baddy" is immediately obvious from just their name but again this is fine as it lead me to guess how their evil intentions would finally come out whilst they were stringing along the heroes.

My big issue is (yes this may be controversial) Nina. As I state at the off I've been on this journey from the start and have watched her character develop from the young naïve unworldly architect into the all out hero she is today. But after reading this and The Revelation Code back to back I really struggled to accept her flat out moaning and selfishness. It seems to me that her moods have became an accepted plot device now and i'm putting off starting King Solomon's Curse now as fantastically written action scenes, genuinely clever twists to history and Eddies quips aside it will be a case of Nina gets angry at Eddie, Nina selfishly decides to do something "that she has to do". Eddie saves her, she saves Eddie they both save the world. She loves Eddie. Big family hug and scene.

With the more spy based turn this book takes the series i'm thinking it might be time for an Eddie spin off whilst Nina & Macy go to Center Parcs for a week.

[Keith Beddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we meet another part of Nina's past, her grandmother Olivia Garde and an active and interested three year old Macy as well as the reintroduction of Eddie's niece Holly. Olivia, who was thought dead by Nina suddenly appears and brings her mother Laura's notes on Atlantis and the Midas Cave. Nina driven by a desire to vindicate her mothers work finds the cave and also the ability to make gold. Nina learns she is a member of the Midas Legacy, a group of three families who benefitted from the gold found in the cave over a hundred and fifty ears before. A member of the UN Atomic Energy Agency has decided he wants the crucibles that convert mercury to gold and after allowing one of them to be stolen by a Greek shipping magnate and stolen back by his daughter he persuades Nina to bring the remaining one to her where by he tries to steal it and kill her and Eddie. He then sells the larger crucible to North Korea to allow them to create weapons grade plutonium using a particle accelerator.
All of it almost believable with a great character development of the leading characters plus the addition of Nina's grandmother and how her attitude changes once she realises that the gold is not important to Nina and is the cause of so much death.
Another great well written and researched book.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been generous giving this book four stars, but it was enjoyable. It's just a shame that, as with a couple of other recent entries in the series, the historic/archeological aspects are being toned down in favour of big action pieces. The only "ancient mystery" activity is right at the beginning and pretty much consists of Nina saying "Ooh I need to find this mysterious ancient place only one person has found before", then making a phone call and going "found it". Seriously it's that simple.
The last third of the story is simply ridiculous; ok I know these books are pure escapism but it's very difficult to get behind a plot point that suggests that the only two people who can go into North Korea are an ex-archeologist and her husband, both of whom are reasonably famous, in an attempt to "sell" an artifact that the potential buyers wouldn't need, let alone believe they were actually looking to sell? Ok I know the point was to do some North Korean shenanigans but the setup really affected my suspension of belief. Oh, and either my three-year-old was a dunce, or Macy is some sort of savant.
On the plus side, we get a healthy dose of humour and quips, so there's that.

[Kirk Ingram · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have loved all of Andy McDermott’s Nina Wilde/Eddie Chase novels and usually finish each one with a few days. But for some reason, I struggled with this one. I actually started this months ago when it first came out but stopped a third of the way through and went off to read several other books. I came back to it over the recent weekend and decided to crack on and finish. I can’t identify anything particularly wrong with the book compared with the rest of the series, but I just struggled to keep interested. I think part of the reason is the Nina and Eddie now have a kid, Macy, and I never like babies in books or movies or TV shows. It always seems to burden the story for me and every action seems tied to the responsibility of the baby. I prefer my heroes to have absolute freedom. These books are supposed to be big, ballsy, silly, blockbuster stories that defy reality. I don’t want to be dragged back to the real world of babies! The next book is already out, which shows how long this has taken me to read, so I’ll give that a try and see if it appeals more than this one.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say after 12 kickass Wilde/Chase adventure books other than I liked this as much as I've liked the rest. Once again Nina and Eddie race around the world spreading their own brand of chaos. To say they run amok is like saying summer in the South is a little humid. Preposterous at times this book is still a ton of fun and excitement. I have to admit in several places I asked myself why Nina believed anything her grandmother said. I think I would have shown the old lady the door at the first meeting but then there wouldn't have been any adventure. I finally just gave up and went with it. The last quarter of the book left me breathless and reading at a pace nearly equal to the action. I wondered how the heck Nina and Eddie were going to get out of one predicament after another but the author had an answer each time. If you're looking for excitement and adventure I think you might enjoy this book. Just be prepared to suspend belief every now and then and you'll do fine. Enjoy!

[Gerald Matzke · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like action, you will enjoy this book. It is filled with action from beginning to the end. There is so much action that it’s hard to believe that two people could survive the death-defying series of events that happened in a relatively short period of time. Husband and wife, Eddie and Nina, find themselves all over the world as they try to find the secret of the Midas Cave in the Himalayas. Is its secret related to the lost continent of Atlantis? That is the big question whose answer cost many people their lives. This is a complicated story with many characters. Actually there are too many characters and it became difficult to keep them all straight. It was also hard at times to be sure who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. That actually was part of the plot. The pace of the action keeps you reading and that helps to make this worthy of my four-star rating.

[Aritra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was, well, kind of a stinker! The first act was fun, but it just slogged of with the second act. It was long and boring. And that is something not expected from Wilde&Chase. The whole relationship between Nina and someone from her past was extremely ham-fisted. These series is famous for exploding helicopters, not family drama. Also for the most part, Nina's character was very annoying. And the new dynamic with child is just not working out.
Also when a temporary help died in a horrible fiery crash, sacrificing himself for everyone to escape : "He didn't die for nothing," Eddie assured her. And he is never mentioned again. Nice!
But in the third act, the story picked up. And boy it picked up good! So yeah, that was the saving grace.

[Jamieson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Nina Wilde series will never be considered great literature, but boy are they fun. It's like watching an Indiana Jones movie set in modern times. In this installment, Nina and Eddie (who have a three-year-old daughter now) are sent after the Midas Legacy, an Atlantean artifact that can turn other elements into gold (in this case mercury) by Nina's supposedly-dead grandmother. As with all these novels, there's world travel, big action set pieces and a big villain reveal. I won't spoil anything here, but this just a lot of fun. The action scenes are great, the villains have decent enough motivation (hey, this is an action film in print form, what do you expect?) and the finale was really good. I'm surprised that these haven't been picked up for movie rights yet, they're just begging for it. Anyway, if you like action movies and can turn your brain off to some of the more unbelievable bits, then you'll probably love this series.

[Douglas Misquita · Rating 4 out of 5]

17 days to finish a Wilde-Chase adventure - or any book for that matter - is a very very very very long time. It's also got me backlogged on my Reading Challenge.

I think it has to do partly with the fact that I was preoccupied with nailing down a plot for my next book.

And has to do partly with this books length: 624 pages! It could definitely do with some editing, or have been released as two volumes. The book can be divided into 3 locations: Nepal, Iceland, North Korea, and each has good stuff in it namely a major action sequence. The North Korean finale is grand and lengthy. I'm always on the look out for plot sections that in reality could altogether be avoided if the protagonists and antagonists used common sense. From that perspective, I could tell you, without revealing how, that the entire finale was unnecessary.

But. I appreciate the skill and planning that went into creating the action sequences, and linking the story across the 3 locations.

Simultaneously, there's an element of family now. Mr. McDermott is still finding his groove with melding family into Nina and Eddie's action-adventures. For now, the nanny is helpful, but nanny may not always be available. And then, I think the family will come together better, when Macy is a part of the thrills.

For once, there's something different about the villain. He's more ordinary, in the sense, his villainous streak is more the result of business, rather than world domination. You get me? No? Well, okay... you'll see when you read.

Verdict: Great planning and story-weaving skill.

[Sherri Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you take Robert Langdon, Jason Bourne, MacGyver and Ethan Hunt, and mash them all together, then divide by two, you get Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase. OMG! The action, the adventure, the secret clues, the puzzles, the suspense! This story had me holding my breath, and my adrenaline pumping! According to my daughter, there were times when I was gasping, making squealing noises, and holding my breath while reading. And there were times when I had to leave the house, go outside and pace the backyard a few times in a row. Just to calm myself down. Yeah, Andy McDermott has shot to the top of my list of Action/Adventure/Suspense Authors.
I received an e-copy of this story for my honest review.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase have been the protagonists in a whole bunch of archaeology based stories, and THE MIDAS LEGACY is no different. From the deserts of North Africa to Iceland to the Korean peninsula, they are searching for a crucible which, with the right support equipment, can be used to convert mercury into gold. Then, some additional applications seem to just pop up. The end result is a series of car chases (read demolition derby), shoot-outs, and an implausible escape from the villains who want an historic artifact for their own purposes.

[Connie Becerra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of action, adventure and humor. A lot of killing with very little thought or remorse by the main characters, Nina and Eddie. I suppose when you are running for your life and bad people are shooting at you, you have no choice but to shoot back, but it never seems to bother them morally, ethically or even give them nightmares...it's almost like it's business as usual! A good read, if you like action scenes that you KNOW any mortal being could NEVER survive in real life! First one of this series I've read, but I've already ordered #1 for my Kindle and we will see how that one is.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wild journey with Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase. This time they are on the path to discover the gold of Midas. They travel to Nepal, Greece, Iceland. The trip is a wild one with bad guys and bad, bad guys that make their life miserable. Their daughter, Macy is now three years old in the story and out of the blue, Nina's grandmother comes into her life. Eddie is still the consummate warrior always getting out of impossible situations. Thanks for the read Mr. McDermott!

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another grand book for this series. Action, mayhem, chaos and crazy are abound in this book. Nina and Edie are drawn into a more family focused affair this time. They have their child and.... no spoilers, but I liked how this book humanised Nina a little. Also good to see how the author wrote Nina and Edie as parents, not just archeologists and action heroes. This book won't be for everyone, but it's a fast paced roller coaster ride with twist after twist... and quite topical too.