Ark Found

Omega Files Adventures #2

by Rick Chesler

An ancient map recovered from a safe in the wreck of the titanic…

It points to an ark

To find it,omegateam must a battle a merciless underground consortium in a worldwide battle with the potential to rock the foundations of human thought.

Ark Found

April 15, 1912, North Atlantic Ocean, aboard the R.M.S. Titanic

A young archaeologist travelling to New York City aboard the liner’s maiden voyage has brought along an intriguing find he hopes to sell to an antiquities collector. When the ship sinks, his artifact is still inside a safe.

Present Day, North Atlantic Ocean, Site of the R.M.S. Titanic shipwreck

When a deep sea submersible dive to the wreck of the Titanic recovers a safe, Carter Hunt and Jayden Takada look forward to seeing if its contents include the rumored map. A map that, if real, would show the way to a find of biblical proportions.

But Omega Team isn’t the only group looking for the map. After an underwater battle inside the Titanic with an unknown submersible, Carter and Jayden manage to escape with their lives. But their troubles are only beginning as they are forced to do battle with a shadowy cabal that will stop at nothing to control the planet’s most sought-after hallmarks of humanity.

Genres: Thriller, Adventure, Action, Audiobook, Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published February 26, 2019

About the author

Author of over 30 novels, Rick Chesler holds a Bachelor of Science in marine biology and can often be found diving, boating or traveling to research his next thriller idea. A former contractor for the U.S. Deptartment of Commerce and the State of Hawaii, he now lives in South Florida with his family, at the edge of the Bermuda Triangle. Visit him online at twitter.com/rickchesler, facebook.com/rickchesler, or rickchesler.com.

SERIES:
ATLANTIS GOLD: An Omega Files Adventure (Book 1)
ARK FOUND: An Omega Files Adventure (Book 2)
GOLDEN ONE An Omega Files Adventure (Book 3)
CROSS FOUND: An Omega Files Adventure (Book 4)

JURASSIC DEAD (co-authored):
Jurassic Dead
Jurassic Dead 2: Z-Volution
Jurassic Dead 3: Ctrl-Z

OUTCAST Ops:
Game of Drones (co-authored)
The Poseidon Initiative
African Firestorm (co-authored)
Red Ice (co-authored)
Watchlist (co-authored)
Shadow Gov (co-authored)

TARA SHORES THRILLERS
Wired Kingdom
kiDNApped
Solar Island

DANE MADDOCK ORIGINS (co-authored)
Splashdown
Electra
Amber
Treasure of the Dead
Dane Maddock: The Tomb

OGMIOS TEAM ORIGINS (co-authored)
Lucifer's Machine

STANDALONE NOVELS:
Edit: A Prehistoric Thriller
Manuscript 512 (releasing Fall 2018)
Hawaiian Punch (co-authored)
Uncontacted
DMZ: A Dinosaur Thriller
The Tank
The Flat: A Novel of Supernatural Horror (co-authored)
The Yeti (co-authored)
Landing Party
Sawfish
Luna
Hotel Megalodon
Blood Harbor: A Novel of Suspense

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exciting but ...

The first section of the book was very tense and I found myself literally tightening my muscles in fright, but after that each scene was a bit hard to believe and wrapped up quite quickly. Need to use more than spellcheck to edit the book; came across several mistakes that human eyes would have found.

[Mark Goletto · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was a waste of time

That was one of the lamest stories I have ever read. The whole book was fairly pointless, with a lame plot, lame characters. I suppose it was supposed to have humorous aspects to it but the humor was as lame as the story. It mainly consisted of one dude telling the other “That’s what she said”. All around sorry.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ark Found - a review by Rosemary Kenny

Very much along the lines of Indiana Jones and Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt adventures, Carter Hunt and sidekick Jayden Takada star in this follow up to Atlantis Gold, in the new adventure in the Omega Files Adventure series, Ark Found.

As with some others in the genre, this novel begins with a historic event and links with a current mission taken on by the wealthy Hunt, whose raison d'etre is the conservation and restitution of looted or lost ancient treasures and artefacts for posterity, even when that leads to confrontation with criminals after profits and careless of the irreplaceable aspect of such items. At the beginning of Ark Found, Hunt and Tanaka are alerted to the theft of a map, left in a safe on the sunken liner Titanic, by its owner's widow, who offers a vast reward for its return.

Undersea perils, a submarine 'battle', and a battle to the death with a rival from the past or the map's possession, who will stop at nothing are among the heart-stopping events that will keep you on the edge of your seat and up all night until you thrill at the climax of the last page!
Don't miss this spectacular story at any cost - off you go!

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Adventure. In this second outing of the Omega Team, Chesler pairs taut action sequences with stunningly beautiful set pieces... and manages to toss in a couple of points to ponder as well. Even though it is Book 2, it can absolutely be read first, as virtually nothing from the first adventure is spoiled in this book other than the basic setup of who the adversaries are on each side. Fans of Clive Cussler or James Rollins should enjoy this combination of sea and historical mystery with globe spanning action and adventure, and I for one am looking forward to the next entry in the series!

[Jade Paterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ark found

Just picked this book up and was so happy to tell others that I've found a new writer as good as or maybe better than Cusslee. I love the adventures of these 2 new "explorers " and will now read the 1st one. Hope there will be many more adventures from these 2 guys. Soon I hope? Recommending very highly!

[Scott Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting tale but not high level reading

Rick can write. I think he can write well. But this isn’t a stellar example. It’s readable, worthy even of picking up each night till it’s done, but it lacks detail and I even noticed a couple of errors in the storyline detail which shouldn’t have gotten passed the editors. I’ll be finding a different author now.

[Jacques Hollands · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've mentioned in a review of the first book in the series, Atlantis Gold, that Rick Chesler must be the most frustrating author I’ve come across. I stated in that review that his books’ titles promises so much, but he always seem to stop just short of going the whole way. It was no different with this book. Once again the story builds up nicely, only to be quickly wrapped up in the last few pages... And unsatisfactorily so. It feels the author either got bored or just did not know how to end the book in an interesting or gripping manner. It just fizzled out like a cheap party popper.

I could also not believe how an author can make a character so one-dimensional and dislikeable. I'm referring to Jayden, the protagonist's sidekick. He is shallower than an amoeba's gene pool. Nothing is taken serious by the character and he quips the whole time. I mean the WHOLE time. There is not one intelligent sentence uttered by him. Even under the most stressful and desperate circumstances, he only manages levity.

Is Rick Chesler a bad author? No! Far from it. That is why I find his books so infuriating. It seems he is too scared to go that one step further and while his stories are adventurous, his endings are always a major let-down. He could learn from Greig Beck, Andy Mcdermott and even Matthew Reilly om how to write a satisfactory ending. I always feel just a little bit cheated after paying money to listen and read his books. For now I'm stepping away and will perhaps return at a later stage to continue the Omega series.

PS. I listened to the audiobook on Audible, and the narrator, Dan Delgado, was excellent.

[Julie Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ark Found is an excellent, action-packed sequel to Atlantis Gold. The story follows Carter Hunt and Jayden Takada as they embark on a mission for their newly formed company Omega Team. This mission starts out at the Titanic, and their exploration of the ship in a sub was intense and had me holding my breath in parts. As their mission takes them from the Titanic to other parts of the world, they encounter their nemesis, Daedalus from Treasure, Inc., who keeps showing up at the worst times.

I was excited when Rick Chesler announced this sequel to Atlantis Gold, and was definitely not disappointed. I am hopeful that there will be many more books in this series in the future, and I hope that Dan Delgado does the narration for any future audiobooks. His narration was clean and concise and made listening a pleasure.

[Cherei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who would think that the map to Noah's Ark lays on the bottom of the ocean safely tucked away in a safe on the Titanic? What a fantastic tale! One that will take the reader from the depths of the ocean to the heights of Mount Ararat. The team is in a race with those who want the Ark for their own benefit. The undersea battle will have you flippin' the pages. A truly fun story!

[Melissa Levine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a free copy of the audiobook version of this story by the narrator for an honest review. Even though I was happy to give this story a listen to, I was hesitant because it wasn’t my usual genre. I was a fan of the narrator in a previous book I’d listened to, so I said why not.

I hadn’t realized this was a book 2 in the series until after I’d already purchased the audiobook. I wasn’t sure if that was going to be a problem… It wasn’t.

This was an alright story. It was interesting because it was different from what I usually listen to/read but, at the same time, I was a little bored. The fact Jaden’s and Carter’s military experience was repeatedly brought up was annoying. I wouldn’t be surprised if it had been mentioned in every chapter.

There was an issue with some of the dialogue, I think it was the way it was written because it wasn’t consistent…. For example, the Canadian cabbie that planned on taking Carter and Jaden to the airport talked very robotically, while other characters spoke naturally.

The narrator did a great job! Although what was with the old lady bus driver’s voice? I was waiting to hear that she had a smoker’s voice or something along that line, but I never did. It didn’t make sense to me especially given Carter nor Jaden commented about it.

Questions/Comments:

The woman who hired Carter to find the map…why would she be blabbing about its potential worth/discovery to multiple people? I get she was trying to find someone to go in search for it, but still. She didn’t think to be a little evasive and not tell them everything? Did she never think someone might take advantage and just keep the map and whatever came with it themselves?
Carter and Jaden were taken on board of the enemy ship after fighting over the safes. Once they escape, they end up in an inflatable boat in the ocean. A bad guy shows up; he gets knocked unconscious, and then pushed into the ocean with a floatation device (forgot what it was). When Carter lets his crew know what’s going on, he tells them that they can pick the bad guy up (if his crew doesn’t grab him first), before they come for him and Jaden. Huh? What was the point of putting the bad guy in the water if Carter planned to have him picked back up?

Carter and Jaden decided to get on the bus to take them to the airport and realized they didn’t have any money. Last I heard, Jaden had a crumpled dollar (or something like that), but I’m not sure what happened to it (it was while they were in the cab). Now, I don’t know if that money was given to the cabbie along with the money Carter had given him or not. Either way, they somehow end up forgetting that they had no money for the bus. How did they forget so soon?

There was the part when Jaden and Carter are watching the bad guys from on top of a hill while they’re checking out the wood in the lake. There’s an air tank nearby, but neither man is sure why it’s there, whether it has air or not. How would they not have known though? Aren’t the tanks usually marked in some way?

Hiding out in the middle of the forest after escaping from the bad guys, Jaden and Carter decide to set up a fire. Did they not think the fire could have been spotted by the bad guys though?
The Arc of the Covenant. How many times had that been mentioned BEFORE actually explaining what it was? Maybe it’s because I’m not a usual reader of this genre/subject, therefore, I didn’t know what that was? I don’t know. Either way, I found it questionable the author didn’t think to explain it for the laymen.

I’m pretty sure I found a mistake when the two men met up with the nomads in Iran. There was the old man who was in charge but needed the English-speaking woman for help. At one point, he walks off. Minutes later, an old “woman” returns.

Lastly, Jaden and Carter are riding the camel after from the nomads. Jaden was just thrown off, while Carter (who’d been riding in front of the hump) ends up sliding down “the animal's neck to just in front of the saddle.” Huh? Given the camel was “rearing up,” why did it sound like he’d been sitting really close to the camel’s head/ON its neck?

[Lea Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ark Found: An Omega Files Adventure Book 2
By Rick Chesler
Performed by Dan Delgado

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I always like to preface any reviews I give with this information.
I am a 68 year old female who has been an avid reader since I was around 10 or 11 years old.

I have a great interest in many things. Ancient History and Archeology are at the top of a very long list.

I was very intrigued with the premise of this story.
Carter Hunt and Jayden Takada, former Navy Combat Veterans, of Omega Inc.; are hired by a client to recover a map that was lost when the Titanic was sunk. The original owner of the map,(an archelogist) was not able to escape the Titanic but his brother did and that is how we have a history that this map exists.
This map is believed to show the location of where Noah's Ark came to rest in Turkey.

In their attempt to procure the map using a 2 man submersible sub 'Deep Voyager', they run into a Nemesis named Daedalus of Treasure Inc., who is just as determined to retrieve this map. Daedalus craves the supposed fame and respect he believes riches will bring.

I found this part of the story very entertaining and somewhat intense as there develops a cat and mouse race to see who will successfully retrieve the map.

Of course you might guess that the bad guy gets the map. So Carter and Jayden have to try to get the map back from Daedalus.

I don't want to reveal any more of the story line past that point.

To me this is a tight story, well written, and also very believable. It is very refreshing to find books where the main character(s) are not some 16 year old with special abilities and hidden unknown powers that end up saving their world.

This book is, in my opinion well crafted and it is obvious to me that the author put a lot of time, energy, thought, and research into this amazing story.

I also liked the fact that there was not an excessive amount of violence. I read for entertainment and excessive violence is not entertaining to me.

This is a book that I would say anyone from 12 or 13 years of age and all of us above that age would enjoy.

I also liked the banter and verbal jibes that Carter and Jayden throw at each other throughout the book. There is tongue-in-cheek humor but also great respect among these former Navy veterans.
I truly appreciated that the two main characters were also former military men who served in the service of their country.

There are surprises and very clever clues that made listening to this audiobook something that I listened to in one setting.


I really enjoyed Dan Delgado's performance of this book. I was able to follow along with the changing dialogues of different characters and voices, and was very impressed with his ability with the regional accents of the characters.

This is also my first experience with Rick Chesler's writing and since this is Book 2, I will hope to get the first book to listen to at some point in the future!

Bottom Line: This is a great book. I can't say anything negative about it from my point of view. If you like adventure, action, archeology, and history with mystery thrown in, then get this book or audiobook.

You will not be disappointed!

[Bookfan36 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief synopsis from the book cover:
April 15, 1912, North Atlantic Ocean, aboard the R.M.S. Titanic

A young archaeologist travelling to New York City aboard the liner’s maiden voyage has brought along an intriguing find he hopes to sell to an antiquities collector. When the ship sinks, his artifact is still inside a safe.

Present Day, North Atlantic Ocean, Site of the R.M.S. Titanic shipwreck

when a deep sea submersible dive to the wreck of the Titanic recovers a safe, Carter Hunt and Jayden Takada look forward to seeing if its contents include the rumored map. A map that, if real would show the way to a find of biblical proportions.

But Omega Team isn’t the only group looking for the map. After an underwater battle inside the Titanic with an unknown submersible, Carter and Jayden manage to escape with their lives. But their troubles are only beginning as they are forced to do battle with a shadowy cabal that will stop at nothing to control the planet’s most sought-after hallmarks of humanity.

My rating:

Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 3 out of 5 stars
Character development: 3 out of 5 stars
Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Action and Adventure


Review:

This is an interesting book. I liked the concept of the plot, a treasure map that went down with the Titanic that leads to the discovery of a biblical artifact. The story was suspenseful at times but felt a bit rushed and lacked detail in places because of this the story felt a bit two dimensional. The characters were nice and felt fairly realistic but their actions and motivations were not always explained with enough detail. This made it hard to be full captured by the tale


This is book two in the Omega files series. Each book has a proper ending so it can be read as a standalone.

Overall this is book has an interesting plot with a mix of suspense, action and adventure. The characters are heroic and likeable without being unrealistic. The storyline is interesting with a good amount of action and adventure.

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook )
"Just regular Americans on vacation..."
When the Titanic sank, it took with it an ancient map believed by the young Greek archaeologist who was taking it to America to show the location of the biblical Ark, built by Noah. A century later, Carter and Jaydon are hired to recover the map. But they are not the only ones looking for it and for ancient religious artefact to which it pointed.

Whilst the basic premise of the continued existence of such a map seemed, to this reader, completely ridiculous, Ark Found was a thrilling read, especially in the earlier stages with the attempted recovery of said map from the drowned Titanic and a batt!e of submersibles: atmospheric and quite terifying. The subsequent search and confrontations continued to be exciting, with splatters of humour from the ever joke-ready Jayson to lighter the tension. Narration by Dan Delago is excellent. His voice is pleasant and easy on the ear, the reading well modulated and with good intonation, never dull as he interprets the drama of the text. Each character is also given their own distinctive vice. A good performance which really enhances the story.

My thanks to the rights holder of Ark Found, who, at my request via Audiobook Boom, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy. Good characters and exciting situations, interspersed with humour, in this archaeological recovery adventure. A good read.

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

•audiobook•

Carter Hunt and Jayden Takada laughs in the face of doom. Literally. The first third of the book takes place en route, during, and near (above) the wreck site of Titanic. And Jayden cracks jokes even when they’re about to lose power amidst the still black waters of the ocean depth.
There’s optimism then there’s unrealistic characteristics. Their easy banter was a bit too much.
The next third takes place en route to Mt Ararat. Jayden has calmed down (I’m hoping this jet lagged Jayden stays around) and I actually like him. I’m also jealous of their energy. The Energizer Bunny wants whatever they’re on.
The last third is in two pieces. Someplace they shouldn’t be and then someplace too sacred for them to be.

I think the joking at least kept the overuse of expletives other authors resort to. So Language was kept to a minimum.
I liked how it seemed the loose ends were tied up.
I felt they were able to escape a little too easily (once past the first third). It was almost like it was written for a younger audience.

Dan Delgado provided a wonderful performance and I enjoyed listening to him.

This is my voluntary review of an audiobook received for free.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The owner of Omega Team, a company dedicated to the preservation of historical artifacts, Ex-Navy SEAL Carter Hunt and his friend Jayden Takada are hired by a descendant of a Titanic survivor to dive down to the sunken ship and try to retrieve a map to Noah’s Ark where it was stored in a safe in the Purser’s room.

They end up chasing Daedalus up Mt. Ararat in a race to find the Ark.

I didn’t really like Carter & Jayden’s actions at the end. They’re supposed to helping to guard and protect treasure, but the basically desecrated and put them at risk. Worsening their situation.

Why didn’t Hunt fire the flare gun at the Transoceanic boat chasing them? That would have eliminated a lot of problems for them, but then it also would have deleted a lot of good actions scenes in the story.

Fave scenes: Carter & Jayden entering the Titanic, firing the flare gun in the Transoceanic’s hold, Parasailing on the mountain and stealing the camel.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recall liking the first book in the series (my Goodreads review has mysteriously disappeared), but this one was a big disappointment. It started out strong enough and had me thinking it was going to be a fun read, but as the book progressed, it got more and more ridiculous. I can suspend belief as well as the next person, but the parade of improbable situations coupled with the ongoing poor decisions made by the MC were more than I could swallow. The final straw came at the end when Carter and Jayden desecrated a church. I'm not a religious person, but I was still horrified by the complete lack of respect for a community's beliefs and how casual they were about it. I kept thinking, "This is bad guy behavior, not something a hero do." All that, coupled with the lack of sophisticated writing and good editing (and I'm not talking about spellcheck), has put this author on my "never again" list.

[Courtney Odor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scyfy like you have never seen it told before.
Overall 5 out of 5 stars Performance 5 out of 5 stars Story 5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed: 05-21-19

First, I have to start off by stating that I got this book free of charge in exchange for a review, but as I always state, this does not in any way impact my review. My reviews are always honest and my own.

Lots of action which made it a real page-turner and a couple of late nights.

Carter and Jason are on a quest to find a document hidden on the Titanic. I won't go in more detail as I don't want to put in spoilers. I love the fast pace and interesting characters, some history and some myth. Can't wait for the next exciting adventure.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story reminded me of the movie National Treasure, but aboard the Titanic. The suspense and twists that happen while they hunt for the map and Ark keep this story so intriguing. I thought the description of the Titanic was amazing. I could truly see through my mind's eye what they were looking at it and moving around. I always have been fascinated with the Titanic and her stories. Ark Found was a fun twist on the fate of the Titanic and Noah's Ark.

Dan Delgado narrated this story. Mr Delgado has an easy to listen to voice. His ability to change his tones to separate the characters was amazing. So many different characters, and I followed as if they were talking to me. Dan Delgado brought this story to life.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rick Chesler was the author who bridged the gap from NY Publishers to indie authors for me with his excellent "Kidnapped" & "Wired Kingdom" Tara Shores books, which I highly recommend. I didn't think this was Chesler's best, but he's always good for some pulpy adventure too. I enjoyed the first Carter/Jayden book—the one about Atlantis—more, but I'm definitely on the hook for the long haul with this series. Plus his standalone creature novels are excellent. Give Hotel Megalodon a whirl if you're looking for a great nautical creature book.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Arks

Carter and Jayden are hired by a woman to retrieve a map on the Titanic. Her relative was transporting map to New York when he died on the sinking ship his brother survived. Daedalus steals one of the safes, they barely escape the deep. Daedalus steals the second safe from them and the map. The chase is on to get the map back. Well written books but hate the scenes where it's a tight fit getting in and out being claustrophobic.

[B Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omega Files Book #2. Two adventurers, working for a wealthy client, dive on the Titanic to retrieve a map from a safe. The map may point to the location of Noah's Ark. Fun read. Some parts a little lame. You expect the map to lead to a completely unknown location, but instead they find the Ark near a place that was suggested years ago. It got a little weird about another "sacred" artifact. C. Sept 2023

[Klinsman Hinjaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Search of the Ark

The Omega Team is back with a new exciting adventure, and it has to do with the legendary titanic boat that virtually everybody knows: Noah's Ark!

ARK FOUND is a very well thought-out story, beautifully interweaving reality with imagination – at which Rick Chesler is a maestro! Expect great action, flashes of humor, intriguing puzzle solving, and a loathable villain, presented with the author's admirable linguistic flair, in this action-adventure novel. Highly recommended!

P.S. ARK FOUND teaches a couple of important lessons regarding human fiction and theft prevention, and you wouldn't want to miss out on them!

[Melissa Hayden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book with the Omega team and I got a feel that the team may expand in number after this adventure. They could use a few more people on the team to do technical things while they are in the field and on the move. I'm curious to see more with the team and how the stories along with characters grow.

****FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW****

[Myra Gabor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rich Chesler usually writes exciting books. Not this time. A map to the the Ark of the Covenant. But actually the map is to the location of Noah's Ark. So many adventures. So much technology. So many bad guys. And danger around every corner. Let's not forget about that. It's well written, but just didn't grab my attention.

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise of this book had fun potential but definitely didn’t meet it. I found it to drone one..and on..and on with each ‘fight’ scene to the point where I started flipping thru the pages to get to the end. The lead characters also seemed under developed and juvenile to me for being these big bad ex navy seal and special forces ( or whatever) guys.
What a disappointing book.

[Connie Hansmeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adventure story of searching for Noah's Ark and the Ark of the Covenant. It was loaded with tense, dramatic scenes between two rival archeological teams, one team the good guys and one team the bad guys. It goes from the underwater search of the Titanic for the 'treasure map' to Mt. Ararat to Ethiopia. It's and adventure!

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

Lots of action which made it a real page turner and a couple of late nights.

Carter and Jason are on a quest to find a document hidden on the titanic. I won't go in more detail as i don't want to put in spoilers.

[Sue Offenbecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new twist to an ancient story

Really enjoyed this book! The background was well researched; the character development was interesting and helped know them better. All in all, well done! I am anxious to read the next in the series!

[Deedra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good adventure story.Our heros go from the lost Titanic to the highest mountains fending off bad guys to rescue the 'Ark',but which 'ark'? Dan Delgado was a fine narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'

[Larry Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ark Found - Page Turner

This was my first exposure to this author. I greatly enjoyed the book. It ready is a page turner. The turn of events near the end of the book caught me off guard. Good job!