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Bone Guard #1

The Mongol's Coffin

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Former special ops intelligence officer Grant Casey races to follow a musical map to Genghis Khan's tomb before the Chinese government destroys it forever.

They used to be part of a elite group known only as the Unit—until the brass decided to ignore their intel, and they followed Lieutenant Grant Casey into a firestorm to save a museum, and the people trapped inside. The aftermath leaves Grant and his wingman in the hospital, and the whole team on the outs with the military. But Grant fuses his interest in history with his specialized training, and the Bone Guard is born.

The Bone Guard...where adventure and history ignite.

When Liz Kirschener discovers a musical map to Genghis Khan's tomb, her scholarly life explodes into arson and gunfire. Grant Casey brings in his team for a race to the tomb—to prevent Chinese authorities from burying it forever. This novel speeds from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Cambridge, England, in search of clues—then flies to Inner Mongolia, bringing together a Mongolian singer, Grant's ex-commanding officer, and a Hong Kong billionaire with a secret past. Mongolian traditions clash with modern priorities in a high-stakes adventure to save one of the world's greatest lost treasures.

456 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2020

510 people are currently reading
290 people want to read

About the author

E. Chris Ambrose

33 books25 followers
Former adventure guide E. Chris Ambrose writes thrilling novels inspired by history!

Join the Tomb Reader to get free short stories and hear all the news: bit.ly/BoneGuardSecretWord

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E. Chris Ambrose writes knowledge inspired adventure fiction including the Bone Guard archaeological thrillers, and interactive superhero novel, Skystrike: Wings of Justice for Choice of Games. In the process of researching her books, Chris learned how to hunt with a falcon, clear a building of possible assailants, and pull traction on a broken limb.

Chris's frequent travels have included rock climbing in Colorado, diving on the Great Barrier Reef, horseback riding in Mongolia, searching for tigers in India, and going behind the scenes at the Papal Palace in Avignon. Who know what could happen next?

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Community Reviews

5 stars
288 (43%)
4 stars
231 (35%)
3 stars
108 (16%)
2 stars
22 (3%)
1 star
10 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
Profile Image for Jim.
1,111 reviews56 followers
November 23, 2023
It is not known where Genghis Khan's tomb is, those who buried him were killed. Liz Kirschner, a graduate student in Boston thinks some ancient Mongol songs might provide a clue. A former special ops operative, Grant Casey, is looking for a job in archaeological security. When someone starts shooting at Ms Kirschner, the two reluctantly join forces.
"All I know is, people don't kill over a research paper."
With a grim smile Grant tapped the photo. "Somebody did."

Financed by a wealthy Hong Kong businessman they set out to Mongolia, but find there are some agents of the Chinese government also interested in finding the tomb and destroying it, the Mongols having been the only nation to successfully and humiliatingly conquer China.
This is an action adventure, with the Americans and their Mongol companions getting into and out of many dangerous situations. Maybe a little longer than it needed to be and implausible at times but entertaining and we're invested in the characters.
864 reviews7 followers
April 25, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It kept me up all night to finish it. I have read a bio of Genghis Khan. It brough the story alive for me. The characters are very personable and as a group a great team even they are so different. Highly recommend it.
837 reviews
September 22, 2021
Hmm, 3 or 4 stars? It's a tough call. The story was pretty good. There were a few surprises as well as a few things that could have been surprises had they not been so cliche. Most of the characters were interesting enough though some were more well developed than others. My main complaint is with the writing style and lack of editing and proofreading. I lost count of the number of times I couldn't figure out who was speaking or it was unclear who or what was being talked about. The final version would have had a smoother, better flow if someone had done a good proof and the author corrected the ambiguities. After reading the author's page and realized this is likely not his first book, my opinion of the story took a nosedive. OK, I have talked myself into 3 stars. 4 for the story, 2 for the poor editing and proofreading. Will I read the next story in the series? A definite maybe. How's that for ambiguity?
Profile Image for Matthew.
328 reviews
June 3, 2017
This is a great book for summer reading at the pool or while travelling. The characters and story is not in any way believable but it is full of action and fun. Although it may take a few minutes to get into, once you start it you will be glad you did. I read the last third of the book in a single sitting.
15 reviews
June 5, 2021
Full of unexpected twist and turns

The book moved along at a good clip with minimal pulls. Good twists and turns along the way. Unique storyline kept things interesting.
2 reviews
September 30, 2021
Great read, fast moving.

A good story line. There could be more truth to the story line than we suspect. I highly recommend it.
568 reviews9 followers
January 18, 2021
Genghis Khan's tomb has never been found. Can Liz Kirshner translate some obscure musical information into a map to its location? Can Grant Casey and his "Bone Guard" team protect her from treasure hunters who will stop at nothing to steal her findings? What is the involvement of the Chinese government? There are a lot of questions to be answered as this story progresses from the academic halls of Cambridge, MA to the steppes of Mongolia. Add to this the fact that not everyone is who he/she appears to be, and maybe finding Khan's tomb is not the ultimate goal. Three stars for this one.
Profile Image for Kevin.
103 reviews
July 9, 2024
Immensely detailed but exciting and good

There were times when I literally could not figure out the scenery of a scene. The author is, at times, overly detailed. The story is solid. The characters are very believable. My problem was that there were times when the immense details of scenes left me having to reread parts so I could envision the scene. I do feel this book is worth reading, but prepare yourself as you will be forced to meticulously and slowly read many parts in order to keel track of what is going on.
Profile Image for Yvonne.
101 reviews10 followers
August 10, 2023
The Hunt for the Great Khan and Oneself.

I started this book as a means to learn more about Mongolia and it rather tenuous position between China and Russia. It gave me this and more. The secret of where the tomb of Ghengis Khan has been hidden for over 800 years.
This tale gives us a way to remember and think about the discovery of this tomb and what could happen if found. It’s a fantastic adventure, a fascinating look at the great khan and his people, the Mongols.
91 reviews1 follower
November 22, 2023
Remarkable rewrite of Khans story

With a team of experienced ex-military who are loyal to the Chief, the inexperienced Liz flounders through the discovery of the Khan's tomb. Doing it in a way to save the heritage of the the Mongol people, but resisted every step of the way by the communist Chinese ministry who are trying to keep it hidden from the world. A great story of the challenges faced in the communist world
Profile Image for Rosario Barrera.
679 reviews2 followers
March 1, 2024
Looking for the Emperor

Oh my! Never a dull moment here! Lots of action, twists, turns, songs, you name it’s here. Grant Casey is a discharged vet with a penchant for history, and his adventure begins when he rescues Liz, a grad student in Asian Studies. We meet Grant’s team: Nick, D.A, and Goony and more mayhem ensues. I can’t and won’t spoil, because this story must be read.
Profile Image for Steve W.
347 reviews1 follower
June 23, 2024
It was an interesting story, but I kind of had a hard time following the action, and even figuring out who the good and bad guys were. It probably didn't help that I listened to the last 2/3 as an audiobook, so I couldn't see a section break, and didn't catch that we were at a different scene in a different place with different folks.
165 reviews
July 15, 2024
A pretty good story!

This tale was better than I thought it would be. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. There was a great main male character and his side kick. There was several times throughout the book that I was a tad confused about the details. It was good enough that I will you the next book in the series.
Profile Image for Nigel.
554 reviews5 followers
April 9, 2025
This is a tough one to review, although I liked the premise of the story I found it hard going with a lot of detail that was not really needed. The characters need some fleshing out and a bit more "character".
This was certainly the first book i have read a last few years that I felt I really had to push my self to finish. Hopefully the next one is better, I will give it a go
Profile Image for Kurt Springs.
Author 4 books90 followers
February 11, 2019
This review was first published on Kurt's Frontier.

Synopsis:

It started as a dream by a former special operations officer. Grant Casey, after watching the destruction of ancient sites in the Middle East, put together a team specializing in securing important archaeological digs across the globe. Unfortunately, because of the hostility of academia to military expertise, the Bone Guard seems doomed to fail. Then, he meets Liz Kirschner, a researcher who may have found the secret to Genghis Khan’s tomb. It is a secret someone will kill to protect. Bone Guard has its first client.

The Bone Guard helps Liz search for clues from Massachusetts to Cambridge England to the steppes of Inner Mongolia, dodging assassins, and government police. They have a powerful enemy in the Chinese government who wants to destroy the tomb of the man who conquered China.

Review:

C. Ambrose, the author of the Dark Apostle, has branched off from dark fantasy into the realm of modern action adventure stories. Bone Guard One is a good start. It follows the story of Grant (Chief) Casey, former spec ops, and his companions as they embark on a new business venture: the Bone Guard. After watching terrorists attacking historic artifacts, he created a company to protect archaeological sites. His first job is to help a graduate student follow the clues to Chinggis Khan’s tomb. Unfortunate, the Chines Government also wants to find the tomb and destroy it—payback for the Khan conquering China. Grant Casey must keep his charges and team alive and thwart the plans of an ambitious Chinese minister.

The pacing of the story starts off slow but gradually picks up. The story brings the reader into the world of Mongolia in a search for one of the world’s great conquerors. As the mystery unravels, who will get to the Great Khan first?
2 reviews
March 6, 2021
interesting plot and story line, but the descriptive imagery was too vague at times, and the action scenes were difficult to follow, or at least were written in a way that never got me excited about what was going on. Not motivated to continue in the series.
16 reviews
October 4, 2021
Exciting, entertaining.

I enjoyed this read. The characters were very well developed and you could cheer the heroes and boo the "bad guys". Lots of teists and turns.. I will definitely check out a next book.
417 reviews2 followers
September 7, 2023
Good read

I enjoyed this book but it was a little long. The plot was really entertaining. It had all the twists and turns a good adventure story needs. I will keep an eye out for this author in the future.
Profile Image for Jan Dumas.
16 reviews
September 12, 2023
A real thriller

From beginning to end a real thrill ride. Never ending action with a thrilling finishing. This book will take you a while to finish, and you will finish each chapter of this breath taking book.
Happily there are more books in the series
102 reviews4 followers
September 13, 2023
Good story, but …..

I got caught up in this story - it was quite intriguing - and that’s the only reason I finished the book. The writing was jerky, not at all fluid, and I often found myself scratching my head and wondering what just happened.
423 reviews
January 1, 2024
Finally a real Adventure Book

If you like James Bond or the Raiders of the Lost Ark series this book is for you. The excitement never ends. There are guns, bombs ,arrows and even love interest. Read this and escape the world for a while.
Author 3 books6 followers
July 3, 2024
Any form of blasphemy automatically loses a star; the lack of effective proofreading loses another. I was torn between two and three but, being in a generous mood, gave three. However, I will not be rushing to purchase any more of this author's work.
Profile Image for Sporty Bear.
10 reviews
March 22, 2018
Great adventure in Mongolia

Well-written and well-researched adventure with an interesting cast of characters that keep the plot moving. Looks like a great start to a new series.
42 reviews
July 14, 2020
Enjoyable

A good read. A little different from what other books of this genre are like. Only a bit too long.
54 reviews
October 9, 2020
Too much foul language

Would have been a good book but couldn't get past the f words!! Don't need the cussing to make a good book
Profile Image for Hank Lengfellner.
7 reviews17 followers
November 30, 2020
Good start for series

Interesting twists and turns
5 Star, by using a historical character who was far bigger than life Ambrose wove intricate tale
47 reviews
January 3, 2021
slow start, but kept gaining speed. new topic, plot, characters and great ending. you got me!


461 reviews5 followers
May 15, 2023
What? A woman can rescue a man? What a refreshing change of pace. Nicely paced adventure.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews

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