Book excerpt: A thrill-seeking Harvard linguistics professor and an ultra-secret branch of the Catholic Church go head-to-head in a race to uncover the secrets of the lost city of Atlantis. The ruins of the technologically-advanced, eerily-enigmatic ancient civilization promise their discoverer fame, fortune, and power… but hold earth-shattering secrets about the origin of man. While world-famous linguist and archaeologist, Thomas Lourds, is shooting a film that dramatizes his flamboyant life and scientific achievements, satellites spot impossibly ancient ruins along the Spanish coast. Lourds knows exactly what it means: the Lost Continent of Atlantis has been found. The race is on, and Lourds' challengers will do anything to get there first. Whoever controls the Lost Continent will control the world. "Short, gripping chapters move the action from Egypt to Russia to Africa to London. Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code. Look out, Dan Brown, Brokaw can play this game a lot better than most of your imitators." —Booklist "In the 19th century, the equivalent of a blockbuster movie was a tense, thrilling novel, often told in serial form. We tend to forget that the modern novel need not be anything more significant than excellent entertainment, which is the perfect description of Charles Brokaw's The Atlantis Code. …A rollicking adventure, with nonstop action and suspense. Readers can only hope that Brokaw is prepared to send Professor Lourds on further quests." —Publishers Weekly "If you enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, The Atlantis Code will take you to a new level of mystery, wonder, adventure and excitement. This book will enthrall you and at the same time connect you in a very intimate way with the mystery of your sacred existence." —Deepak Chopra “A winning combination of all the ingredients an adventure addict could want: great action, intrepid archeologists, dark conspiracies, cliffhangers, and a real sense of wonder." —Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times-bestselling coauthor of Paul of Dune and author of The Edge of the World "Brokaw's hero is Indiana Jones without the whip. Who knew archeology could be so exciting? Wonderful entertainment." —Stephen Coonts, New York Times-bestselling author of The Traitor “Storytelling doesn’t get much better than this. I’ve set this one aside to read again!” —David Hagberg, New York Times bestselling author of The Expediter