David Wood
Curse of the Pharaoh: A Brock Stone Adventure
Praise for David Wood!
“What an adventure! A great read that provides lots of action, and thoughtful insight into strange realms that are sometimes best left unexplored.” Paul Kemprecos, author of Cool Blue Tomb and the NUMA Files
“Excellent pulp adventure in the mold of Doc Savage. Took me back in the best way to books I loved when I was a kid!”- Terry Mixon, author of the Empire of Bones Saga
“Rip roaring action from start to finish. Wit and humor throughout. Just one question — how soon until the next one? Because I can’t wait.” Graham Brown, author of Shadows of the Midnight Sun
“Intrigue, suspense, monsters, and treasure hunters. What more could you want? David’s knocked it out of the park with this one!” Nick Thacker- author of The Enigma Strain
“A twisty tale of adventure and intrigue that never lets up and never lets go!” Robert Masello, author of The Einstein Prophecy
“A page-turning yarn blending high action, Biblical speculation, ancient secrets, and nasty creatures. Indiana Jones better watch his back!” Jeremy Robinson, author of SecondWorld
“Mr. Wood has mixed speculative history with our modern day pursuit of truth, he has created a story that thrills and makes one think beyond the boundaries of mere fiction and enter the world of ‘why not’?” David Lynn Golemon, Author of the Event Group series
“Let there be no confusion: David Wood is the next Clive Cussler. Once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop until the last mystery plays out in the final line.” Edward G. Talbot, author of 2012: The Fifth World
“I like my thrillers with lots of explosions, global locations and a mystery where I learn something new. Wood delivers!” J.F. Penn, author of Desecration
Curse of the Pharaoh
A Brock Stone Adventure
Cover art by Drazenka Kimpel
This is a work of fiction. All characters are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Books by David Wood
Blue Descent
Dourado
Cibola
Quest
Icefall
Buccaneer
Atlantis
Ark
Xibalba
Loch
Solomon Key
Contest
Serpent
Eden Quest
Desert Gold
Freedom
Hell Ship
Splashdown
Dead Ice
Liberty
Electra
Amber
Justice
Treasure of the Dead
Bloodstorm
Berserk
Maug
Elementals
Cavern
Devil’s Face
Herald
Brainwash
The Tomb
Shasta
Legends
Golden Dragon
Emerald Dragon
Baal (forthcoming)
Destination: Rio
Destination: Luxor
Destination: Sofia
Primitive
The Book of Bones
Skin and Bones
Venom
Lair of the Sea Witch
Arena of Souls
Track of the Beast
Curse of the Pharaoh
Oracle
Changeling
Exile
Destiny
Mystic
Sanctum
Blood Codex
Anubis Key
Revenant
Primordial
Overlord
Crocalypse
Into the Woods (with David S. Wood)
The Zombie-Driven Life
You Suck
Callsign: Queen (with Jeremy Robinson)
Dark Rite (with Alan Baxter)
Aquaria Falling
Aquaria Burning
The Gate
The Silver Serpent
Keeper of the Mists
The Gates of Iron
The Impostor Prince (with Ryan A. Span)
Neptune’s Key
1 News at the Newspaper
Trinity Paige stared out across the crowded bullpen of the Washington Scribe and contemplated murder. The incessant clacking of typewriter keys and loud chatter among her colleagues filled her ears with a monotonous drone. She swatted at a trail of cigarette smoke that drifted past and glared at the sheet of paper in front of her. Crossed off were all her best ideas for her next investigative report. Written beneath them were her editor’s suggestions, all related to fashion, cooking, or gardening.
Trinity rolled her eyes. Her editor didn’t seem to understand this was 1932, not 1732. At the far end of the room, something caught her eye. A shock of red hair, coming toward her, was just visible above the men that filled the room. She knew who was coming before the tall, skinny form of Alex English broke through the throng of reporters. A mechanical wiz and an inventor, Alex was the best friend of Trinity’s longtime gentleman friend, Brock Stone.
“I was in the city. Thought I’d drop by.” Alex pulled up a chair, took a seat, and propped his feet on the corner of Trinity’s desk. His pant legs rode up, revealing mismatched argyle socks.
“Do you mind?” Trinity’s sharp reproval was all it took to make Alex sit up straight and mind his manners.
“So, what’s buzzing?” Alex asked.
“My new editor has rejected all of my latest pitches, except for those he took and handed off to his toadies.” She held up her notepad. “He suggested I do a piece on fashionable hats.”
“Give me a boater any day. Keeps the sunbeams off your beak.” Alex tapped his nose with the tip of the hook that had taken the place of his missing left hand and grinned knowingly.
“I’ll be sure to include that in my column.” Trinity thrust a pencil into the sharpener and cranked furiously, imagining the pencil was her editor’s finger, or some other body part. “Everyone keeps telling me how fortunate I am to even have this job, as if I don’t have the same qualifications as my male colleagues, and I have seen more of the world than any of them.” A few months earlier, Trinity and her friends had uncovered a secret lab where the Illuminati and their Nazi cohorts conducted horrible human experiments.
“You might want to try a pen,” Alex said.
Trinity looked down to see that she had ground the pencil to a nub. She held it up, stared at it for a moment, then tossed it into the wastebasket.
“It’s unfair. Just when I had earned the respect of my previous editor, he went and had himself a massive heart attack.”
“The nerve of the man.” Alex took a newspaper from inside his coat, unfolded it, and began to read.
“And now, my new editor thinks I’m only good for puff pieces.”
Alex didn’t reply. He turned the page and let out a low whistle. “If you want to write a story about hats, I suggest you begin at the Natural History Museum. Magda Fischer has arranged for a private viewing of the Orion Crowley exhibit. Well, her rich boyfriend arranged it.”
“Spoiled celebrities,” Trinity muttered. Magdalena “Magda” Fischer was a popular actress from Austria. With her golden tresses and big blue eyes, she was regarded by many as the most beautiful woman in the world. Trinity couldn’t see it. “And what does that have to do with hats?”