Celebrating Raiders of the Lost Ark: A Timeless Classic Turns 45 on June 12th
Posted on June 12, 2026
by Amy H
I remember watching “Raiders” in the theater as a kid and being completely mesmerized by the adventure, the exotic locales and fascination with history, and especially the clever, handsome hero. It’s an irresistibly fun mix of traits guaranteed to entertain. Best of all, many of the titles below are either part of a larger series, or one among several exciting stand-alone titles by the same author. Need an escape from the bleakness of current events? Have we got the books for you!
goering's gold by Richard O'Rawe
When WWII ended, the allies discovered that a huge amount of gold bullion plundered by Nazi Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering had gone missing. Some believed the gold had been hidden in a train box car in Poland. Others that it was secreted in Lake Toplitz in the Austrian Alps. And a few thought it was buried in the Republic of Ireland, which was neutral during the war. When ex-IRA soldier Ructions O'Hare stumbles on a piece of Nazi memorabilia once owned by Goering, he begins to think that those who suspect the gold was in Ireland just might be on to something. But for Ructions to return to Ireland is easier said than done. For a start, the IRA is after him for not paying them a cut from a huge bank robbery he carried out in Belfast. And then there's the Neo-Nazis, who believe that Goering's gold rightfully belongs to them, and who are happy to kill anyone who gets in their way. And as Ructions gathers clues to the gold's location and, as his many adversaries realize he's getting closer, it's as if a noose is tightening around his neck...
napoleon's pyramids by William Dietrich
This is the first book in Dietrich's fabulously fun bestselling series that introduces globe-trotting American adventurer Ethan Gage. The adventurer travels with Napoleon's expedition across the burning Egyptian desert in an attempt to solve a 6,000 year old riddle with the help of a mysterious medallion.
everything under the sky by Matilde Asensi
This old-fashioned treasure hunt peppered with brainy challenges celebrates Chinas multifaceted history and culture. In 1923 expatriate Spanish painter Elvira Aranda leaves France, her teenage niece Fernanda in tow, when word arrives of her husbands death in Shanghai. Unfortunately, R'my died horribly in debt, leaving Elvira destitute and in trouble. Then a mysterious chest concealing the location of the First Emperors treasure-laden secret tomb propels them on a madcap adventure, accompanied by a crafty antiquarian, an Irish journalist, and a gifted Chinese servant boy. Their grueling, fast-paced quest thugs from Shanghais Mafia pursue them relentlessly covers miles and centuries. Solving each progressive riddle (and avoiding booby traps) requires knowledge of the game of Go, Taoist philosophy, ancient dynasties, and other obscure, fascinating historical tidbits. Elviras unfamiliarity with China renders her a less-than-active intellectual participant, though her determination, sarcastic wit, and growing appreciation for her surroundings brighten her jaunty narrative. Exciting and unabashedly over-the-top, it should inspire readers to do more armchair adventuring in imperial China. [Booklist review]
the last templar by Raymond Khoury
As the burning city of Jerusalem falls from the hands of the West in 1291, a young Templar knight and his mentor escape by sea, carrying a mysterious chest entrusted to them by the Order's dying Grand Master and the ship vanishes without a trace. In present day Manhattan, four masked horsemen dressed as Templar Knights emerge from Central Park and ride up the Fifth Avenue steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art during the black-tie opening of a Treasures of the Vatican exhibit. Storming through the crowds, the horsemen brutally attack anyone standing between them and their prize. Attending the gala, archaeologist Tess Chaykin watches in silent terror as the leader of the horsemen hones in on one piece in particular, a strange geared device. He utters a few cryptic Latin words as he takes hold of it with reverence before leading the horsemen out and disappearing into the night. In the aftermath, an FBI investigation is led by anti-terrorist specialist Sean Reilly. Soon, he and Tess are drawn into the dark, hidden history of the crusading Knights, plunging them into a deadly game of cat and mouse with ruthless killers as they race across three continents to recover the lost secret of the Templars.
thunderhead by Douglas Preston
Nora Kelly, a young archaeologist in Santa Fe, receives a letter written sixteen years ago, yet mysteriously mailed only recently. In it her father, long believed dead, hints at a fantastic discovery that will make him famous and rich--the lost city of an ancient civilization that suddenly vanished a thousand years ago. Now Nora is leading an expedition into a harsh, remote corner of Utah's canyon country. Searching for her father and his glory, Nora begins t unravel the greatest riddle of American archeology. but what she unearths will be the newest of horrors...
sandstorm by James Rollins
A freak explosion in the British Museum in London ignites a perilous race for an earth-shaking power source buried deep beneath the sands of history. Painter Crowe is an agent for Sigma Force, a covert arm of the Defense Department tasked with keeping dangerous scientific discoveries out of enemy hands. In this fast-paced techno-thriller, an ancient artifact points the way toward the legendary "Atlantis of the Sands," and Painter must travel across the world in search of the lost city-and a destructive power beyond imagining. But Painter has competition. A band of ruthless mercenaries, led by a former friend and ally, are also intent on claiming the prize in a deadly archaeological thriller, and they will destroy anyone who gets in their way. Ancient history collides with cutting-edge science-with the safety of the world at stake.
inquisition by David Gibbins
In the year 258, as the blood of martyred Christians runs through Rome's catacombs, Pope Sixtus entrusts their most sacred object to a devoted follower. Soon after, the Holy Grail disappears into the darkness of time. While overseeing the evacuation of the English colony of Tangier in 1684, Samuel Pepys attempts to retrieve a treasure, which has resurfaced after more than a thousand years. Meanwhile, a Jewish merchant is tortured by a secret group determined to locate the Grail. In the present day, a wreck off the Cornish coast reveals clues to a mystery that marine archaeologist Jack Howard had thought beyond solving. He embarks on an epic quest that takes him to the sunken ruins of the pirate city of Port Royal in Jamaica. But, the specter of the deadly Inquisition dogs his every step, and Jack must face a descent into hell itself if he is to uncover the greatest reward in Christendom.
king solomon's mines by H. Rider Haggard
Before there was Indiana Jones there was Allan Quartermain: the original explorer, treasure hunter, and adventurer. The Quartermain books have captivated readers for more than a century, spawning more than a dozen movies and a host of imitators. Thrill with Allan as he discovers the mythical King Solomon's Mines and their not-so-mythical curse.
what the river knows by Isabel Ibañez
Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that's been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents--who frequently leave her behind. When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old-world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there's more to her parent's disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe. With her guardian's infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent's disappearance--or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.
the lost throne by Chris Kuzneski
In 1890, a man collapses near the Piazza della Santa Carit in Naples, Italy. Strangers manage to revive him, but he is unable to speak. Police carry him to the nearest hospital, where he is not admitted because he has no money or identification. Frantically trying to communicate, he scribbles notes in ancient Greek and German that would have told the world about a discovery of immense importance-if anyone had read them. . . . Reaching from the wonders of ancient Greece to a harrowing quest in modern-day Europe, "The Lost Throne" features Jonathon Payne and D. J. Jones, former members of a top secret, very special unit of the armed forces. Now as private citizens they still get recruited from time to time for the most delicate -and dangerous-missions. Payne and Jones must race to recover the lost treasure that could rewrite history, before it is destroyed by a group of men who will stop at nothing to conceal the secret.
the stolen queen by Fiona Davis
Egypt, 1936. When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. But after an unbearable tragedy strikes, Charlotte knows her future will never be the same. New York City, 1978: Eighteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who's in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the "party of the year." Though Annie soon realizes she'll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana's capricious demands and exacting standards. Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met's celebrated Department of Egyptian Art, wants little to do with the upcoming gala. She's consumed with her research on Hathorkare-a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant. That is, until the night of the gala. When one of the Egyptian art collection's most valuable artifacts goes missing . . . and there are signs Hathorkare's legendary curse might be reawakening. As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she'd never return: Egypt. But if they're to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past-which may mean leading them both directly into danger.
sphinx by Robin Cook
Traveling to Egypt is a dream come true for Erica Baron. An Egyptologist, she longs to walk among the temples and monuments of its long-dead civilizations. But when she stumbles upon a clue to a legendary treasure, the most fearful curse of the ancient world and the most savage menace of the modern one threaten to destroy her. It was the magic and mystery of an empire long past that drew Erica to explore, but now, that same mystery that may have become her deadliest snare...
the alexander cipher by Will Adams
It's 318 BC in the deserts of Libya, and Alexander the Great is buried as only a God should be, placed in a golden Sarcophagus in a catacomb of chambers, each packed with diamonds, rubies and gold. This was how he should have remained, but time waits for no-one. In 2007, underwater archaeologist Daniel Knox has been on the trail of Alexander's Gold ever since he can remember. When a tomb is uncovered on the construction site of a new hotel, Daniel believes he has found the clue to what he has been working towards for years. But the discovery has alerted two of the most dangerous men in the world, and Daniel is now a marked man.
the last ember by Daniel Levin
A search for a priceless artifact stolen from the Second Temple in Jerusalem becomes a race against time, terrorism, politics, and the past. Jonathan Marcus is a promising young archeologist studying at the American Academy in Rome when a terrible accident results in a fellow student¿s death and Jonathan¿s expulsion. He abandons archeology for the law, becoming a skillful advocate for unscrupulous antiquities dealers. When Jonathan¿s firm sends him to Rome to discredit the testimony of a prominent U.N. antiquities official, a chance reunion leads to a hunt for the legendary Tabernacle Menorah: solid gold, eight feet high, stolen 2,000 years ago and never recovered. As Jonathan and his friend scour Rome¿s ancient sites for hints to its whereabouts, they quickly realize they are not alone and the precious menorah is a key to controlling history itself.
the chinese alchemist by Lyn Hamilton
Antiques dealer Lara McClintoch is targeted by ruthless criminals while tying to recover an eighth-century Tang Dynasty silver box-with an alchemical formula for the elixir of immortality etched on the inside of the lid. The rare item holds the key not only to the mysterious death of a museum curator, but to Lara's own survival.
the ark by Boyd Morrison
When brilliant archaeologist Dilara Kenner is contacted by Sam Watson, an old family friend who says that he has crucial information about her missing father, Dilara abandons her Peruvian dig and rushes to Los Angeles to meet him. But at the airport, Sam speaks instead of Noah's Ark--the artifact her father had long been searching for--and the possible death of billions. Before Sam can explain, he collapses. With his dying breath, he urges Dilara to find Tyler Locke--a man she's never heard of. Two days later Dilara manages to track down former combat engineer Tyler Locke on an oil rig off Newfoundland. Her helicopter transport goes down well short of the oil rig's landing pad and Dilara and those aboard nearly drown. No sooner is Dilara safely on the rig than she convinces Tyler the crash was no accident. Tyler agrees to help her uncover the secret behind Noah's Ark and, more important, her father's disappearance. As the picture begins to come into focus, they realize they have just seven days to find the Ark before its secret is used to wipe out civilization once again.
the caves of perigord by Martin J. Walker
A mysterious package arrives for a young American woman working in a London auction house. It contains a 17,000-year-old fragment of a cave painting left to a British officer by his father, a former World War II hero. The fragment, significant and stunning in itself, is also the key to the existence of an un-known cave that may be more important in the history of art and human creation than the world-famous one at Lascaux. It triggers a storm of publicity and commands the attention of the French authorities all the way up to the President of the Republic, who seems to know more about the painting's origins than anyone else... As the young American woman, the British officer, and a French government art historian explore the ancient province of Perigord to determine the painting's origins, their search serves as backdrop for three compelling stories. There is the tale of the British officer's father who lands in Nazi-occupied France in 1944 to organize the Resistance, culminating in a series of battles to prevent the SS Das Reich Panzer Division from reaching the Normandy beaches in time to repel the D-Day invasion, which leads to an account of the subsequent discovery -- and cover-up -- of the lost cave and its paintings. And there is also the moving story of the young artist who painted them, the woman he loved, and the ancient culture that produced the first recognizable human art but required the sacrifice of its own creators. Filled with vivid, historically accurate details and imaginative re-creations of prehistoric life, The Caves of Perigord blends a complex plot and richly diverse characters into a seamless narrative of romance, tragedy, and heroism from past to present.
relic by Douglas J. Preston
Just days before a massive exhibition opens at the popular New York Museum of Natural History, visitors are being savagely murdered in the museum's dark hallways and secret rooms. Autopsies indicate that the killer cannot be human... But the museum's directors plan to go ahead with a big bash to celebrate the new exhibition, in spite of the murders. Museum researcher Margo Green must find out who--or what--is doing the killing. But can she do it in time to stop the massacre?
Did you like this blog post? Keep up to date with all of our posts by subscribing to the Library’s newsletters!
Keep your reading list updated with our book lists. Our staff love to read and they’ll give you the scoop on new tv-series inspired titles, hobbies, educational resources, pop culture, current events, and more!
Looking for more great titles? Get personalized recommendations from our librarians with this simple form.
