“City of Gold is a very well-rounded and thrilling adventure. It’s got the ‘fun-mystery’ part of Matthew’s shadow identity, and the seriousness of the kidnapping and a high-pressure mission to find the ransom. What you get is a near-perfect mix…heart-pounding escapades and near-misses, balanced by moments of, if not levity, at least a temporary release of the pressure cooker… I’m looking forward to the next installment!”

“I am new to this author, but won’t be a stranger for long, this is easily one of the best books I will read all year. The first paragraph sucks you in and then hang on for a nonstop, pulse-pounding ride. Matthew Connor is an archaeologist. He and his closest friends Robyn, the curator of a major metropolitan museum and Cal, a travel photographer, make up a treasure hunting team, the likes of which would make Indiana Jones proud. Like Indy, Matt has a nemesis who doesn’t mind playing dirty to get the goods. When Cal’s girlfriend Sophie is kidnapped in order to retrieve an artifact the team had found, the team must make a trek into the South American Jungle to find the fabled Incan lost City of Gold to use as leverage to get her back… The first thing that struck me about this story was how it appeals to the five senses. I could feel bullets whipping by and hear the splintering of the trees. I could smell the perfumed guests at the party. I was trapped in underground tunnels and felt my heart bursting for air while under feet of water. This was an interactive reading experience. The characters are brought to a life-like status. Each carries his or her own emotional attachment for the readers and none are unimportant. One would expect Matt and his team to carry the story with their adventures, with tagalong bad guys, into the jungle and underground caves with all the inherent dangers and traps along away the way, and they do. However, just as much is taking place back in Toronto where police and Matt’s team are closing in on their investigation of Sophie’s disappearance. There wasn’t a dull moment in this book. I highly recommend this high-octane thriller.”

“A cross between Indiana Jones and the Lost World, without the dinosaurs, add a kidnapping, and a lot of action and adventure in the jungle and I find it impossible to go wrong with City of Gold by Carolyn Arnold. I loved the book and I am super excited to have my hands on the next adventure in the series, The Secret of the Last Pharaoh.”

“It’s fast-paced, at times even edge of your seat and held my attention throughout the entire story… I have liked all the books I have read by Carolyn Arnold… She puts a lot of travel into them which I adore. I for sure recommend this one, and I look forward to the rest of the series.”

“City of Gold is a very well-rounded and thrilling adventure. It’s got the ‘fun-mystery’ part of Matthew’s shadow identity, and the seriousness of the kidnapping and a high-pressure mission to find the ransom. What you get is a near-perfect mix…heart-pounding escapades and near-misses, balanced by moments of, if not levity, at least a temporary release of the pressure cooker… I’m looking forward to the next installment!”

“This is definitely akin to an Indiana Jones story set in modern times. There is very fast paced action and danger in one scenario with some good investigative twists at the home front. The two lines of the story worked well to keep interest moving and to make the book more than just a fun, albeit deadly, treasure hunt. I appreciated the bits of police tactical details that were included to balance out the hijinks of the hunters… I recommend this to readers who enjoy a fun thriller and mystery, topped with a touch of romance and a touch of family drama.”

“City of Gold is a fast-paced action adventure story that feels something like Friends meets Romancing the Stone. This was a quick, entertaining read – I devoured it in one sitting!”

“I am new to this author, but won’t be a stranger for long, this is easily one of the best books I will read all year. The first paragraph sucks you in and then hang on for a nonstop, pulse-pounding ride. Matthew Connor is an archaeologist. He and his closest friends Robyn, the curator of a major metropolitan museum and Cal, a travel photographer, make up a treasure hunting team, the likes of which would make Indiana Jones proud. Like Indy, Matt has a nemesis who doesn’t mind playing dirty to get the goods. When Cal’s girlfriend Sophie is kidnapped in order to retrieve an artifact the team had found, the team must make a trek into the South American Jungle to find the fabled Incan lost City of Gold to use as leverage to get her back… The first thing that struck me about this story was how it appeals to the five senses. I could feel bullets whipping by and hear the splintering of the trees. I could smell the perfumed guests at the party. I was trapped in underground tunnels and felt my heart bursting for air while under feet of water. This was an interactive reading experience. The characters are brought to a life-like status. Each carries his or her own emotional attachment for the readers and none are unimportant. One would expect Matt and his team to carry the story with their adventures, with tagalong bad guys, into the jungle and underground caves with all the inherent dangers and traps along away the way, and they do. However, just as much is taking place back in Toronto where police and Matt’s team are closing in on their investigation of Sophie’s disappearance. There wasn’t a dull moment in this book. I highly recommend this high-octane thriller.”

“I was hooked! It was hard because I wanted to keep reading but my eyes were telling me it was time to go to sleep. The book has many twists and turns and I think this could be an interesting series with Matthew, Robyn and Cal searching for lost treasures. There is also some “romance” in the book but not much…but it does leave you wondering if more will show up in future books… I think it will be an interesting new series to watch.”

“There’s plenty of tension, angst and bad guys to keep the reader entertained and guessing as to what’s going to happen next… I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next book in this series.”

“Wow. This was such fun to read. An intriguing plot, strong characters and nonstop action made this a real rollercoaster. I am seriously going to miss Matthew and the gang! This is book 1st in a new series and I am looking forward to more, more, more!”

“City of Gold by Carolyn Arnold is the 1st book in her new Matthew Connor Adventure series. I have read two of Carolyn’s other series, which are Police/FBI themed stories. It was a surprise that she was going a different direction with this new series, which is more like an Indiana Jones mystery archeology theme; especially since Arnold is one of the best at police stories, with her wonderful knowledge of police procedurals. I am happy to say, even to my own surprise, that I really enjoyed City of Gold… An exciting action packed adventure that will take Matthew, Robyn and Cal to Bolivia…to try to find the City of Gold. For every step they take, danger and death threaten from all sides. The adventure was pulsating, and Arnold does a fantastic job of taking us through the jungle, caves, underground with many traps along the way… This was a fun and exciting book, which I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed so much. I look forward to more from the Matthew Connor Adventure series. Carolyn Arnold has another winner.”