The Smoke Hunter

This book is rereleasing later in 2023 as The Empire of Shadows, Book 1 of the Raiders of the Arcana series. Nice Victorian ladies shouldn't run off to find lost Central American cities. One trifling little arrest shouldn’t have cost Ellie Mallory her job. It’s just the latest in a long line of injustices facing any brilliant female with archaeological ambitions in Victorian England. When Ellie stumbles across the map to a mysterious ancient city, she knows she's holding her chance to show the world what she's capable of—but she’s not the only one after the prize. A disgraced professor and his ruthless handler are hot on her heels, willing to go to any extreme to acquire the map for themselves. To race them through the uncharted jungles of British Honduras, Ellie needs a guide. The only one who knows the territory is maverick surveyor Adam Bates—and his determination to nose his way into Ellie's secrets makes him a dangerous partner. As Ellie and Adam navigate mysterious ruins, deadly cataracts and one seriously angry boar, she realizes more than just her ambition is at stake. There’s a deadly force lurking at the heart of the city—and if it falls into the wrong hands, it could shake the fate of the world. The Smoke Hunter is the first book in a high-stakes, rip-roaring historical adventure series perfect for fans of The Mummy and Romancing the Stone.