The Ironclad Covenant (Sam Reilly Book 10)

In typical Sam Reilly style, author Christopher Cartwright writes with intrigue and manage to educate the reader as well. Unlike other authors who wrote a series, is not the usual formulaic pattern. Each book stands on its own. I've read 10 books of the series and am never disappointed.

Like all good agents Sam knows people....important people....people in high places with tons of cash and luxury toys that Sam can also enjoy at his leisure or if in need of a quick trip from point A to B.Without these toys at his beck and call this story would be about 50 pages long, As it stands Sam and his close friends are off on another adventure where gold mixes with deep cave dives and a special letter that was never delivered,Beautifully crafted to be one of Mr. Cartwrights best.4 stars for the ending being a "tad" overblown. Otherwise.... a fantastic read!

Once again Sam Reilly and his best friend Tom are unexpectedly involved in a 160 year old mystery that includes lost gold, greed and murder. Exciting adventure as they follow all the shadowy leads they are unearthed.

Love the series!! Not looking forward to reading the last one! Who can replace Sam and Tom and Elise and Genevieve and the rest of the crew

A Review by Mike Riley ofIronclad Covenantby Chris CartwrightCartwright's books often find his heroes Sam and Tom working the edges of overlapping technologies – stealth and nuclear energy, diving and archeaology, electronics and steam. His inventive imagination creates circumstances that throw these together in ways that provide opportunity for skullduggery and mysteries for this adventurous pair to untangle.It's just a bonus that somehow, in each adventure, there happens to be a beautiful, technologically skilled woman (or several), on hand to make their adventure (and ours) that bit more adventurous.In Ironclad Covenant, Cartwright exploits the historical overlap of steam and wind power in shipping, of wood and iron in naval architecture, and of bootlegging and gold smuggling in the history of the Great Lakes. And the beautiful woman on hand just happens to be a super-fit EMT with murderers on her tail and a satchel full of drug money.Oh, fun!The title makes use of a clever play on words: the Covenant referred to is a solemn promise made by Southern Loyalists near the end of American Civil War, but also, the name of a Confederate warship. This covenant - the promise - is “ironclad” because of the blood commitment made by the participants in this pledge to carry it through to the end they sought. But Ironclad here also referes to the Confederate Ship Covenant, which was one of the new-fangled iron-clad ships designed to give the Confederacy that tactical edge needed to prevail over the hated North.At the end of every war, there spring up rumors that the losing side has begun stashing away treasures against the day that their cause may rise again. There are many stories of the Nazis smuggling a hoard of gold and art treasures out of Germany in U-Boats during the fading days of the Third Reich, or burying such treasures in some forgotten cavern high in the Alps.Likewise, there are persistent rumors that the American Confederacy smuggled a hoard of gold to a secret hiding place in Texas, New Mexico, or California.Fortune hunters seldom stop to ask whether this fantastic fortune could not have been better spent on winning the war at hand. But what's the fun in that, if one is intent on searching for treasure?This is such a story.As usual, the story begins with a chapter of historical blood and destiny in the person of a southern deserter being remanded to his execution in the slap-dash brig of the ship Covenant. The unfolding of his allegiances and betrayals sets the stage for the emergence of the rumor of Confederate gold, and for the madness and violence which proceeds from it into the twenty-first century.After that historical and violent introduction, the story joins our Emergency Medical Technician on a call which is to lead her across the paths of drug dealers and corruption that she doesn't even suspect. She is confronted with a moral dilemma, and the choice she makes is critical to the remainder of this tale.Finally, our familiar heroes, Sam Reilly and Tom Bower, are hired by a high-powered U.S. Senator to find his missing son, who the Senator suspects to be the victim of criminal wrong-doing.Our intrepid duo take on the assignment but are interrupted, shortly thereafter by a phone call from a desperate former military acquaintance of Sam's – none other than the former military medic, now civil Emergency Medical Technician, and only coincidentally, a gorgeous young woman in dire straights.From there on, Cartwright's story weaves together these six or seven threads and adds in moon-shining, rum-running, arms-dealing, drug-dealing, mob connections, political intrigue, betrayal, and corruption, an award-winning lost float plane, a persistent rumor of an ancient subterranean gold source, buried treasure, sunken treasure, ice-water diving, gun-play, more betrayal, family secrets, mysterious hermit woodsmen, contract killings, stolen drug money, a cancer-stricken father and a murdered son, and amazing details (as usual) about the latest and most obscure technologies in communications, diving, navigation, and (?) surveying.OMG! How does this all hang together?Quite well, thank you. Cartwright is a skilled adventure-tale spinner, and this one won't let you down. Get yourself a good bottle of Canadian blended whiskey and settle down to enjoy the latest in his series of Sam Reilly adventures!Highly recommended.  The Ironclad Covenant (Sam Reilly Book 10)

I really enjoy the books in this series. I have even tried to buy some physical copies but they are unavailable in my country. Read all of them and enjoy

This was another enjoyable escape with Sam Reilly, Tom, Elise and others. I always enjoy the historical events that are the crux of the mystery and how Sam and Tom work their way to solving the mystery and finding the treasure.

This was such a fun book! It has all the requisite Sam Reilly ingredients: treasure, adventure, danger, and some humor. Interesting here is that only Elise is in this book, but of course, she needed to be. A wild ride! Recommended!

Great read

Good read

A good story, not too well written.Too many technical details not really necessary. I ended up just skimming through to the end.

This provided a very enjoyable read - interlinked crime families, a Civil War mystery and a modern quest for power.

Yet again another excellent read. I have enjoyed every Sam Reilly book to date. If you enjoy plenty of action and a good plot these books are not to be missed.