‘Blood and Treasure’ Checks Action Boxes, Struggles With Narrative

Ryan Pote’s debut novel, ‘Blood and Treasure,’ is a globe-trotting, action-fueled thriller that ironically suffers from its excessive action.

"Blood and Treasure" is Navy veteran Ryan Pote's debut novel. Leah's Lens Photography

The International Space Station (ISS). Underwater archaeology. Bullet trains in Iran. And a host of gunfights. Ryan Pote’s debut novel, “Blood and Treasure,” has plenty to keep the summer reader entertained.

Penguin Random House, the home of works from Mark Greaney, Brad Thor, and the late Clive Cussler and Tom Clancy, looks to have added another fictional former military character to its repertoire in Ethan Cain. Cain, a former special operations pilot, has turned to private archaeological contracting with his company called Pathfinder Survey Systems.