One relic. A thousand-year secret. Nowhere is safe. Start THE ARK FILES today...
The Adventure Society
Archaeological Series

Eden Black Archaeological Thrillers

Meet Eden Black, an archaeologist whose search for the truth behind history’s greatest mysteries — from the Ark to Atlantis — pulls her across the globe and into a race against ruthless rivals who’ll stop at nothing to claim the past’s deadliest secrets.

Who is Eden?
Start the Ark Files today

Series overview

About the Eden Black Series

The Eden Black series is fast-paced archaeological adventure for readers who love their thrillers globe-trotting, their history real, and their settings vivid enough to step straight into.

Every location is drawn from my own travels — the noise and colour of a real marketplace, the hush of an ancient ruin at dawn, the particular light of a city I’ve walked through myself — so that wherever Eden goes, you go too.

Wrap those real places around a genuine historical mystery, a cast of unforgettable characters, and twists that keep you turning pages long past bedtime, and you have clean, breathless escapism for fans of Indiana Jones, Dan Brown, and Clive Cussler.

Clean fiction
Archaeological Thriller

Series at a glance

  • Books in series: 7
  • Published: 2022 to ongoing
  • Main Character: Eden Black
  • Genre: Archaeological Thriller
  • Content Rating: Clean / 12+ Thriller
  • Formats: Print · Ebook · Audio
Start the Ark Files right now...

Main character

About Eden Black

Meet Eden Black, an archaeologist whose hunt for history’s greatest lost secrets hurls her from forgotten ruins to the world’s great cities, always one step ahead of the rivals who’ll kill to reach the treasure first. From the Ark of the Covenant to the lost city of Atlantis, each adventure plunges her into a real historical mystery wrapped in cryptic clues, double-crosses, and danger at every turn. Fast-paced, richly drawn, and impossible to put down, the Eden Black series is a must-read for fans of globe-trotting archaeological thrillers.

2022
The Ark Files: Eden Black Archaeological Thrillers Book 1

When treasure hunter Eden Black’s father dies in a suspicious plane crash, she discovers he was murdered over a secret from an old archaeological dig. Now, Eden must uncover the truth to save herself from sharing his fate.

Archaeological thriller
Adventure fiction
START THE ADVENTURE
2023
The Giza Protocol: Eden Black Archaeological Thrillers Book 2
When an undiscovered temple emerges from the waters of a drought-stricken lake, the world of archeology starts to pay attention. On the discovery of a set of hieroglyphs suggesting the location of an ancient power source so abundant it could boil the world’s oceans dry, a lot more people start to listen. Enter Eden Black.
Archaeological thriller
Adventure fiction
CONTINUE THE SERIES
2023
The Atlantis Agenda: Eden Black Archaeological Thrillers Book 3

When an ancient orb linked to Atlantis and a team of archaeologists go missing, Eden Black must race against a powerful enemy to uncover its secrets. But what if Atlantis doesn’t want to be found?

Archaeological thriller
Adventure fiction
READ NOW
2023
The Titanic Deception: Eden Black Archaeological Thrillers Book 4

What if the Titanic disaster was no accident? From the British Museum to the ocean’s darkest depths, join Eden Black as she uncovers a conspiracy that will rewrite history.

Archaeological thriller
Adventure fiction
READ NOW
2024
The Templar Enigma: Eden Black Archaeological Thrillers Book 5

When a Templar descendant uncovers a legendary relic to unleash an ancient curse and reset civilization, Eden Black must race against time to stop the coming apocalypse. But as she delves deeper into a centuries-old conspiracy, she discovers shocking truths about her own destiny and the deadly forces at play.

Archaeological thriller
Adventure fiction
READ NOW
2024
The Lotus Key: Eden Black Archaeological Thrillers Book 6
A long-lost relic with the power to control minds has resurfaced, promising world peace but at the cost of free will. Eden Black must race through the Cambodian jungle to stop it from falling into the wrong hands, but she soon faces a devastating moral dilemma.
Archaeological thriller
Adventure fiction
READ NOW
2025
The Sahara Event: Eden Black Archaeological Thrillers Book 7
When Dr. Eva Glass’s final message hurls Eden Black into a race for an ancient crystal, she must stop a rogue scientist from using it to resurrect a lost civilization that could swallow the planet. This pulse-pounding thriller asks: what if Atlantis didn’t sink beneath the waves but was swallowed by the sand?
Archaeological thriller
Adventure fiction
READ NOW
Coming October 2026
The Alchemist's Codex: Eden Black Archaeological Thrillers Book 8

Pre-order now

The Alchemist’s Codex will be the eighth book in Eden’s adventures, and this time she’s heading to France. What if Notre-Dame’s fire wasn’t an accident? What if it was a ploy — a way to find something that’s lain hidden beneath the cathedral for hundreds of years?

Archaeological thriller
Adventure fiction
PRE-ORDER TODAY

Buy the complete series now

Buy the complete series now
Best value. All the books in one set.
Buy Box Set

audiobooks

Audiobooks

Many of my books are available as audiobooks. Here’s all the info you need to find them.

Take me to the audiobooks

Buy the books

Other places to buy

My books are available from all sorts of places, including your local bookstore or library.

Other places to buy

FAQ​

What is the Eden Black series about?
The Eden Black series are archaeological adventure thrillers which follow Eden Black as she finds herself at the centre of ancient mysteries, global conspiracies, and relics of extraordinary power. Each book takes her to a new corner of the world — from the pyramids of Egypt to the temples of Angkor Wat, the Sahara desert to the streets of Marrakesh — in pursuit of truths that powerful organisations have spent centuries keeping buried. The series blends real history, genuine archaeological debate, and pulse-pounding adventure into the kind of books that are very hard to put down.
As a professional treasure hunter, Eden Black is no stranger to action. The artefacts she spends her life returning to their rightful owners aren’t always easy to access, and the series rarely gives her an easy route to anything. Tenacious, resourceful, and not particularly interested in following rules, Eden works alongside a small and trusted team, gradually revealed across the series, and is connected to a secret organisation whose full purpose only becomes clear as the books progress.

There are currently seven books in the series. The recommended reading order is:

  1. The Ark Files
  2. The Giza Protocol
  3. The Atlantis Agenda
  4. The Titanic Deception
  5. The Templar Enigma
  6. The Lotus Key
  7. The Sahara Event


Start with The Ark Files — it’s where Eden’s story begins, and the threads it introduces run through the entire series. Each subsequent book builds on what came before, though each also works as a standalone adventure.

Yes — and proudly so. Readers say that the series has historical mystery and conspiracy of Dan Brown, the globe-trotting adventure and action of Indiana Jones, the pace and ambition of Clive Cussler. It also draws comparisons to Steve Berry and James Rollins. What sets it apart is a female lead with real depth, a commitment to grounding the fiction in genuine historical debate, and a clean, family-friendly tone that makes it accessible to a wide range of readers.

Each book in the series is rooted in real archaeological mysteries, historical figures, the places we love to visit, and genuine scientific and historical debate. For example, the Ark Files draws on the real archaeologists who discovered the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Giza Protocol explores the genuine mystery of the Hall of Records and the Ark of the Covenant.
In every case, the real threads are pulled together by the story.

Across the series, Eden travels to Egypt, Lebanon, Cambodia, Mexico, Nepal, the United States, Portugal, London, the Saharan desert, Marrakesh, and beyond. I’ve visited most of the locations myself, with the aim that each book takes you on an adventure.
Yes. While the series contains action and danger, there is no gratuitous violence, no explicit sexual content, and no profanity.
Each book contains a complete adventure with its own beginning, middle, and end — so yes, any of them can be picked up independently and enjoyed without prior knowledge of the series. That said, the series rewards reading in order as characters develop across the books, relationships deepen, and the broader conspiracy that connects the series is revealed a little at a time. If you haven’t already, get started with The Ark Files.
Very much so. If the Tomb Raider films gave you a taste for ancient temples and globe-trotting adventure, or National Treasure sparked an interest in historical conspiracy, the Eden Black series is the natural next step — with considerably more depth and a lead character who can more than hold her own alongside Lara Croft or Benjamin Gates. Several of the series’ key locations — including the temples of Angkor Wat, which featured in the original Tomb Raider film — will feel immediately familiar.
The Eden Black series is available in ebook and paperback wherever you buy your books, including Amazon worldwide. Audiobook editions are also available. The series has been translated into German, making it available to readers across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland — with the German editions available on Amazon.de and through major German booksellers. If you’d like to be notified of new formats or translations as they become available, joining the Adventure Society newsletter at lukerichardsonauthor.com/adventuresociety is the best way to stay up to date.

Endorsements

Here's what readers think:

Eden Black just gets better and better! I couldn’t put this series down. Nonstop action, lots of emotion, and lots of turning the page to see what comes next. Bravo!
Reader of the The Ark Files
Blow the bloody doors off! Luke Richardson has given me more shivers and jumped up shouting from my seat in this series than I care to talk about. I can't express how much I love the Eden Black series.
Reader of The Giza Protocol
Fans of Indiana Jones will love this book and series. I’m only disappointed that I have to wait for the next book to come out!
Reader of The Atlantis Agenda