I was wandering through a used bookstore and came across one of Mr. Dietrich's novels, Napoleon's Pyramids. It looked interesting so I gave it a go and couldn't put it down once I started. I quickly ran out and bought The Rosetta Key, thoroughly enjoyed that, then bought The Dakota Cipher brand-spanking new from Amazon.
Ethan Gage is an American adventurer, rogue, and really all-around good guy seeking fame and fortune for number one, when he is thrust, albeit unwillingly, into horrible and deadly situations not of his making.
I've read a lot of reviews that good folks have posted on here about all kinds of books, and some of those good people just analyze the crap out of the whole book. I read for fun and enjoyment, and Dietrich has injected fun and adventurous fictional life in the form of Ethan Gage into real history. Who cares if it's not totally accurate? It's easy to become invested in the characters and wonder what's going to happen next. The historical detail of people and places is very interesting without leaning too far towards history lessons, and the adventures and artifacts are plausible enough to believe in. I'm ready to pre-order the next Ethan Gage adventure right now. He's stuck out in the wilds of an unexplored United States right now; where will he go next?