I have always loved hearing about Roanoke and this book was a lot of fun. I love hearing about new ideas and theories about what happened and then of course I go off on my own thinking well what if this what if that! This was definitely a fun read and makes me want to find more on this subject to read.

I love history and I love Histories Mysteries. The lost Colony of Roanoke has been a mystery for over 400 years. With very few clues as to what happened the about 115 men, women, and children who landed at Roanoke. Over the centuries there has been many speculations and myths about what happened. They all died if hunger or disease, they joined the Croatoan Indian tribe and many more theories. Supposedly the name Croatoan was found carved a tree, and the illustrious Dare Stones which was supposed to have carvings of the settlers story engraved by the settlers. No one is really sure if these stones are real or a great fake. Either way this mystery is fascinating to me.

The book was pretty good. Andrew Lawler takes us with him to go out and explore the facts and myths. In the book there is the mystery as we have heard all my life at least. He tries to break apart the facts and the myths. He interviews people, there are archaeological digs he attends, and so much more. No this book does not answer the question as to what happened but it does bring up more. It gives you all the facts and myths in one place.

Maybe some day the Mystery of what happened to over a 100 people will be solved. It's been over 400 years so I'm not sure that will ever happen. But with scientific breakthroughs it just might.

Fascinating examination of a centuries-old mystery. Lawler delves into the case of the missing settlers of Roanoke with all the zeal of an investigative journalist who loves his job. What happened to the settlers becomes clear, and sheds light on our past and our present as a nation.

The lost colony of Roanoke has taunted historians with its many secrets. While there are many theories and conjectures as to what really happened to the inhabitants of the Roanoke colony, none has ever really given a satisfactory answer. Every historian has dreamed of solving the mystery and finally discovering what happened during the many months that Mr. White was away back in England.

Get fresh and up to date information on the lost colony right now! I could not put this book down. I was hooked from the beginning. This book is definitely going to be recommended to my students from now on! I LOVED IT!

I was given an advanced copy through Netgalley for my review. I would highly recommend this book to family and friends and will buy a copy for myself.

When I first saw this book, I thought..."Oh. Another Roanoke book." To my surprise and delight, this is anything but 'just another Roanoke book.'

The incredible amount of research and detail that went into this book is obvious from the moment you begin reading it. Rather than just diving straight into the mystery of the missing colony as so many authors have done before, this author carefully examines what happened, how it all started and explains for the reader the how and why that generally gets lost in the more sensational accounts of these events.

I was greatly impressed by all the information this book clarifies for the audience and how the author handled the various theories on what happened so long ago and why it may have happened. The book is written sensibly and logically, but also in a manner that is truly engaging and makes the reader want to know more about the subject.

Fascinating and absorbing, this is a book that I would recommend to scholars and the general public alike. A great starting point for anyone wanting to know more about early American colonisation.

This review based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I have had what I will call a passing interest in the story of "The Lost Colony." Since writing a book report about it in 7th grade, if I happened across a book, sometimes I read it, sometimes I didn't. I'm glad I did not pass over this one. You will be too.



The disappearance of the first 115 men, women, and children attempting to form a colony in the new world has never been definitively explained. With a single word, Croatoan, carved into a tree, the colonists carved themselves not only a place in history, but also cultural and historical infamy. Lawler traces some 428 years of ideas, myths, hoaxes, faked artifacts, and so on. He shares everything from the reasonable to the absolutely absurd. His stylish characterization of the main players breathes life into an old story. . .Even for those with no particular interest in the Lost Colony can enjoy this well researched, historical mystery.

Maybe the reason the story of "The Lost Colony" will not go away is because the final chapter has yet to be written. Andrew Lawler hasn't penned the definitive answer in "The Secret Token," so the story ends again without closure. But his story will tease your mystery solving senses and you just might get bit by the Lost Colony obsession.

Happy Reading!

I received a free Kindle copy of The Secret Token by Andrew Lawler courtesy of Net Galley  and Doubleday Books, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as all I really know about the lost colony of Roanoke is antidotal and I have never read anything about the details. This is the first book by Andrew Lawler that I have read.

The subtitle "Myth, Obession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke" is an acturate description of the book. Lawler has done a very good job of researching the subject and presenting the many potential outcomes without pushing hard for one of the theories of what happened to the colony. Although he did indicate his belief in the final chapter of the book which I happen to agree with.

I found this book to be interesting and an easy read. The author did not get bogged down in presenting the history surrounding the colony since its disapperance.

I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the early settlement of North America and in the lost colony of Roanoke in particular.

Andrew Lawler manages to take a subject I had a passing interest in and drag me into the world of mystery and obsession that is the hunt for the Lost Colonists. The book is laid out well, beginning with a thorough primer on colonization and what we know about Roanoke, then going to the various search attempts (including his own) and concluding with musings on why we even care about solving this puzzle.

What stuck out to me was Lawler's choice to describe various archaeologists, geologists, historians and others who have spent time on the trail as the characters they were. Rather than summarizing their theories and work, he brings them to life as part of his quest to find out what draws people to become obsessed with Roanoke.

I can't say if there are any major revelations on the mystery for anyone who knows more about it, but the structure and style alone should make this book worth a try!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a galley of this book.

This sweeping narrative history looks at the leadup to the Roanoke Colony and Raleigh's rise in England, to the establishment of the colony, to the search by Gov John White after he returned to England, right up to the different theories and searches and theories into the 21st century.

Lawler covers a lot of time, though he explains that after the original search and the establishment of Jamestown, not much was happened in the search for the Roanoke settlers until Bancroft wrote about the colony in the early/mid 1800s. There have been postulations, digs, frauds, lies, hopes, studies, interviews, claims, and more all made since. And still there is little to no evidence of what happened to the colony's inhabitants.

When Lawler gets into the 20th century, his narrative becomes exceptional. Now he is doing research in primary documents (newspapers and more), interviewing researchers, seeing the long-running play on Roanoke, talking to supposed descendants, looking at supposed artifacts, and discussing theories, digs, DNA research, and more. He approaches this as the mystery that it is, and looks at each new find, each new theory, each new dig, each new method of research and explores the results.

I did not know who Lawler was when I received this book. I read about his career on Goodreads--30 years of journalism, science, and archaeology writing, and awards and fellowships won. He is an excellent writer and knows how to research science/archaeology topics, and handled this history/archaeology topic well. I now want to read his book about the chicken.

Due to my being born and raised a New Englander, my education on the "founding" of America focused quite heavily on Pilgrims and Puritans. The Roanoke Colony was nothing more than than the briefest mention in textbooks about Sir Walter Raleigh, a few folks vanishing, and a strange place name carved onto a tree. So to put it bluntly, until now I had absolutely no idea - no idea about the history of the short-lived colony, no idea about the obsession that has so fiercely gripped many a person and driven them to strive so hard to try and discover what happened to a particular band of English settlers in the Outer Banks, no idea about the myriad and often directly opposing meanings that the attempted colony has held for people both past and present, just no idea whatsoever.

Thankfully, Andrew Lawler turned out to be the absolute perfect guide to the Lost Colony and its incredibly rich mix of history, mystery, and controversy. He leaves no stone unturned as goes on a voyage of discovery that is exhaustive in its coverage of all matters of the Lost Colony, but never to the point where it inundates or confuses. Although he travels everywhere from Tudor-era London to a room filled with forged stone carvings and he covers topics ranging from racial identity to early American feminism, his clarity of writing ensures that the reader sticks right by his side from start to finish.

This is an absolutely captivating read that does its subject matter full justice with a passionate thoroughness. There's little doubt in this reader mind that that author's very own "Lost Colony Syndrome" will infect no small amount of people with a newfound fascination with the missing settlers of Roanoke Island.

This is a truly fascinating story. I'll definitely be recommending this to our patrons.