I love books like this and this is the first I've read in quite some time. I love the history, learning about the history behind relics and the reasoning behind the crimes to hide it. I suppose I like the conspiracy theories behind them.
The Relic Hunters definitely has a sense of family about it and that has drawn me in. Others like this I've read has usually been a couple of people, but here we have, Bodie, Cassidy, Cross, Blunt, and Sam. Along the way they pick up Jeff who is an archaeologist and not forgetting CIA agent Heidi Moneymaker (I know right! Made me chuckle too!). This team is finely tuned and they know exactly what they are doing.
It was certainly a fast paced edge of your seat read and I liked the little comments of sarcasm, especially during a fight. After I got going I couldn't put it down and quickly finished it. Can't wait to pick up Book 2 in this series. I'm giving this book a 4/5 rating. Keep this series coming David!

The Relic Hunters is the first book by David Leadbeater that I have read. It was an enjoyable read, albeit needing a slight suspension of reality to fully enjoy it.

The plot fairly buzzes along and the characters deal with what life throws at them and, as long as the reader can accept that ordinary civilians, albeit crooked ones, can best special forces trained soldiers/mercenaries in combat situations, then there is no reason to not like the book.


For me, I've gone on to buy other titles by the author, so the story was not that too far-fetched.

A mash-up of Ocean's 11 and The Da Vinci Code. Solid, fun premise with some great action sequences. Aside from Bodie, however, the characters are a bit bland (I kept getting Gunn and Cross confused in my head). The Illuminati have played the villain in far too many similar stories, so I wish that Leadbetter had taken a different route; additionally, turning them into actual human-sacrificing Satan worshippers was a bit much. That said, I will continue with the second book in the series, if only to see how some of the unanswered questions in the first book are (hopefully) answered. Fans of the Indiana Jones and National Treasure films will likely enjoy this series. [Based on a net galley copy.]

I loved this. I’m a huge fan of archaeology but I shockingly have never read a novel about it. Go figure. I am glad that is changed now. Thanks NetGalley. Can’t wait to continue with this series. 4 stars

The first book in a new series...is there anything more exciting?? Not for me. I love getting to know new characters, and places, and situations. There was a lot of action and adventure in this one and I really appreciated that. Mr. Leadbeater does a terrific job in his world building and character development. I instantly fell in love with Guy. I mean, come on? Who doesn't love a relic smuggler? What a unique idea for a character!
This book was also a case study on who to trust, and what can happen when you trust the wrong people. You'll travel around the globe with this mystery and you'll love every single second(page) of it!

Thankyou to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and David Leadbeater for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of The Relic Hunters.
From the very start, you are immersed in non stop action and adventure. The storyline was well thought out and fast paced. I loved reading this book. Can't wait to read more from this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, atmosphere, and characters. I would recommend the book to friends and family for their reading pleasure.

DNF at 37%. I didn't like the writing, but I thought maybe the plot would carry me along anyway, but nope, it just didn't work for me.

My pet peeve is poor editing. I simply can't finish a book when I find grammar and spelling errors. I also didn't care about any of these characters. The plot was well thought out but it was never made clear why the groups were willing to murder so many people for a statue. Overall this book was disappointing because it had the potential to be so much better. With some good editing and some polishing this could become a better book.

This is the first book in a new series for David Leadbeater and you can tell it is trying to find it's feet so i expect book 2 will be even better once it get a good flow going. I liked the characters as you got to know the team more through out the book, there were also characters you loved to hate as well as ones you wouldn't tangle with no matter what and the story evolved and unfolded well. Bodie grew up rough but after being taken in and shown how to steal he found a direction in life and started to build a family around him of people who had skills that made them a masterful team. Now the CIA need their help tracking down a map and finding a long thought destroyed relic unfortunately Bodie nor his team can say no otherwise Bodie goes back to prison where he will likely be killed. There is plenty of action through out the book as well as riddles, twists and times where you think the team will fail which keeps you reading page after page.

An action packed, riviting roller coaster read, once you read one of Mr Leadbeaters books you really have to read them all.
A covert infiltration team of relic Hunters chasing across countries following waypoints on an ancient map, explosions, car chases, boats, planes, lots of non-stop action.
The sense of humour of this mismatch family will keep you laughing whilst you turn every pageAn action packed, riviting roller coaster read, once you read one of Mr Leadbeaters books you really have to read them all.
A covert infiltration team of relic Hunters chasing across countries following waypoints on an ancient map, explosions, car chases, boats, planes, lots of non-stop action.
The sense of humour of this mismatch family will keep you laughing whilst you turn every page

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Relic Hunters by David Leadbeater from NetGalley in order to read and give an honest review.

Fast-paced, this book is non-stop action…

I’m new to this author and it’s a bit outside the genres I normally read but being an armchair archaeologist as well as a history student the description caught my eye. Honestly, the archaeological component, action, and mystery were fantastic, very reminiscent of the Davinci Code. However, I had a few issues with it that I will address later which knocks my rating down to about a 3.5 stars.

This story starts with our protagonist Guy Bodie, relic hunter and master thief being set-up and languishing in a Mexican prison. While his elite team of thieves tries to mastermind a breakout he is rescued by the CIA. In return for breaking him out, lead agent, Heidi Moneymaker needs him and his team to help track an important relic which would lead them to the remains of the infamous Statue of Zeus, one of the seven wonders of the world. Bodie faces betrayal at the hands of an old mentor but presses on with his team to follow clues leading them to the relic. The hunt takes them around the world, Istanbul, Bavaria, London and Greece all the while facing assassins from a centuries-old order still in existence who will stop at nothing to keep the relic hidden. It was full of intrigue, fast-paced non-stop action, very detailed fight scenes which really did keep me reading to the end. My issues don’t come from the story as much as the characters interactions. Much of the dialogue felt very YA to me, bordering on being bantering you’d hear on a schoolyard. Immature nicknames (aka Frizz-bomb), unnecessary bullying of the geek on the team and the constant allusion that anyone over 40 is old and decrepit (really????). Despite the great story, these issues were a turn off for me I’m afraid. Now reading is very subjective and although I didn’t enjoy those particular points, some readers may find it refreshing.

All in all, despite my issues mentioned above, it was entertaining to some degree and if you’re out for a quick and easy-to-read thriller this might be for you.

I'm at the start of what I hope is a new series of books by one of my favourite authors, David Leadbeater. As the title suggests the main character is a member of a team looking to retrieve relics. Guy Brodie is a professional thief who is broken out of a Mexican jail by the CIA. They want Brodie and his team to recover an object which is believed to have been stolen and destroyed. Only time will tell if this is the case, or if the team are successful..

On this occasion I have reviewed the book as 4/5 but that is no reflection on the author or the content of the book. It is because I am learning about the background of new characters and my brain is a it slower these days!

Pick up this book and enjoy. I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

A shadowy figure enters a museum in Greece to procure a single object. Shortly after his departure, an explosion rocks the city and brings down the museum. At the same time, Guy Bodie, professional thief, is broken out of a Mexican prison by none other than the CIA. They want to recruit Bodie and his team to recover an object deemed to be one of the Seven Ancient Wonders: the Statue of Zeus. It was reportedly stolen and then destroyed but clues have surfaced which indicate that may not be the case. This job will take Bodie and his team around the world, racing against time and dodging a group of assassins known as the Hood and the organization they work for: the Illuminati.

“The Relic Hunters” by David Leadbeater is the first in what shows promise to be an entertaining series. While it’s certainly true that featuring the Illuminati as the villain is certainly not new or even original, Leadbeater does put a different spin on the group as to their personality. This is the first book I’ve read by Leadbeater and while it certainly isn’t the best thriller I’ve ever read, it is far from the worst. I’ve found that most authors improve a series as it progresses, fleshing out characters more and improving the plot. That said, I am going to split the difference and rate this book 3/5 stars.

*A copy of this ebook is only consideration received in exchange for this review.*

A bit too manically religious for me. The author should concentrate more on the actual storyline without trying to shove religions down peoples throats. Characters were introduced then got rid of very quickly never to be seen again.

I received the free copy of this book from Netgalley. This is the first time I am reading this author and I enjoyed the fast pace of the book. Guy Bodie is the main character who escaped Mexican jail in exchange of helping CIA.

The story revolves around getting one relic from the organization called Illuminati and how the team faces danger at every turn but still come out victorious.

A thoroughly enjoyable if somewhat unbelievable story centring around a group of Relic hunters that are coerced into working for the CIA. They follow the clues from an old map to find the secret hiding place of the Illuminati.
Its the kind of book that's non stop action and wont let you put it down.

This the first book in a new series from Leadbetter. It features a group of people who come together to find relics and steal them. The leader, Bodie, likes to think of these people as his team. The relic they are hunting in this outing, is a map that is believed to lead to the hiding place of one of the classic Seven Wonders, the statue of Zeus. However, there are those people, Illuminati (yes, that Illuminati) who want to keep the statue to themselves.

This book starts slowly with the description of the bad guys stealing the map from a museum and then blowing the museum up. The man stealing the map is the traditional bad guy working for the megalomaniac – a flesh and blood robot who will do anything the boss man asks him to do no matter how many bodies he leaves behind him. Then Bodie is introduced. He’s in a Mexican prison where there are no rules. He has no idea why he’s in the prison, but does know he will die there if his “team” doesn’t rescue him. In the meantime, he is attacked – twice – and takes out a half dozen people by himself. He’s rescued, not by his team, but by the CIA.

Leadbetter has nearly perfected the formulaic writing of thrillers. If read carefully, there is nothing new here – same group of people to save the world, artifact, society – the same protagonists – powerful men led by a megalomaniac who wants to dominate the world – wrapped in lots of violence.

If you love a traditional thriller, this is the book for you. If you like your thrillers to be well written and something more than formulaic, you probably should pass this book by.

Another fast paced adventure thriller from David Leadbeater.
Having read my way through the Matt Drake series this offers a new team, led by Guy Bodie to track down a lost treasure and follow the clues. Things don't go to plans as rivals are never too far away.
The book is a real page turner and the pages just kept turning. I would of liked a little bit more character develpment in the down time sections but I'm sure that will follow in future books. The protagonists did jump from country to country a little too easily but that can be forgiven.
Thoroughly enjoyable

I finished reading the advanced reader's copy (ARC) of The Relic Hunters by David Leadbeater provided via NetGalley and Thomas & Harper and was impressed overall.

To me, it was a combination of International Intrigue, Action/Adventure, Family Drama, and Archeology genres.

Guy Bodie and his "family" may not always get along but they do agree on at least one thing, doing a job well. So when they have to adapt to a fluid situation that doesn't go according to their usual way of doing things, they get a little off-kilter. When dealing with the type of characters in this venture, that isn't a good thing.

I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and even if they were real people they would be "characters".

Warning: There is violence, sometimes graphic, as well as adult language and situations.