In the midst of the American invasion of Iraq, an international cast of schemers, spies, churchmen, and scientists race to claim the greatest archaeological prize the world has ever known. But who is buried under the sands of ancient Babylon? Molly O'Dwyer, brilliant and beautiful young American archaeologist, is convinced that she is destined to find it. But to do so she will have to outwit the ruthless former chief of intelligence for Sadaam Hussein, a shadowy rival archaeologist who is not who he appears to be, a crazed American with US army backing, and a Muslim holy man on a mission to save his country.

"Fans of intellectual thrillers and historical fiction will find a worthy new voice in Clenott. With the ease of a seasoned novelist, he takes readers from the bowels of Aby Ghraib and the streets of ancient Jerusalem to the stuffy offices of Boston academia and the desert enclave of a devout imam...Given such an auspicious start, the sequel can't come too soon." -- ForeWord Magazine, featured review

"This is a very readable thriller... Clenott takes a risk, setting the tale in Iraq during the American invasion but focusing not on the conflict itself but on a story that exists outside it. And, yet, he does a fine job of making his readers feel the violence of the invasion without overwhelming us with it... it never takes our interest away from The Da Vinci Code-like draw of this compelling variation..." -- Booklist

"Hunting the King is a page-turning adventure featuring American archaeologist Molly O'Dwyer whose search for truth drops her into the middle of the American/Iraqi military operations surrounded by people who may or may not be her friends and allies. I read it straight through, and it's already featured prominently on my fiction shelf." -- The Kaleidoscope, a Book Sense Store

Peter Clenott was born and raised in Portland, Maine and moved to Boston after graduating Bowdoin College. Married with three kids, he has worked for many years in the non-profit world, focusing on the homeless and at-risk families of Massachusetts.