In 1421, an armada set sail from Beijing, China with a mission: to amass riches, chart the entire globe and proclaim the glory of its emperor and the new crown jewel he had created--the Forbidden City. The result was the first true map of the world. But by the time the armada returned, China had overthrown its emperor, banning all future voyages and turning inward. Ultimately the evidence of the emperor's global ambition was destroyed... or so we think. Historians have long suspected that the knowledge the Chinese unearthed not only survived, but made its way to Europe, where it became a closely guarded secret for centuries.Weaving rich historical detail into a fast-paced suspense-fiction ride, The Map Thief is the story of an incredible map's riveting journey through the murky underworld of stolen artifacts--from the dragon ships of the Ming Dynasty to the school of Europe's most famous explorers, from the hallowed halls of royalty into the boardrooms of New York City--a globe-trotting adventure of epic proportions.
"Provocative, well-documented, and evocative." -- Javier Sierra, author of The Secret Supper
"Heather Terrell's new thriller moves effortlessly through time as she maps out a suspenseful novel that's as smart and well-written as it is inventive, original and surprising. The Map Thief cements Terrell's position as one of the genre's up-and-coming stars and positions this series as one to watch and wait for ... with bated breath." -- M. J. Rose, author of The Reincarnationist
Heather Terrell is the author of The Chrysalis. A lawyer with more than ten years of experience at two of the country's premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies, she is a graduate of Boston College and of the Boston University School of Law. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.
