The Fortieth Door

Jack Ryder would rather excavate a tomb than attend a Cairo masked ball—yet here he is, inspecting his knees for a borrowed Scottish kilt. Just before the festivities, a gold locket brings news of an explorer who vanished in the desert fifteen years ago.

In sunlit Cairo, American archaeologist Jack Ryder lives for buried ruins and has little patience for society—or love. But a promise to Jinny Jeffries sends him into a hotel masquerade, while the story of Paul Delcassé’s lost expedition stirs an old fascination with secrets hidden in the sands. At the ball, a mysterious masked woman draws him into a far more personal puzzle: her family has arranged her marriage to a powerful general, leaving her desires at odds with duty. Ryder may think romance is foolish, but can he stand aside when another life is being decided for her?

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