Good day everyone, thank you to be here on Alessandro III di Macedonia! A few days ago I founded a book that was published at the end of April 2021. It’s not about Alexander the Great himself but but revolves around his heritage. I’m referring to:

Masquerade Gold

by Dion Mayne and Paul Richardson

published by Lulu.com

It is Sixteenth Century Europe. Countries have begun to expand their global reach, but there are still local riches to be uncovered. As Spain continues to expand its wealth, through aggressive and covert means, a recently formed Anglo-Dutch Allegiance is out to undermine, and eventually bring down the Empire. Espionage has infiltrated Europe and things are not always as they seem. When the wealthy Genoese banker Giovanni de Tocco and his vivacious wife Isabella, employ a new tutor to work with the wards they sponsor, they are unaware their lives are under constant surveillance. It is no coincidence the banker is enlisted to carry out business for the King of Spain. It is not without reason, Alvaro Cortez, Head of Spanish Security, is suspicious of Bart Selona, the handsome young tutor who embeds himself into de Tocco estate life and becomes so influential with the students and Lady Isabella. Over time, two students, Carlo and Vincenzo are recruited to support the Allegiance. With Giovanni de Tocco engrossed in the power and influence his position attracts, secrets are revealed, treasures are discovered, and lives are influenced. It is through the somewhat erotically themed Masquerade Balls of the day the Allegiance’s cause is advanced. The aristocracy used the events to showcase their opulence and enjoy risqué activities akin to their status. The events, however, were a focal point for covert infiltration. Under the cover of the eroticism the balls espoused, Selona’s young spies can gather valuable intelligence. But the Allegiance’s operation is not the only cause being pursued. In a series of twists and counter motives, Masquerade Gold leads the reader through the evolving struggles of a complex Europe.

Dion Mayne works in Mackay in Queensland. He has lived in the Pioneer Valley all his life. Dion is an active sportsman with a passion for rugby league. Dion is a great storyteller and has shared many a tale with friends and family. His desire to create adventurous stories about larger than life characters has seen him write several short stories. His biggest project, and by far greatest tale to date is Masquerade Gold.
Paul Richardson has had a career as a school-based educator. Firstly, as a teacher and then as principal. Paul has worked in school’s throughout Queensland, England and Papua New Guinea. Paul has had passion for student centered learning practices in schools. His research in this area led to him being award a Doctoral Degree in education in 2013. Paul has published seven novels: Digging the Dancing Queen, Time on the Fly, The Red Sheep, My School Life, Taylah’s Got Talent, Run Taylah Run & Fetch.
Dion has known Paul since he was at primary. In fact, Paul was Dion’s teacher when Dion was in Grade Five!

16th Century espionage where every spy seeks the glory of finding the lost treasure of Alexander the Great!

It is said that when Alexander defeated the Persians, he entered Darius’s palace and there before him was 3000yrs of treasure collected by the Persians. It took 55000 mules and 5000 camels to take it back to Macedonia.
Masquerade Gold delves into the mystery of the treasure’s wherabouts in the 16th Century as World Powers clamper to find more riches to expand their Empires.
Thus the game of cat & mouse begins with the top Spies of the Allegiance (Dutch & English) and Spanish monarch trying to outwit each other in finding out the locations of where Alexander’s treasure is now hidden.

About Masquerade Gold: “1553, Thirty-five years before the Spanish attempt to invade England with an armada of ships, a power struggle of espionage is rife throughout Europe. The Spanish Empire is undoubtedly the most powerful in the world. Their objective is to find more treasure and their focus is on the legendary treasure of Alexander the Great and its whereabouts.
Rich aristocrats of the Dutch and English nations form a group to combat the Spanish, calling themselves the Allegiance. Their objective is to infiltrate the Spanish Monarch using spies and recruits in sectors that weren’t too protected.
Allegiance spy, Bart Selona has been delegated a task that takes him back to his homeland of Genoa. His objective is to gather intel from a Genoese Banker, Giovanni de Tocco, while working as a tutor at the de Tocco estate.
His mission will gift him a talented recruit, Vincenzo Rossetti, who he see’s fit to help infiltrate the risqué events that Giovanni is invited too. Their task becomes more complex as they are asked to locate three chambers of treasure that seems to be the financial asset for the Spanish Treasury.
As the two spies delve deeper into their objective, the head of security for the Spanish, Alvaro Cortez, becomes suspicious and soon has Bart in his sights.
With masquerade balls, murderous schemes and countless accusations to deal with. Bart Selona and Vincenzo Rossetti will need all the help they can get to find what they are looking for and get out of Genoa alive!”

These are the prices of Amazon.com and .it, but the book can also be purchased in other on-line stores. The physical book has a price in my opinion a bit high – Masquerade Gold has more than 400 pages, while Boomerang Gold has only 236 and costs slightly more – but one of the two authors told me that they couldn’t fix it for less. I believe Lulu’s printing costs are different and a little higher than others because another book I bought printed from Lulu.com wasn’t cheap either. Even if you order the paperback directly from Lulu, although it has a lower starting price than Amazon, but it becomes higher with the shipping costs.
Anyway, surfing the web I saw that the first two novels of the trilogy are enjoying some success in Australia and I’m curious to read about Alexander’s treasure!

Masquerade Gold is the second book of the Gold Series trilogy composed by (but this serie can be read in any order!):

#1 Boomerang Gold	#3 Crusader Gold
published on September 2019	out soon
Captain Calder Velden, a ruthless seafaring servant of the Secret Dutch Alliance, had been summoned to serve his state in territories unknown. 1586AD his beloved homelands were under Spanish Rule, there seemed to be no answers on how the resistance could end the tyranny. Backed by incredible wealth, King Phillip II of Spain had established a World Power hell bent on conquering all known territories. The Dutch Alliance knew the Spanish had discovered an untapped source of wealth in the territories of Nueva Guinea. It was time to send their cut-snake captain to disrupt and cripple the southern supply of gold to the Spanish Treasury. Calder was in command of the new stealth ship, ‘The Kharon’, specifically made for the mission. Christened after the mythical ferry boat of the underworld, she was to pursue, raid and pillage enemy merchant ships along the trade route south of Bantam and leave no survivors!	Crusader Gold will be the 3rd Novel in the ‘Gold Series’ and it will take the readers back to the untimely death of Alexander the Great and when his General Ptolemy takes his body from the funeral procession outside of Damascus and heads to Alexandria. From here, Crusader Gold will than centre around the 3rd Crusade and how the French Army discovered the whereabouts of Alexander’s Treasure.

I’ll buy Masquerade Gold and Crusader Gold also and I’m curious to read them. I’d like to thank the authors for sharing informations and pictures about their books!

Thank you and have a good day,

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