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JAMES ACTON

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Full Name: James Acton
Nationality: American
Organization: None
Occupation Other - Archaeologist

Creator: J. Robert Kennedy
Time Span: 2010 - 2023

ABOUT THE SERIES

James Acton is a professor of Archeology.

He is not a spy. Would never want to be a spy. Has no interest in the affairs of spies or their spy-masters. He does not want to get involved in the messes that governments often create for themselves and has no desire to spend too much time with the operatives and soldiers and, even worse, politicians who invariably justify these messes with fancy words. He wants to be left to dig into history.

Too bad nobody seems to care what James Acton wants.

Acton is not a liberal academician who wanders around an ivy-covered campus. He is constantly out in the real world, or at least passing through it en route some ancient landmark. He knows how the big boys do things and a time or two he might actually be grateful for some of their interference.

By and large, though, whenever he is pulled into, stumbles upon, backs up onto, or otherwise falls smack dab in the middle of things, people start shooting at him, trying to blow him up, throwing sharp objects at him, or pushing buttons that could explode nuclear weapons.

This is not the life the 40-year old archaeologist was expecting as the head of the Archeology Department at St. Paul's University of Maryland. He was a respected researcher, one who had been published on several occasions in major magazines and had been written about in National Geographic. Sure, he had some military training when he, as a younger man, was a member of his state's National Guard and he knows which end of the rifle painful things come out but he did not seek the action he would invariably and fairly constantly find.

Joining him on his many involuntary excursions into danger is Dr. Laura nee Palmer Action, a woman who is, if anything, even more renown than her husband. She holds several degrees, including Archeology, Ancient History and Literature. She has been a major player at the British Museum for well over a decade and has been invited to lecture all over Europe and North America.

In the first adventure Acton had, they met and kept each other alive. The relationship grew quickly and soon they were engaged and then married. This is a very good thing for Acton's life expectancy because while there is some question about her driving ability, her keen intellect meshes well with his and together they make a pretty impressive pair.

BOOKS

Number of Books:40
First Appearance:2010
Last Appearance:2023

1 The Protocol The Protocol
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2010

The Triarii is a secret society charged with protecting the world. They seek an ancient artifact with tremendous potential and danger. Professor James Acton is being hunted by them and by a Delta Force team to keep him from getting it.
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2 Brass Monkey Brass Monkey
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2011

An archaeologist stumbles onto a weapons deal involving a lost nuclear weapon. She is now in grave danger and needs the help of her lover, James Acton to save her and stop a holy war.
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3 Broken Dove Broken Dove
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2012

A detective working for the Pope goes missing and the clue to where he is and what he is working on is a mysterious chest. James Acton and Laura Palmer are called in to help unravel that mystery but the plot just gets murkier and more dangerous.
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4 The Templar's Relic The Templar's Relic
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2012

An ancient tomb on the grounds of the Vatican reveal the remains of four Templar Knights. James Acton and Laura Palmer are asked to help understand what it means but they get pulled into a search for an Islamic relic that can help calm a crisis in the Middle East.
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5 Flags Of Sin Flags Of Sin
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2013

On a much needed vacation to China, James Acton and Laura Palmer are pressed into helping their Delta Force friend when tourists and diplomats start going missing in that Far East country.
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6 The Arab Fall The Arab Fall
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2013

In Egypt a major archaeological find at the camp where Laura Palmer and James Acton are working takes place during the time of the Arab Spring and a radical Islamic group, determined to destroy all relics and idols, target the camp.
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7 The Circle Of Eight The Circle Of Eight
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2013

A Delta Force team member stops a rape and makes a very powerful enemy who is now seeking to destroy him and his friends. James Acton and Laura Palmer are asked to help as members of the group start dying.
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8 The Venice Code The Venice Code
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2014

The son of a murdered US President is kidnapped because the secret group snatching him think he knows the location of an item stolen from them by his father. James Acton is asked to help find the object to get the young man free.
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9 Pompeii's Ghosts Pompeii's Ghosts
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2014

Two millennium ago, a Roman emperor hid in the city of Pompeii something he felt would save his empire if it was threatened. It is somehow connected to a find of Roman gold in Eritrea, a discovery causing a great deal of trouble that James Acton is forced to mix up in.
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10 Amazon Burning Amazon Burning
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2014

On a trip into the Amazon, James Acton's fiancee, Laura Palmer, is kidnapped and Acton must find out who and why and finding that out will get him involved in a problem that affects the entire planet.
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11 The Riddle The Riddle
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2014

The Russian Prime Minister is assassinated on a trip to Hanoi and the US is being blamed as it looks like a Delta Force friend of James Acton was the killer. As both sides near war, Acton must find the real culprit and proof.
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12 Blood Relics Blood Relics
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2014

Trying to stop the theft of artifacts said to contain the blood of Christ, Laura Palmer is shot and kidnapped. James Acton is determined to get her back and that means he needs some very capable friends to help.
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13 Sins of the Titanic Sins of the Titanic
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2015

James Acton is asked to help investigate a painting thought to have gone down with the Titanic but a very good assassin is hired to keep him from learning the truth.
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14 Saint Peter's Soldiers Saint Peter's Soldiers
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2015

It was during WWII that a "fabled da Vinci drawing" went missing, apparently hidden to keep it out of the hands of Hitler. Now rumors of the drawing have resurfaced and James and Laura Acton are dragged into another messy situation.
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15 The Thirteenth Legion The Thirteenth Legion
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2016

The same group that were central to the nasty business that first threw James and Laura Acton together have returned and a whole new set of troubles will envelope them and their friends.
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16 Raging Sun Raging Sun
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2016

A Japanese man at the edge of despair is pulled back from the brink when he is told his grandfather's remains had been discovered on what was now a Russian island. This is the first scene in a play what will bring destruction or despair to many different actors.
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17 Wages of Sin Wages of Sin
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2016

On a vacation in South Africa, James Acton and Laura Palmer come across a clue to a 100-year old mystery - the whereabouts of a huge gold treasure. Intrigued, they look into it but others want it as well.
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18 Wrath of the Gods Wrath of the Gods
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2017

Invited to take part in a search of Mayan ruins to help determine why that empire failed 400 years ago, James Acton and an Interpol agent are kidnapped by a drug lord and it is up to Laura Palmer to get them free.
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19 The Templar's Revenge The Templar's Revenge
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2017

Legend said the Knights Templar had the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified but lost it in a battle with Muslim forces in the 1100's. James Acton and Laura Palmer are looking into the story but current Middle East tensions are a more current problem.
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20 The Nazi's Engineer The Nazi's Engineer
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2017

Near the end of the Third Reich, a man went missing in Germany and his wife pleaded with a police detective to look into it. That almost cost the detective his life as the Gestapo and the SS wanted it kept quiet. Seven decades later, James Acton and his wife begin to see why.
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21 Atlantis Lost Atlantis Lost
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2018

An earthquake in the Azores reveals a stunning surprise; the lost city of Atlantis. James Acton and his wife head there to confirm the fact but there are people there already who do not want the truth revealed.
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22 The Cylon Curse The Cylon Curse
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2018

The ancient burial mound in Greece that could be the final resting place for the Greek warrior Cylon is where James Acton and Laura Palmer are asked to go but the reason for their presence is not what they were led to believe.
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23 The Viking Deception The Viking Deception
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2018

The phone call from an old friend talking about the discovery of an artifact linking the Vikings to early Islamic caliphates intrigues James Acton and his wife enough for them to fly to Stockholm to meet with him. Once there, though, they find him missing and themselves up to their necks in danger.
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24 Keepers of the Lost Ark Keepers of the Lost Ark
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2019

When Laura Palmer is persuaded to help an old priest protect an ancient artifact, she and her husband, James Acton, had no idea it would be the long missing Ark of the Covenant which several want to steal and some want to destroy to make an old prophesy come true.
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25 The Tomb Of Genghis Khan The Tomb Of Genghis Khan
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2019

James Acton receives a message from a former student now in Mongolia containing a plea for help. The man may have uncovered the long hidden final resting place of the legendary conqueror. Unfortunately, others would like to know the information, or kill to keep it quiet.
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26 The Manila Deception The Manila Deception
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2019

A young Japanese man is in trouble with the Yakuza and must come up with a sizeable payment or die. He tells his plight to his great-grandfather who has one piece of info to help - the location of a huge treasure of gold and jewels hidden by the Japanese at the end of WWII.
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27 The Fourth Bible The Fourth Bible
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2020

Ecoterrorists take over a museum where an ultra-rare copy of an old bible is being examined. Some professors who James Acton was enroute to visit are ordered to steal the bible or the hostages will die. They do but the hostages die anyways. Acton is determined to figure out who and why.
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28 Embassy of the Empire Embassy of the Empire
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2020

"In a hunt for the truth, Archaeology Professors James Acton and Laura Palmer travel to China to investigate a stunning discovery—the ruins of the doomed Roman Embassy. As they arrive, a terrifying incident between two of the world’s most powerful militaries unfolds, sending not only the globe into a panic, but an innocent team of archaeologists fleeing for their lives."
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29 Armageddon Armageddon
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2020

Racing from criminals determined to get their hands on something that they have, James Acton and Laura Palmer are caught in the chaos along with their pursuers when a terrific eruption maroons them on an island. That location is the home of a tribe long isolated due their very unfriendly attitude towards strangers.
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30 No Good Deed No Good Deed
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2021

James Acton and Laura Palmer are attending a charity event in which the billionaire hosting the gala is planning to donate most of his wealth before he dies. Then something extreme happens and they find thmeselves in grave danger.
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31 The Last Soviet The Last Soviet
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2021

"When Archaeology Professor James Acton receives a cryptic message from an old colleague missing for years, he heads to Moscow with his wife, Laura Palmer, to meet the man. What they find isn’t their host, but a terrified graduate student with an entire country’s security apparatus after him. And now them. Their lives are forfeit in a race against time to escape a regime determined to preserve a secret from the past, that if revealed, could fundamentally change Russia’s future."
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32 Lake Of Bones Lake Of Bones
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2022

"Almost 800 years ago, a group of families flee the oppression of the Church, following a charismatic leader on a pilgrimage to what he has promised is a realm far to the east where they can live in peace, free to worship as they please. But as they near their destination, something goes horribly wrong. And when Archaeology Professor James Acton is invited to India by a US Senator to attend the opening of a new state-of-the-art communications facility near the Chinese border, he is eager to accept when he is informed of his true purpose—to act as guide to the senator, an archaeology buff who intends to visit the nearby Lake of Bones, an unsolved mystery that has baffled scientists for decades."
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33 Fatal Reunion Fatal Reunion
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2022

"In ancient Thailand, the king falls unexpectedly ill. Tradition states that he who first dons the Mask of Succession after the king’s death shall inherit the throne. This has held true for centuries, however, for the first time, the eldest son isn’t worthy. The shocking events that follow leave a kingdom in turmoil, and the bejeweled mask lost to history. Until now. An archaeology team has found the mask and are desperate to keep that fact a secret until they can secure the priceless artifact. The leader of the dig calls in an old colleague, Archaeology Professor James Acton, who may be able to transport the mask to safety."
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34 The Resurrection Tablet The Resurrection Tablet
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2022

"The Eastern Roman Empire is weak, its enemies threatening from all sides. The widowed Empress Eudokia, in a desperate attempt to save her empire for her young son to inherit, marries not for love, but duty. Yet who she chooses shocks the empire. The traitor Romanus Diogenes. The new emperor sets out to secure the empire, and in the process, makes a discovery so shocking, it calls into question everything Christianity believes, but he dies before he can confirm what he has found. A thousand years later, what he discovered is found once again, triggering a race to find the truth."
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35 The Antarctica Incident The Antarctica Incident
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2022

"At the height of her power, Zheng Yi Sao commanded 50,000 men and 400 ships, terrorizing the waters surrounding present day Hong Kong for years.
But her greatest adventure took her south, far south, to the icy waters of Antarctica where she would face a challenge so great, it would change her forever.
Two centuries later, a stunning discovery buried in the ice near McMurdo Station on the frozen continent leads to a race between America and China, both laying claim to the find.
Archaeology Professors James Acton and Laura Palmer are brought in to investigate the find and are caught in the middle when an unknown force, determined to restore a family’s honor lost centuries ago, assaults the base camp."
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36 The Ghosts Of Paris The Ghosts Of Paris
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2022

"When Tommy and Mai head to Paris on vacation, they are invited to a party in the catacombs under the streets of the historic city. It’s illegal yet irresistible for the young couple on the adventure of their lives. There’s only one problem. The party is a front for something far more sinister, targeting the ghosts of Paris, the street youth society has abandoned.
When Archaeology Professor James Acton and his wife discover their friends have disappeared, they leap into action, calling in all their favors to discover what happened before it’s too late, and they’re lost into a dark underworld. An underworld that has claimed tens of millions of innocents."
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37 No More Secrets No More Secrets
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2022

"In Sodom, Lot struggles against the sin that surrounds his family, losing the battle and fleeing on the advice of strangers he believes might be angels sent by God. And thousands of years later, Archaeology Professor Laura Palmer loses her brilliant brother in a tragic accident while excavating the possible site of the lost biblical city.
Ten years after his death, a shocking secret is revealed that sends Laura and her husband, James Acton, in a search for the truth, a truth that still lies buried in the ruins of Sodom. A truth that triggers a race for a secret her brother died to keep out of the hands of those who would abuse his final technological breakthrough."
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38 The Curse Of Imhotep The Curse Of Imhotep
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2023

"Djoser, Pharaoh of Egypt, has set his eyes on his next conquest. Imhotep’s youngest sister.
Imhotep, respected physician and architect, trusted advisor to Djoser, is placed in an impossible position—turn a blind eye, condemning his sister’s future, or lose everything by intervening. Unfortunately, the gods offer him a third, more terrifying choice.
And almost 5000 years later, Professors James Acton and Laura Palmer pay the price when they dare disturb the final, cursed resting place of Imhotep."
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39 The Sword Of Doom The Sword Of Doom
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2023

"What is now known as the Goujian Sword is wielded by the king of Yue, and the king alone. Whoever possesses it rules the kingdom, and when it is lost in battle, King Goujian pursues those who captured it across the kingdom and beyond in a desperate attempt to retrieve it and maintain power. He fails.
And thousands of years later, archaeology professors James Acton and Laura Palmer are witness to an exchange of historical importance—the handing over of the long-lost sword, held for generations by the royal family of Bhutan. In an attempt to forge better relations with their Chinese neighbors, the king of the tiny country has decided to return the sword, a source of great national pride to China. There’s only one problem. It’s a fake."
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40 The Heretics Bible The Heretics Bible
Written by J. Robert Kennedy
Copyright: 2023

In the 13th century, Pope Gregory accused Emperor Frederick of penning a text so blasphemous, so vile, he couldn’t possibly remain in power. Gregory asserted Frederick had put in writing his belief that Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed were all imposters, and had lied to their followers. It was explosive. And most historians, including Archaeology Professor James Acton, believed it to be a mere baseless accusation. A fraudulent claim that became known as The Heretics Bible.
But today, when the text is found, all hell breaks loose, as both pious and atheist alike stop at nothing to possess the ancient tome, leaving Acton and those he loves caught in the middle once again as three of the world’s major religions, and those who believe in none, clash."
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MY COMMENTS

If you like adventure, you will certainly like James and Laura Acton tales. They are full of lots of exciting escapades, near-misses, explosions, dangers, and dramas. These are good things for we readers. If you have trouble keeping track of several different sets of players each with their own agendas, you might have difficulty with this series but take it slow and you won't get hurt. And you will enjoy the ride.

The James Acton series is connected loosely with the Dylan Kane series that I really liked a lot. Kane considers Acton a mentor in many ways and more than one character from one series will make guest appearances in the other. I always like that and the author handles it beautifully.

GRADE

My Grade: B+

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SpyGuysAndGals is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, and links with the Buy from Amazon button are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.