Matthew Connor Adventure Books in Order

The Matthew Connor Adventure books are Carolyn Arnold's action-adventure series, and they lean happily into lost cities, ancient legends, hidden maps, and narrow escapes. Matthew Connor is an archaeologist and treasure hunter from Toronto who rarely stays home for long. If there is a rumor of a buried artifact or a myth that might just be real, he is usually willing to chase it.

He does not do that alone. A big part of the series is the team around him, especially his close friends Cal and Robyn. Their chemistry keeps the books moving even when the settings change completely. One story might send them into South America in search of Paititi in City of Gold, while another drops them into Egypt for The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh, and later the trail turns toward pirate legend in The Legend of Gasparilla and His Treasure.

Think hidden chambers, old rivalries, and the constant feeling that someone else wants the prize just as badly.

These books are built for readers who like adventure stories with a modern pace. There are clues to decode, betrayals to sort through, and enough real historical texture to make the legends feel half possible. Arnold clearly enjoys the treasure-hunt side of the genre, but she also knows that the fun is in pressure: collapsing tunnels, hostile terrain, ticking deadlines, and enemies who are never far behind.

Even when the stakes grow larger, sometimes all the way to the fate of something much bigger than the main trio, the series stays readable and straightforward. It does not get bogged down in dense history lessons. The history is there to serve the chase.

If you enjoy stories in the Indiana Jones tradition but want something written as a modern novel series, this is probably Arnold's best fit for you. Start with City of Gold to meet Matthew and the team properly, then keep going in order to watch the friendships deepen and the adventures get bigger.