A more honest title for this book would have been "The presenter of an TV documentary series on archaeological 'mysteries' tells some interesting anecdotes from the making of the TV programmes." But I doubt that would have sold quite so many copies.

Josh Bernstein isn't a professional archaeologist and from the stories in this book there's no actual archaeology involved in the programmes. By all accounts there's insufficient background research done on the programmes, they're made to tight shooting schedules and seem to specialise in getting the presenter, an outdoor survival expert, placed in as much danger as possible to make for more exciting television.

Even as a companion to the TV series this is an inadequate work – not all the episodes are covered and others are only mentioned in passing. There are no maps to explain here the locations of the places visited and the further reading barely scratches the surface of the subjects that are featured. The book also lacks an index. You do, however, get a list of all the clothes the presenter wears, including details of each of his hats.

The book does have some pleasant photographs, mainly proving that the presenter really did meet or visit the places written about in the book.

Generally the text is adequate for the job it does and Josh does have some scary and interesting snippets to relate.

If you're a fan of the TV series then you may find the book worth getting, bit otherwise there's little to recommend it.