ALSO BY IAN K. SMITH
The Clean 20
Blast the Sugar Out!
The SHRED Power Cleanse
The SHRED Diet Cookbok
SUPER SHRED
SHRED
The Truth About Men
Eat
Happy
The 4 Day Diet
Extreme Fat Smash Diet
The Fat Smash Diet
The Take-Control Diet
Dr. Ian Smith’s Guide to Medical Websites
The Blackbird Papers: A Novel
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
IAN K. SMITH is the author of nine bestselling nonfiction books, several of them, including SHRED and SUPER SHRED, #1 bestsellers, as well as one previous work of fiction, The Blackbird Papers. A graduate of Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine, Smith lives in Chicago. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Map
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by Ian K. Smith
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE ANCIENT NINE. Copyright © 2018 by Ian K. Smith. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover by James Iacobelli
Cover photographs: ivy © Antpkr/Shutterstock.com; hanging branches © Chansom Pantip/Shutterstock.com; house © Nagel Photography/Shutterstock.com
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-18239-5 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-18240-1 (ebook)
eISBN 9781250182401
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact your local bookseller or the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
First Edition: September 2018
The Ancient Nine Page 44