False Flag

An archaeologist risks everything to stop a disinformation podcaster from using his influence to incite violence in the latest thrilling installment in USA Today Bestselling author Rachel Grant’s Evidence: Under Fire series.

Staci Allen has finally landed the job that will help her finish her dissertation, but it comes with a major hitch: her new boss is a famous pseudoarchaeology podcaster, and she intends to use the upcoming Pacific Northwest expedition to debunk his theories and end his grift. But first, she has a pre-wedding celebration to attend, where she crosses paths with Navy SEAL Jake Burns—a huge fan of the podcaster.

Jake might be on her team in the paintball war, but he’s definitely the enemy. She can enjoy his pretty face and even the dangerous attraction he triggers with his cocky attitude, but when the weekend-long party is over, she will step into a world that places them firmly on opposite sides.

The job proves to be more dangerous than Staci prepared for. Surrounded by a hostile expedition team and trapped on a private island with a podcaster who will do anything to convince his followers his fake history is real, she remains determined to see the job through. Still, nothing prepares her for coming face-to-face with the SEAL she’s trying to forget. As the only man who could infiltrate the team, he could be her unasked-for backup. But the question remains, whose side is Jake really on?

“Rachel Grant writes smart, complex romantic suspense with incredible detail and page-turning urgency! You’ll be hooked from beginning to end!”
– #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Barbara Freethy

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Author’s Note

This is a book I’ve wanted to write for several years as we’ve seen disinformation spread by podcasters, billionaires, and politicians undermine all aspects of our society for their personal enrichment. At the same time, in my personal life, what were once casual questions about pseudoarchaeology have changed in tone. Now, when my husband and I share our archaeology background with new acquaintances, they want to discuss what they know to be true—usually starting with the certainty that there is no way Egyptians built the pyramids—because they learned it from a disinformation TV show or podcast. In addition, I’ve witnessed online harassment and doxxing of archaeologists by fans of pseudoarchaeologists and disinformation podcasters making wild claims about “Big Archaeology” (as they have dubbed archaeologists who push back against their lies).

This book is increasingly and distressingly timely. As I write this (July 22, 2026), the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) has just circulated a proposed rewrite of 36 CFR Part 800—the implementing regulations for Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. This proposal would gut the Act and essentially end cultural and historic preservation in the US. The rewrite was released on a Friday night with only seven days to comment. Pseudoscience and disinformation have played a large part in current efforts to achieve this endgame goal of destroying cultural and heritage preservation laws. Once nothing is protected, large corporations can exploit the land and enrich political donors who pushed for this action.

Public lands and archaeological and historical sites are protected because they are a finite resource. Once they are destroyed, they are gone forever.

I want to believe in a future in which Canadian First Nations and US Tribes receive reparations for all that was taken from them. I know so many people in the archaeological community who are devastated by this proposal to end Section 106 in the US. We are not giving up. We will fight this change and continue to fight for a fair and equitable future for us all.

Unlike pseudoarchaeologists, I didn’t just make up the foundation for the history and prehistory that shapes this story. I consulted with experts. I owe a huge debt of thanks to archaeologist and PhD candidate Steph Halmhofer for information on pseudoarchaeology including introducing me to the Hepburn stone and Native Sons of British Columbia. Steph was a vital source in the writing of this book, answering endless questions and even brainstorming plot lines. The information Steph provided was accurate. Errors or inaccuracies (sometimes due to fictional license) are my own.

To learn more about Steph and the important work she is doing, visit her website: https://bonesstonesandbooks.com

In FALSE FLAG, Staci has compiled a list of reference material to be posted on the Lost Civilizations webpage. Here are the materials she (or rather I) consulted to frame her responses to Gerard’s disinformation along with sources for further reading. (Again thanks to Steph Halmhofer for providing links and pdfs for some of the items on this list.)

Publications:

Braune, Joan. 2023. “Ancient Aliens down to Earth: Conspiracy Theories, Antisemitism, and ‘Anonymous Authority.’” In Critical Theory and the Critique of Antisemitism, edited by Marcel Stoetzler. Critical Theory and the Critique of Society Series. Bloomsbury Academic.
Card, Jeb J. 2019. Spooky Archaeology: Myth and the Science of the Past. First paperback edition 2019. University of New Mexico Press.
Card, Jeb J., and David S. Anderson, eds. 2016. Lost City, Found Pyramid: Understanding Alternative Archaeologies and Pseudoscientific Practices. The University of Alabama Press.
Colavito, Jason. 2020. The Mound Builder Myth: Fake History and the Hunt for a “Lost White Race.” University of Oklahoma Press
De Camp, L. Sprague. 1970. Lost Continents: The Atlantis Theme in History, Science, and Literature. Dover Publications
Fagan, Garrett G., ed. 2006. Archaeological Fantasies: How Pseudoarchaeology Misrepresents the Past and Misleads the Public. Routledge.
Feder, Kenneth L. 2025. Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology. Eleventh. Oxford University Press.
Halmhofer, Stephanie (SAPIENS). 2021. “Did Aliens Build the Pyramids? And Other Racist Theories.” October 5. https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/pseudoarchaeology-racism/.
Halmhofer, Stephanie 2024 Manufacturing History: Atlantis, Aryans, and the Use of Pseudoarchaeology by the Far-Right. In Conspiracy Theories and Extremism in New Times.
Halmhofer, Stephanie. 2024b. “Unveiling the Truth Behind ‘Hidden’ Histories.” British Columbia History. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383877242_Unveiling_the_Truth_Behind_Hidden_Histories
Hoopes, John W., Flint Dibble, and Carl Feagans. 2023. Apocalypse Not: Archaeologists Respond to Pseudoarchaeology in The SAA Archaeological Record. May (28-35).
Moshenska, Gabriel. 2017. “Alternative Archaeologies.” In Key Concepts in Public Archaeology, edited by Gabriel Moshenska. Open Access E-Books. UCL Press. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781911576419.
Pringle, Heather. 2006. The Master Plan: Himmler’s Scholars and the Holocaust. Hyperion.
Reynolds, Pearl C. 1947. “Mysterious Stone Deciphered: The Story of a Lost Continent” in Vancouver Sun Magazine. June 21 (2, 8).

Presentations:

Halmhofer, Stephanie. 2024. “‘As One Looks at the Stone the Questions Arise.’: Nativism, Mythologized Histories, and the Conservation of Cultural Heritage in British Columbia.” Conference Presentation. Society for Historical Archaeology Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA

Websites:

Webcomics:

Monroe, Randall. 2011. Citogenesis. xkcd. November 16. https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/citogenesis.png

I also owe thanks to the many archaeologists who push back against pseudoarchaeology and disinformation online, who have been targets of doxxing and harassment. Your work inspired me (and Staci)!

YouTube channels:

Flint Dibble: https://www.youtube.com/@FlintDibble
Miniminuteman (Milo Rossi): https://www.youtube.com/@miniminuteman773
History with Kayleigh: https://www.youtube.com/@HistoryWithKayleigh
Professor Dave Explains: https://www.youtube.com/@ProfessorDaveExplains