The Secret Token cover art

The Secret Token

Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke

Preview
Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Secret Token

By: Andrew Lawler
Narrated by: David H. Lawrence XVII
Try Standard free

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

*National Bestseller*

A sweeping account of America's oldest unsolved mystery, the people racing to unearth its answer, and the sobering truths--about race, gender, and immigration--exposed by the Lost Colony of Roanoke

In 1587, 115 men, women, and children arrived at Roanoke Island on the coast of North Carolina. Chartered by Queen Elizabeth I, their colony was to establish England's first foothold in the New World. But when the colony's leader, John White, returned to Roanoke from a resupply mission, his settlers were nowhere to be found. They left behind only a single clue--a "secret token" carved into a tree. Neither White nor any other European laid eyes on the colonists again.

What happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke? For four hundred years, that question has consumed historians and amateur sleuths, leading only to dead ends and hoaxes. But after a chance encounter with a British archaeologist, journalist Andrew Lawler discovered that solid answers to the mystery were within reach. He set out to unravel the enigma of the lost settlers, accompanying competing researchers, each hoping to be the first to solve its riddle. In the course of his journey, Lawler encounters a host of characters obsessed with the colonists and their fate, and he determines why the Lost Colony continues to haunt our national consciousness.

Thrilling and absorbing, The Secret Token offers a new understanding not just of the first English settlement in the New World but of how its disappearance continues to define--and divide--America.
Americas Archaeology Colonial Period Expeditions & Discoveries State & Local United States World Latin America Thought-Provoking Imperialism Middle Ages United Kingdom Mexico Africa British Empire
All stars
Most relevant
10 out of 10 would buy the Andy a beer, Dave too.

There's well researched and then there's a journey, this book is a journey, I felt like I was riding shotgun on a quest that at times felt less like journalism and more like private detective work. There's so much life in this work, the descriptions of the interviews, the geography and the history.

I felt like the narrator was able to capture that investigative road trip feel.

Fair warning though, I am a massive nerd so maybe this isn't for everyone lol.

Fantastic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.