The Malta Tourism Authority’s investment earlier this summer in the United States book market has started to pay off as the new thriller launched by author Chris Kuzneski includes a number of scenes set on the island.

“The Prisoner’s Gold”, which was released last month in the US, is the third in The Hunters’ series which has enthralled millions of readers.

A movie based on the first book in the series, called “The Hunters”, is soon to be shot in Eastern Europe.

Chris Kuzneski was in Malta in June with another two American writers, Graham Brown and Boyd Morrison, both of whom are also expected to include scenes set in Malta in their next publications.

They were brought here by the Malta Tourism Authority and spent a week exploring historic sites and buildings with the aim of inspiring their writings.

Kuzneski has mentioned Malta in most of his novels ever since a Maltese fan made contact with him after reading his bestseller “Sign of the Cross”. Intrigued as to how his book ended up on a small island where he had no publisher, Kuzneski mentioned Malta in all of the books he has written since. He was then contacted by the MTA and brought over to visit the country.

Kuzneski’s latest book, “The Prisoner’s Gold”, has also led readers to believe that more on Malta is set to come in his next novel, given that its ending leaves so many doors open on how the story will develop.

But there will be no spoilers here.

Asked for a comment on “The Prisoner’s Gold” and the Malta connection, Kuzneski said, “I truly fell in love with Malta when I visited this past summer, and it was an honor to include Malta in The Prisoner’s Gold. Truth be told, I can’t wait to visit Malta again, both in person and the fictional universe that I have created in my novels.”