Neptune's Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire by Julian Sancton (2026)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Who doesn't love a thrilling treasure hunt? I'm certainly no exception. And while I was ever-so-slightly skeptical this would turn out to have one of those mildly disappointing "the journey is worth more than the treasure" conclusions, I found myself very pleased to be wrong! I was thoroughly entertained with this nonfiction; Julian Sancton's writing was so compelling that I often forgot this was a true story. If you're looking for a thrilling quest for 300-year-old lost treasure, this is your next nonfiction find.

Overview:

In 1708, a Spanish Galleon, bound for home and laden with treasure from the New World, was attacked by British ships and sent to the bottom of the ocean. Worth over a billion dollars today, no one could locate the San José's final resting spot until a Cuban-American named Roger Dooley made an accidental connection in a Spanish archive that set off a heart-pounding hunt and the discovery of a lifetime.

[Mild Spoilers Noted Below]

The book is split into several parts that detail the history of the ship, Roger Dooley, and the numerous attempts to find the sunken Galleon. Sancton begins the book by taking you on a journey to the past, recounting the perilous last days of the San José. What I loved most about this section was that it didn't read like a dry history book. Sancton added in historically recorded descriptions and character traits of the individuals aboard. I felt like I was there too, weighing the possible routes to Spain, apprehensive about a British ambush up ahead. It was excellent, historically accurate storytelling.

Once you experience the Galleon's final days, the author moves to introduce the curious life of Roger Dooley, the self-taught maritime archeologist whom the story follows. From his unusual upbringing, to the events that rendered him trapped in Fidel Castro's Cuba in the 1960's, to his relentless obsession with finding the San José, Roger Dooley is a colorful figure to follow on his quest. I was genuinely fascinated by the peculiar events of his life that eventually created a perfect opportunity to set forth on a real treasure hunt.

I also thought the author did his best to paint the portrait of Roger Dooley dutifully. There were some who said Dooley was an amateur at best, an unethical archaeologist at worst. But when you, as the reader, understand his history, you understand why Dooley made the decisions or choices he did throughout life, and it's pretty hard to fault him. To me, it's clear that Sancton had to wade through some controversy, do extensive research, and decide who Dooley was for himself before he could tell his story. I'd say Sancton did that faithfully and with careful intention.

My only mild criticism for the book was a short portion in the middle that slowed down quite a bit. The momentum we got in the beginning was swept away by a section detailing the lives of the most notable "Big Five" treasure hunters and their questionable legacies. It was a lot of information that didn't necessarily relate to the search for the San José. I didn't feel like these chapters added to the story in a meaningful way, especially since their methods and histories often contradicted the way Dooley wanted to be seen as a serious archaeologist.

[Spoiler] The book picks up the search again in the 1980's with a company unrelated to Dooley's search claimed to have found the treasure. This history was helpful context for the missing piece of information Dooley discovers that ultimately leads to the San José, but it took a while to get through that section as well. Still, the descriptive characterization Sancton uses to help the reader get to know these individuals continued to shine with this new, albeit misinformed, crew.

[Spoiler] The payoff in the end of the book is true and we are elated with Roger Dooley when he finally discovers the undeniable wreck of the San José after it lay hidden for over 300 years. After witnessing the decades he spent searching, marveling at his persistence, and commending his dogged resilience, reading about what this discovery meant to Roger Dooley was a treasure in itself. It truly was his life's work and it paid off. As a reader, I was very satisfied to have felt part of that moment.

[Spoiler] In the end, you're left with the present-day quest: a complicated slog of government bureaucracy over who actually owns the treasure and who all gets a cut. And while it didn't end with the ship being fully resurrected from the depths, spilling gold, gems, and lost pieces of eight, it did end with the satisfaction that Dooley's life's work was realized-- the ship is real, along with its treasure, and after 300 years, it has finally been found. It was realistic and satisfying, ending on a note of hope that the red tape will eventually be cut and the world will be able to study the San José's lost secrets that Roger Dooley never stopped believing in.

Overall, this was a really compelling nonfiction. As someone who doesn't always gravitate to reading nonfiction in my free time, I'd say this was remarkably well done and would definitely recommend. It kept my attention, had very colorful, real-life characters, and most importantly with a treasure-seeking book— it ended with the discovery and fulfillment we'd been reading for all along.