Romeo and Juliet meets Indiana Jones in this epic tale that combines the hunt for a dinosaur skeleton, bitter rivalries and a forbidden romance.

Somewhere in the Badlands, embedded deep in centuries-buried rock and sand, lies the skeleton of a massive dinosaur, larger than anything the late nineteenth-century world has ever seen. Some legends call it the Black Beauty, with its bones as black as ebony, but to seventeen-year-old Samuel Bolt, it’s the “rex,” the king dinosaur that could put him and his struggling, temperamental archaeologist father in the history books.

But Samuel and his father aren’t the only ones after the rex. For Rachel Cartland this find could be her ticket to a different life, one where her loves of science and adventure aren’t just relegated to books and sitting rooms. And if she can’t prove herself on this expedition with her professor father, the only adventures she may have to look forward to are marriage or spinsterhood.

As their paths cross and the rivalry between their fathers becomes more intense, Samuel and Rachel are pushed closer together. Their flourishing romance is one that will never be allowed. And with both eyeing the same prize, it’s a romance that seems destined for failure. As their attraction deepens, danger looms on the other side of the hills, causing everyone’s secrets to come to light and forcing Samuel and Rachel to make a decision. Can they join forces to find their quarry, and with it a new life together, or will old enmities and prejudices keep them from both the rex and each other?

Praise for Every Hidden Thing

“In alternating first-person narratives, Rachel and Samuel tell the story of their growing romance against the backdrop of a fascinating period of scientific discovery and one of many grim moments in America’s history with American Indians…. Oppel’s descriptions of the digs and the brainy romance between his vivid, multifaceted protagonists are notable high points.”
– Booklist

“In the great era of dinosaur-hunting, two teenagers accompany their paleontologist fathers in a race to discover the biggest of them all: the rex. A spirit of adventure permeates this fast-paced novel by the award-winning Oppel…. Rich in period details and dialogue, the story shifts between Rachel's and Sam's alternating first-person voices. Rachel's narrative reveals that she's one of the few white characters with enough conscience to reflect on the savagery of the explorers' treatment of the local Pawnee and Lakota Sioux. Suspense, romance, and the excitement of discovery make this Western thoroughly enjoyable.”
– Kirkus Reviews