Lost Treasure: Clay Cantrell Mystery Adventure #1

Clay Cantrell and his partner Mac Harper are restoring a 200-year-old mansion when they uncover a dusty old journal, a Confederate captain's diary that points the way to a horde of Confederate gold coins locked in three strongboxes. Coins that today will be worth millions, if the horde can be found. The son of well-to-do parents, Clay Cantrell is not your ordinary contractor. An ex-Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has settled back into everyday civilian life in his hometown of Staunton, Virginia. He restores old houses there for a living, but can't quite shake a nagging itch for adventure. So the chance to go on a treasure hunt is a stroke of luck tailormade for Clay. The adventure takes an ominous turn though, when Clay finds himself accused of murder, before he, Mac, and a third friend start out on their treasure hunt. Lost Treasure alternates between this modern-day treasure hunt-murder mystery and flashbacks to the Confederate captain's story. The captain commands a secret Confederate supply depot, hidden deep inside a cavern in the wilds of Virginia's Allegheny Mountains. That's where the Confederates put the treasure for safekeeping in the last months of the Civil War, and where the fate of the captain's command was sealed. What really happened in that cavern 150 years ago? Who is trying to frame Clay for a murder he didn't commit? Will Clay and company find the treasure? Lost Treasure is a fast-paced, tightly plotted mystery adventure that will keep you guessing to the very end. It's the first in a planned series of Clay Cantrell mystery adventure novels by Bruce Wetterau, who is currently at work on the second book in the series, Killer Fog. Visit his website at www.brucewetterau.com, for free postings of Chapter One of Lost Treasure, and The Illustrated Civil War Chronology & Travel Planner. Reader reviews of Lost Treasure: "I found myself eagerly turning the pages, as though I had found the captain's diary myself. Lost Treasure is found gold." --Rob Mason, software engineer "On a scale of 1 to 10, Lost Treasure is a 10. The book has it all--mystery, adventure, history with a strong sense of our heritage, and even a soft touch of romance. It pulled me in, kept me turning pages and wanting more. I'm looking forward to Clay Cantrell's next adventure." --Tim Fulk, CW3, Army medivac helicopter pilot "Lost Treasure makes you feel like you are right there with Clay and his two friends. The tight plot whisks you through a maze of twists and turns, saving the biggest surprise for last. Lost Treasure is a must read." --Warner Granade, library circulation manager