Set in rural Appalachia, “River Rocks” is a riveting coming of age tale of two boys, and a one-hundred-year-old local legend of Confederate gold buried somewhere in the hills that surround their home.
The buried gold resulted from a 1903 train robbery, which liberated the U.S. government of their prized ‘Southern Jewel’, 162 pounds of Confederate gold discovered in the siege of Vicksburg. The old legend takes on a fresh life as Josh Baker and Eddie Debord discover the decades old, illusive clue that leads them on the adventure of a lifetime! In their quest, the boys find themselves drifting downriver on a friend’s homemade raft, biking old railroad beds in search of information, hiking hills full of deadly predators, exploring hidden and forbidden hollows, and desperately trying to locate key old-timers who may or may not help them put this puzzle together.
Add to the mix a fog-shrouded river island, a giant of a mountain man, a knowledgeable but mysterious retired investigative reporter, and town leaders who make it very difficult to discern which side of the law they want to stand, and you have the ingredients of story you cannot lay down!
Suspense ramps up as the story progresses and it becomes a race to the finish to see who can track down the long-forgotten Southern Jewel.
"...and I read most of this book holding my breath..."
"...Steve's books are like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn meet the Hardy Boys...in West Virginia..."
Steve Kittner
Author
Steve Kittner was born and raised in Elkview, West Virginia and spent his youth in the hills and along the muddy banks of the Elk River; fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, biking and playing ball, as kids of his generation did. Upon graduation from Herbert Hoover (1980),Steve worked in the oilfield, and then found himself in the airline industry for the next twenty-one years in four different cities. In 2007 Steve moved south and now, co-owns a small business with his wife, Valentina.
Of course, Steve also works as apart-time author. Writing is a hobby that he has enjoyed most of his life, having written a few stories as a young boy, one of which was displayed in the old Sunrise Museum in Charleston. His roots are deeply planted along the Elk River in his beloved West Virginia and his novels come straight from the heart as well as from some of the experiences and adventures he had as a boy. He pours a lot of himself into every story.
These days, Steve resides in Central Florida with his wife and children…and is still up for a good adventure every now and then.