The year was 1715—A Treasure Fleet comprised of eleven Spanish ships, and one French vessel was blown onto the reefs off of the east-central coast of Florida by a massive hurricane. Eleven of the twelve vessels were dis-masted, broken like kindling and sent to the seafloor in less than twenty feet of water. Fast-forward to 1973, Captain Henderson and his mate, Butch Dawson, while on a dreadful nighttime run to the reef, inadvertently locate some well-preserved ribs of a sixteenth century vessel off the coast of Cape Canaveral. Between those heavy wooden beams lay a kings fortune. The trouble for Henderson and Dawson began immediately and the treasure recovery had to wait—for forty-five more years. Leap ahead to current day, Josh Baker, Giselle O’Connor and Eddie Debord are rolling south in Eddies fully restored VW Bus. After repairing a small issue with an accelerator cable, they met a young man with a story—a story from 1973. A tale of treasure made credible by his possession of a single gold Spanish Escudo left for him by his grandfather. The action begins and never stops in this fast-paced land and sea treasure hunt adventure. The friends are relentlessly pursued by a couple of blundering criminals as well as the Casino controlling Florida Mafia, who want a piece of their action as well. Josh, Eddie and their new friends can seemingly never catch a break as they try to help locate and recover the lost cargo they have signed rights to excavate…but as always, it seems others don’t play by the rules!
“Once again, be careful wishing for big adventures…one may find you!”
"...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.