Likely Stories - The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan

The Treasure Hunter’s Club by Tom Ryan is told through 3 very different character perspectives and points of view, and my only light complaint is that I had a hard time keeping the MANY characters and their offspring straight. But it was a layered read with lots of surprises along the way.

Years ago, a group of 5 boys playing in the woods discovered what they believed to be pirate treasure off the coast of their homes in beautiful Maple Bay, Nova Scotia.

Through a series of dramatic events (including subterfuge, manipulation, and death), the treasure was lost to the ages. Years later, Peter Barnett is 40, in a dead-end job and sort of a loser, until he receives a mysterious letter from his long-lost grandmother, letting him know that he has a home to inherit on Maple Bay.

Cass Jones is a writer who receives an offer for a year-long house sitting job on Maple Bay and decides to make the story of hidden treasure and intrigue the focus of her new book.

Danielle Feltzen, aged 14, is reeling from the loss of her grandfather. She is intrepid and dogged, and once she discovers that he left her clues about the treasure, she makes it her mission to honor his legacy and find it.

All three of these people are on a collision course with each other (though they don’t yet know it) and are carrying
many deep secrets from the past. Because when a life-changing amount of money is involved, or when life-changing secrets are threatened to be revealed, it doesn’t bring out people’s best sides.

I enjoyed all the storylines in this book, especially once they coalesced together. The original 5 boys grew up to have children and grandchildren who are present-day characters in the book, and sometimes those were a bit hard to keep straight—who belonged to whom and who was double-crossed by whom, etc. Still, it was intriguing and with enough surprises to keep me guessing until the end.

The Treasure Hunter’s Club is solid recommendation for anyone who loves a hunt.

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