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Rebecca Westin is shocked to learn the grandfather she never
knew has left her a bona fide buried treasure – but only if she can decipher a complex
series of clues leading to it. The hunt would be challenging enough without
interference from her half-siblings, who are determined to find the treasure
first and keep it for themselves. Good thing Rebecca has recruited some help,
in the form of a green-eyed charmer determined to show her that a desert
adventure can be sexy and fun. But there’s a treacherous wildcard in the mix, a
man willing to do anything to get that treasure – and revenge. In a frantic
race across New Mexico, Rebecca will have to ignore caution in a defiant bid
for victory. If she fails, she could lose everything.
Action and romance combine in this lively Southwestern
adventure, complete with riddles the reader is invited to solve to identify
historical and cultural sites around New Mexico. See the DMT page of
Kris Bock’s website for a printable list of the clues and recipes from the
book.
The first book in the Southwest Treasure Hunters series is The Mad Monk’s Treasure. The Dead Man’s Treasure is book 2. Each novel stands alone and
is complete, with no cliffhangers. This series mixes action and adventure with
“closed door” romance. The stories explore the Southwest, especially New
Mexico.
Excerpt:
Rebecca’s
hand shook as she reached for the box. It was a metal candy tin for peppermint
bark.
Maybe Grandpa had a sweet tooth? Or was this some random trash left by a
tourist too lazy to bring it back to his car? She straightened and gazed down
at the box. It had to hold the next clue. It would be too much of a coincidence
– and too heartbreaking – if it were anything else.
She
glanced at Sam and he nodded in encouragement, drawing close to her side. She
swung open the lid. Several folded pieces of paper lay inside. A strip of
masking tape on the inside lid had words in marker: “Take one and leave the
others unless you are the last.”
Rebecca
pulled out the top piece of paper and unfolded it.
Are
they witches in disguise
Or
prophets of the future?
The
men who came here didn’t know.
They
had destruction on their minds.
And
they changed the world.
They
ate of the flesh among bombers and bullets.
And so
should you!
Then
past the dead soldiers you’ll find a dead end.
One is
the loneliest number
Walled
off from its fellows.
Pay
your respects and do not forget.
Another
baffling poem. Rebecca wrinkled her nose. “This one’s kind of gruesome.”
“No
kidding. What about the other papers?”
Rebecca
crouched by a handy rock – not one with petroglyphs – and used it as a table.
She pulled out the papers one by one and skimmed them. “They all seem to be the
same.”
“We’d
better double check to be sure. You read one and I’ll follow along on another.”
They checked the five pieces of paper that way; all were identical.
“One
for each of the grandchildren, I suppose. In case we weren’t working together.”
Rebecca examined the box itself before returning four pieces of paper to it.
Sophia would not be collecting her copy, but Rebecca couldn’t see any point in
taking it, and the note said, “Take one.” Rebecca closed the box and stood.
For a
moment, the world spun. She took a quick breath.
Sam’s
arm came around her. “Okay?”
Two
more deep breaths and she could answer. “Fine now, thanks. Just a little
lightheaded.” She was tempted to lean into him, to relax against his shoulder.
She resisted the urge. “I know, I know, drink water. Let me put this back.”
She
returned the box to its hiding place, picked up the bottle she’d set down while
looking at the clue, and finished the water. Sam hovered closely, as if to
support her if she needed help. She couldn’t quite decide if she wished she
needed help or was glad she didn’t. She wouldn’t fake helplessness, though, and
the weakness had passed.
She
gave Sam a bright smile. “All better now. I just stood up too fast.”
He
studied her intently. She hadn’t realized how green his eyes were, or how the
tiny laugh lines around them made him both sexy and approachable. Her heart
thudded in her chest. You keep looking at
me like that, and I won’t be fine.
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