Status
Available
Series
Collection
Publication
Berkley (2011), 304 pages
Description
Long before he became curator of the Duck Historical Museum, Max Caudle contributed its greatest treasure - a wooden chest full of gold he found washed up on shore. Pirates and booty have long been part of the local folklore, but history is made when someone fires a cannonball into the museum, killing Max before looting the gold. Injured in the explosion, Mayor Dae O'Donnell finds her gift for finding lost things has been amplified. Will it lead her to the killer?
User reviews
LibraryThing member cathyskye
First Line: "On a dark night in 1812, the schooner Patriot vanished with all hands onboard, never to be seen again."
Before he ever became the curator of the Duck Historical Museum, Max Caudle had discovered the museum's greatest treasure-- a wooden chest filled with gold coins. But it seems that
Before her ears have a chance to stop ringing, Dae finds out that her ability to touch an object and learn its history has been greatly amplified. Excruciatingly amplified: Dae starts wearing gloves and avoids touching anything. Fortunately she can blame the gloves on her injuries so people don't ask too many questions. But she has questions of her own, and with the help of ex-FBI agent Kevin Brickman, she hopes to learn how to use and decipher her visions in order to catch a killer before someone else dies.
As in the first book in the series, A Timely Vision, two of the characters annoyed me-- Dae's half-baked medium friend, Shayla, and Tim, the man who refuses to believe that he and Dae won't be getting married in the near future. Fortunately they didn't make many appearances in this book.
I did enjoy the twists and turns of the plot and getting to know the people of small town Duck, North Carolina better. A very interesting subplot involved an historical figure, Theodosia Burr (daughter of Aaron Burr), whom I'd read about in the past. Bringing in bits of local history like this adds a great deal of depth to the setting and the characters.
Dae has survived trial by cannonball. I'm eagerly awaiting what's in store for her next.
Before he ever became the curator of the Duck Historical Museum, Max Caudle had discovered the museum's greatest treasure-- a wooden chest filled with gold coins. But it seems that
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someone wants that gold, and when a cannonball is fired into the building, Max is killed, Mayor Dae O'Donnell is injured-- and the gold disappears.Before her ears have a chance to stop ringing, Dae finds out that her ability to touch an object and learn its history has been greatly amplified. Excruciatingly amplified: Dae starts wearing gloves and avoids touching anything. Fortunately she can blame the gloves on her injuries so people don't ask too many questions. But she has questions of her own, and with the help of ex-FBI agent Kevin Brickman, she hopes to learn how to use and decipher her visions in order to catch a killer before someone else dies.
As in the first book in the series, A Timely Vision, two of the characters annoyed me-- Dae's half-baked medium friend, Shayla, and Tim, the man who refuses to believe that he and Dae won't be getting married in the near future. Fortunately they didn't make many appearances in this book.
I did enjoy the twists and turns of the plot and getting to know the people of small town Duck, North Carolina better. A very interesting subplot involved an historical figure, Theodosia Burr (daughter of Aaron Burr), whom I'd read about in the past. Bringing in bits of local history like this adds a great deal of depth to the setting and the characters.
Dae has survived trial by cannonball. I'm eagerly awaiting what's in store for her next.
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LibraryThing member debbieaheaton
In the Lavene’s paranormal mystery novel, the curator of the Duck Historical Museum, Max Caudle is killed in an explosion that destroys the museum and all of its treasures. Injured in the explosion, Dae finds her abilities have morphed to now include the ability to pick up historical facts from
A charming amateur sleuth, a puzzle to unravel, all accomplished in fast-paced action.
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objects as well as finding lost items. With some help from her ex-FBI agent beau, Kevin Brickman, she begins to adjust to this new talent and decipher the visions she now experiences. Determined to find the answers to this recent Duck tragedy, she embarks on a quest for answers only to find more than even she could imagine.A charming amateur sleuth, a puzzle to unravel, all accomplished in fast-paced action.
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LibraryThing member yoder
A very good follow up story to A Timely Vision. Dae O'Donnell is mayor of the small coastal community of Duck, NC. the community has a rich history of pirates, but then maybe it is mostly lore. Max Caudle claims to have found a chest filled with pirate's gold along the shore years ago. As Dae is
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returning to the Duck Historical Museum, run by Max, an explosion levels the the building injuring Dae. Dae has the ability to find missing pieces by touching the hands of the owner. The expolsion maginifies these abilites, so that know she gets much broader readings. Along with Kevin Brickman owner of the Blue Whale Inn and former FBI agent, they put there heads together to solve the mystery and find the killer. When they had their heads together, there may have been a few kisses, but that might be more for the next book. Show Less
LibraryThing member murderbydeath
Aside from the fact that the story specifically states in the first couple of chapters that it's a sunny February and talks about early tourists coming round, and then suddenly talks about it being Autumn with the last of the tourists leaving, making it obvious someone wasn't editing carefully
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enough, this was a really good story. I enjoyed it thoroughly once I stopped being confused about what time of year it was taking place in. :) Show Less
LibraryThing member pussreboots
A Touch of Gold by Joyce and Jim Lavene is the second of the Missing Pieces mystery series. It literally opens with a bang, in the form on an explosion at the island town's maritime history museum.
The curator of the museum, Max Caudle, had years earlier found a treasure chest of gold coins. Now
Though injured in the explosion, Mayor Dae knows she has to piece together the history of these coins to figure out who would go to such extremes as to destroy a museum and kill its curator.
If the previous book was quaint in its history of Duck and its people and ties to prohibition era crime, this one looks at some of the seedier elements of the area around Duck. There are numerous small islands and sandbars in Dowdy Bay. Dae's uncanny ability to find things, takes her to one such place, and into the hands of a group of people living off the grid and outside the bounds of society.
This book was more adventure than cozy mystery but still an enjoyable page turner. I am looking forward to reading the third in the series, A Spirited Gift.
The curator of the museum, Max Caudle, had years earlier found a treasure chest of gold coins. Now
Show More
someone has shot a cannon into the museum presumably to get his hands on them.Though injured in the explosion, Mayor Dae knows she has to piece together the history of these coins to figure out who would go to such extremes as to destroy a museum and kill its curator.
If the previous book was quaint in its history of Duck and its people and ties to prohibition era crime, this one looks at some of the seedier elements of the area around Duck. There are numerous small islands and sandbars in Dowdy Bay. Dae's uncanny ability to find things, takes her to one such place, and into the hands of a group of people living off the grid and outside the bounds of society.
This book was more adventure than cozy mystery but still an enjoyable page turner. I am looking forward to reading the third in the series, A Spirited Gift.
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LibraryThing member MystereityReviews
A little predictable, the "love triangle" was a little far-fetched and didn't add to the story. But the plot itself was interesting and the ending was satisfying. Hoping Dae doesn't turn into a sniveling pile of hormones, though.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2011-03-01
Physical description
304 p.; 4.18 inches
ISBN
042524024X / 9780425240243