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The past is never dead. It's not even past. —William Faulkner |
"I have no more to give thee"
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So reads the poignant inscription on
a gold ring from the Girona, a Spanish warship wrecked in a storm on the coast of
Northern Ireland in October 1588. In 1967, divers find the Girona's
remains and recover its treasures As our story begins five years later, it
seems these relics still have the power to inspire the best and worst of human
endeavor.
He’s
looking for an ill-fated relative.
An ill fate is looking for him. July 4, 1972. A restless young Californian arrives in western Ireland to search for a long-lost relative and ponder his uncertain future. He soon intervenes in a peculiar robbery of a jewelry store, and is invited to stay with the shopkeeper and her niece. His persistent inquiries with the local Garda sergeant lead to investigations of two possible conspiracies involving ancient Spanish treasure and arms smuggling—with dangerous consequences. When his findings begin to threaten powerful interests, the conspirators mark him for elimination. Meanwhile, the niece helps him look for the lost relative, and they find more than either had imagined. As his time in Ireland runs short, frustration builds: their budding attraction, the family search, the criminal investigations—all seem to be going nowhere. Then everything changes . . . The plot unfolds against a background of Ireland’s Troubles and the Vietnam War. At its heart, the novel is a love story in which echoes of history transform lives through unexpected means. |
The novel begins . . .
Tuesday, July 4, 1972
The first four months at home tested him in ways he hadn’t expected. On restless nights he longed to quiet his mind and purge his dreams of all the what-if questions, the endless scenarios, and unwelcome images. Often the dreams included that old woman in black, usually hovering somewhere in the background. It must mean that she demanded something more of him. But what? At least his body was recovering well—no complaints there. Family and friends helped with their cheery prescriptions of rest, diet, exercise, and other diversions. He was grateful, of course, knowing they only wanted the best for him. But as he gained strength, he felt ever more restless, hemmed in, futile. The time came when he needed to distance himself from all of their good intentions. In mid-June he decided on Ireland, certain that his grandmother would support it and the others would sympathize with her. Granted, the trip was not for her benefit alone. He hoped that this journey to their Irish past might bring new perspective and a sense of purpose. He did not imagine that it might also bring the prospect of an untimely death . . .
The Kindle and paperback versions of FINDINGS are now available at AMAZON.COM.
The Kindle and paperback versions of FINDINGS are now available at AMAZON.COM.
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Try Chapter 1 of FINDINGS
(Download PDF file here) 
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