Treasure Heart

A novella mystery with a quick pace and quick solution, one Sherlock Holmes would be proud of!

Jake Thompson has a dog, a metal detector, and a passion for shiny things. He’s a handyman, and a pretty decent guy, but that didn’t stop his wife from dumping him for another man and leaving him wondering what the heck just happened. When he finds a key while walking his faithful dog Daisy, the dormant sleuth inside Jake awakes.  A small town American whodunit, forty-years buried, is about to be unearthed along with a gentle romance. 

There are a lot of details packed into this novella, which is not an easy task for any writer. This romance is written from a first person male point of view - although not unheard of it is unusual and quite refreshing.  As in many novellas, the pace was a little too flurried, and the answers found a little too quickly. The relationship between Jake and Janet flared quickly, from hello to “I think I love this gal.” Readers can accept this, but the concentration was centered on the mystery rather than the love story. The dialogue needs a little smoothing out in places, but Clanci’s strength is the vivid environment he sets up and his ability to complete a back story with very few words. An easy read on the eyes, you might say!  The story of a forty-year-old bank robbery, and a hidden room behind a brick wall in a heritage bus station will have readers plowing through to the end. 

Natasza Waters