Buried Secrets

The Somers & Colliers have been feuding for over half a century. So when Maggie Somers finds Zach Collier in her dead grandfather's home, the entire house torn apart--even down to the food in the kitchen cabinets--Maggie shows no mercy, tying Zach to a chair and holding him at rifle-point until the Sheriff arrests him. Zach is released a few hours later, however, when his alibi checks out. Zach returns to the ranch to not only convince Maggie he had nothing to do with the break-in, but also to warn her--Zach's grandfather also died a few weeks before, and his room at the nursing home was also destroyed. Zach cannot bring himself to believe their grandfathers' deaths were coincidence. Someone wants something. And if they haven't found it yet, Zach is afraid he and Maggie will be next. Maggie knew both their grandfathers were friends before the feud, but her grandfather would never speak of it. Maggie knows very little about the diary her grandfather kept hidden. Written in both Latin and Spanish, and containing some kind of hidden code, the diary is nearly useless without the map that Zach's grandfather stole from hers. Does Zach have the map? How far will the thieves go to find the diary? Why would anyone want them after all these years? After Maggie is attacked in her home, she realizes this is more than she can handle on her own. Not completely trusting Zach, Maggie chooses to work with him anyway, if nothing else, for the safety he can provide to her. But can he indeed keep her--or himself--safe? Maggie & Zach fight death, phobias, and love, while trying to solve the codes and stay one step ahead of the violent men who are after them. Who are these men? How do they always seem to know what Maggie & Zach's next move(s) will be? Why do they want the map & diary so badly? And will Maggie and Zach be able to put the feud--and past-- behind them once and for all? "Buried Secrets" is an Indiana Jones-type adventure, but taylor-made for the Christian woman. Margaret Daley does a fantastic job weaving faith into the story line without making it the primary focus, or drawing away from the characters. I did not realize this was book two in a series--it is easily a stand-alone story. You will not be disappointed.

Maggie Somers returns from her grandfather's funeral to find a stranger parked in front of his house. She grabs a rifle from his pickup and sets out to corner the intruder. The interior has been torn apart and Zach Collier, a member of the despised Collier family is standing in the middle of the wreckage. He protests that he's innocent, but she calls the sheriff. When he's released, Zach drives right back to the ranch, but Maggie doesn't want to hear what he has to say. He finally convinces her that his grandfather's room at the rehabilitation center was searched too, after his death. Someone wants something and Zach and Maggie had better find it first. Full of surprises and a twisted, complicate dplot that keeps the reader wondering what will happen next.

Looking for an underground adventure? In this case it does not involve the French underground or the underground railroad of anti-Slavery fame, but rather deals with spelunking. That is the fancy term for cave exploration. If you suffer from claustrophobia, a journey into the darnkess of a closed space and beneath the ground is probably not on your list of ten most desirable vacations. Even reading about squeezing through tight spaces may be enough to dissuade you from a book like this. Unfortunately I am one of those people-but I gutted my way through the cave adventures, much like the heroine had to do. It was worth the trip. This story is not a heavy hitter as far as making an indelible mark on your life. It is good, wholesome entertainment, featuring a nice love story woven around the intrigue and a classic bad-guy versus good-guy conflict. It's a quick, easy read with lots of bang for the buck.