The Seafarer’s Secret
by Carol Ann Collins
The Seafarer’s Secret
Cozy Mystery
Setting – North Carolina
Publisher : Beaufort Books (March 26, 2024)
Paperback : 310 pages
ISBN-10 : 0825310288
ISBN-13 : 978-0825310287
Digital ASIN : B0BZBCSG86
Secrets are revealed. Lies are exposed. And in order to have a future, William and Eva will have to delve into the past.
William Templeton, widower and police chief of Eden, North Carolina is working the scene of a local woman’s drowning when the body is found with an old gold coin in her pocket – identical to a coin that was discovered on Catherine’s body, his estranged wife, over a year ago. Catherine’s case, originally deemed a tragic accident, has been reopened, forcing William to step down as police chief.
Historian and Blackbeard expert, Eva Knightly, is brought into the investigation to help identify the coins and can’t understand why her good friend Catherine never mentioned anything about it. When more coins surface at a local church, Eva and William know it’s more than mere coincidence. With the entire town whispering about Blackbeard, cursed coins, and lost treasure, it becomes hard to separate what is true and what is a myth.
The Seafarer’s Secret is a thrilling cinematic mystery featuring the exigent slow-burning romance between William and Eva as they work together to reveal the secrets and lies of Eden, North Carolina. Though, in order to have a future, they’ll have to look deep into the past to keep from being a modern-day killer’s next victim.
Writing allows Carol Ann Collins to combine two of her favorite things, history and romance. Her work is a combination of historical fact, pure fiction, and a vivid imagination.
Though she is an introvert who had no problem staying inside during quarantine, she enjoys traveling with her husband and two adult children. In her spare time, she is an avid book collector and bargain shopper who loves to combine the two.
To date, her favorite find is an 1869 edition of Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain purchased for $10.
Author Links
Website: https://www.carolanncollins.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorcarolanncollins/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23031966.Carol_Ann_Collins
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Bookshop.org – Kobo
Read an Excerpt
It was early afternoon when Emerson finally pushed away from
the table and stood up. He stretched his arms over his head and
groaned. “Ugh. I’m much too old to sit in one place for that long.”
Eva bit her thumbnail and waited.
His expression was unreadable when he spoke. “You recall
the wreckage of the Spanish ship found off the coast of Florida?
It was about five years ago.”
Eva nodded. It had been a huge find for the historical commu-
nity. She’d devoured every paper and article she’d been able to get
her hands on pertaining to the wreckage.
“I was called to help with the identification of the coins found,”
Emerson said. “And there were numerous coins found.”
Eva remembered. She thought there was something else,
though, but couldn’t recall exactly what.
“What was able to be taken from the wreckage site were mostly
common coins of the early eighteenth century. Granted, there
were enough of them to be a small fortune, but it wasn’t those
common coins that the ship was known for. According to Spain,
there was an undisclosed number of rare gold coins on board
as well. They claimed as much in 1715 when the ship first went
down, and they were still claiming it three years ago when it was
reported there were no coins of that nature found in the remains
of the ship.”
That was what she’d forgotten. Spain had gone so far as to say
they didn’t believe the report stating the gold coins were missing.
“At the time, there was a lot of speculation. Had one of the
ship’s crew or passengers taken the gold and abandoned ship? Was
it buried below the wreckage in a spot we weren’t able to reach?”
Emerson’s eyes flashed in excitement. “Or was it possible the coins
weren’t on board when it wrecked?”
“Not on board?” Eva asked. She didn’t see how that was pos-
sible. From what she could tell, it was well known and accepted
that the gold had been on its way back to Spain.
“Not on board,” Emerson repeated. “Because someone else
had them.”
“What?” Eva asked. “Who else would have them?”
Emerson put his finger against his lips as if to hush her. “Stay
with me for a minute. What happens to metal when it’s in the
ocean for a long time?”
“It can become discolored or corroded,” she answered.
“Yes,” he said. “And I’ve been around a lot of coins that have
been in the ocean as well as those that haven’t been.” He pointed
to the coins, still on her workbench. “These have never spent
much time in water, much less salt water. They’ve been on land.”
“Okay,” Eva said slowly because she felt as if she was missing
something very simple.
“I told you all of that because there was one gold coin found
in the wreckage we never disclosed to the press.”
Eva’s mouth fell open.
“The management running the site felt it would be more
believable to say we hadn’t found any of the gold coins as opposed
to saying we only found one.” Emerson shrugged. “I didn’t agree,
but I was overruled. After thinking about it later, I realized what
might have happened to the rest of them.”
“What?” she asked.
“My guess is the coins weren’t on board when the Spanish ship
met its end. Maybe because a pirate had attacked the ship before
then and stole them. Maybe most of them.” He nodded toward
the workbench.
“Blackbeard was thought to be around that part of Florida in
1717,” Eva said. “What are the odds that two years later, he found
the coins there?”
“It’s certainly possible,” Emerson replied. “Where did the two
coins you have come from? You didn’t tell me.”
“The pastor at the local Methodist church says someone put
them in the collection plate.”
“That’s the craziest thing I’ve heard of.” Emerson’s forehead
wrinkled. “I need to call the police department. Is it okay if a
few of them come by here? I’d rather not transport the coins
unnecessarily.”
Eva nodded, unable to shake the feeling that the crazy had
only just started.
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