Helen Wells' 'The Clue of the Gold Coin' is a captivating mystery novel that follows the adventures of Vicki Barr, a young flight attendant who finds herself entangled in a thrilling mystery surrounding a valuable gold coin. Written in a suspenseful and engaging style, Wells skillfully weaves together clues and plot twists that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Set in the mid-20th century, the book provides a glimpse into the world of aviation and the challenges faced by young women pursuing careers in this field. Wells' attention to detail and descriptive writing create a vivid and immersive reading experience. Through its intriguing storyline and well-developed characters, 'The Clue of the Gold Coin' is sure to appeal to fans of classic mystery novels and young adult fiction. Helen Wells' own background as a nurse and author of the popular Vicki Barr series adds depth and authenticity to the narrative, making this book a must-read for anyone seeking a thrilling and well-crafted mystery novel.

It's an action-packed heart-tug with a good sprinkle of humor as twelve-year old Gus whose struggle to cope with his older brother's death has left him fearful is drawn into hunting for pirate treasure with a feisty girl and a zany movie prop creator. But, on the Florida island where Gus is spending the summer, there's something even more valuable than gold—a wild panther cub. The National Wildlife Federation reports less than 100 Florida panthers remain living wild and free. Will Gus regain his courage in time to save the cub from poachers? And will Gus and his band of treasure hunters solve the mystery of the pirate's map he discovered to dig up Gasparilla's buried gold? There's a lot at stake and only a summer to make it happen.

One of the few American writers ever nominated for the National Book Award for both fiction and nonfiction presents the second novel in his Watson trilogy. Lucius Watson is obsessed with learning the truth about his father. Who was E. J. Watson? Was he a devoted family man, an inspired farmer, a man of progress and vision? Or was he a cold-blooded murderer and amoral opportunist? Were his neighbors driven to kill him out of fear? Or was it envy? And if Watson was a killer, should the neighbors fear the obsessed Lucius when he returns to live among them and ask questions? The characters in this tale are men and women molded by the harsh elements of the Florida Everglades—an isolated breed, descendants of renegades and pioneers, who have only their grit, instinct, and tradition to wield against the obliterating forces of twentieth-century progress: Speck Daniels, moonshiner and alligator poacher turned gunrunner; Sally Brown, who struggles to escape the racism and shame of her local family; R. B. Collins, known as Chicken, crippled by drink and rage, who is the custodian of Watson secrets: Watson Dyer, the unacknowledged namesake with designs on the remote Watson homestead hidden in the wild rivers; and Henry Short, a black man and unwilling member of the group of armed island men who awaited E. J. Watson in the silent twilight. Only a storyteller of Peter Matthiessen’s dazzling artistry could capture the beauty and strangeness of life on this lawless frontier while probing deeply into its underlying tragedy: the brutal destruction of the land in the name of progress, and the racism that infects the heart of New World history. A story of epic scope and ambition, Lost Man’s River confronts the primal relationship between a dangerous father and his desperate sons and the ways in which his death has shaped their lives.

A timeless collection of pirate stories from Florida originally written in the late 1950s, this book includes stories of well-known and lesser known pirates and buccaneers and the treasure they left behind. From the tale of Gasparilla, the Pirate of Boca Grande, to the tale of the capture of the Mary Anders, these swashbuckling tales of thrilling adventure on the high seas and treasure hunts on land are a delightful part of the history of the Sunshine State.

The twenty-four tales in this book are of the most famous lost treasures in America, from a two-foot statue reportedly made entirely of silver (the “Madonna”) and a cache of gold, silver, and jewelry that was rumored to also contain the first Bible in America to seventeen tons of gold—its value equal to the treasury of a mid-sized nation—buried somewhere in northwestern New Mexico. What makes these tales even more compelling is that none of these known-to-be-lost treasures have been discovered, although modern detecting technology has made them eminently discoverable.