The Treasure Hunters Club

When I was young I loved maps. (And I still do). I would trace the lines on the map, marking the final destination. I kept also kept copious lists of places that my family's station wagon drove through. And yes, I dreamed about finding a map to a treasure chest. I'm still looking - and I've found a treasure in Tom Ryan's new book - The Treasure Hunters Club.

There is so much to love in this book. I loved the setting by the sea, and the town of Maple Bay. The legend of the pirate's booty draws in quite a few tourists. As well as a number of permanent residents.

Ryan tells this wonderful tale with three main characters - Peter, Cass and Dandy (she's my favorite!). Each of the three have their own voice. There's a wealth of supporting show more players from the present and the past.

Who's telling the truth? Who are lying? Is the legend of the pirate plunder true?

Ryan kept me on my toes the entire way to the final ah hah! There's a twist that is epic! Things did not turn out as I had thought they would. And I adore being wrong!

Get comfy in your favourite reading spot - you're not going want this one down. Bravo Tom Ryan! show less

When you were a kid, were you captivated by tales of missing treasure and secret pirate hoards?

The Treasure Hunters Club was written for that kid in all of us that used to pore over those tales. The town of Maple Bay is known for the legend of the hidden pirate treasure that came ashore hundreds of years ago. We go back and forth in time between a group of five childhood friends and their present day grandchildren, along with several new arrivals in town. We see the effect this treasure and its legend has had throughout generations of their families. And when several people close to the mystery start turning up dead, new questions arise. What really happened so many years ago between those five young boys, and where is the hidden show more treasure?

This book was wonderful. I thought I knew what the twist was going to be and who the bad guy was, and I was so wrong. It was entirely unexpected and surprising and I loved it. I felt the narrative weaving back and forth between the past and the present, and the multiple POVs, was done seamlessly and flowed well. I was invested in the characters, and the fast paced mystery made it feel like you were on an actual treasure hunt with them. I thought it was a wonderful setting, well written mystery, and an engaging plot.

Despite the multiple murders this doesn't feel like a heavy book. It's light and fun and feels like a perfect book to curl up with on a rainy weekend, imagining yourself as a child running wild on the beach, searching for treasure washed ashore from a sunken wreck.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! show less

Book Review: The Treasure Hunters Club
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Tom Ryan @tomryanauthor
Publisher: @groveatlantic @simonandschuster
A Big Thank You to @netgalley for the ARC and @groveatlantic for my gifted copy.

A great action mystery set in Nova Scotia. Dandy Felton attends the Maple Bay historical Society as it was one of her grannie’s last wished. This society is supposed to be solving the mystery of the legendary Obelisk Treasure. This truer was apparently was lost in the 13th century and buried by pirates. The Society Five are all descendants of the original club members. The most enthusiastic current member is Maribel who recently has discovered her late father’sHenry’s diary. Mirabel has also recently connected with show more Peter, her grandson who comes back to Maple Bay. He also ends up finding his grandmother at the bottom of the staircase. Cass is another character a failed writer wanting to start over. She finds herself with the opportunity to housesit for a year in Maple Bay. She jumps at this chance and wonders what may come of it? She wants to write a second novel that will be successful. She meets Mirabel and Bill Jinx all are a bit unfriendly, but she does meet others who are much more friendly. She learns about the towns mystery and decides to write her book about it. Peter, Cass and Dandy find themselves fascinated with the Obelisk Mystery. As they start to investigate this mystery another member of the community dies. Dandy is not convinced that Mirabel‘s death was an accident. She wonders if these two mysterious deaths are connected. Will the three of them be able to work together to solve the mystery or get each in each other‘s way. Will the body count go up before it is solved? What a tale of greed, betrayal and guilt, rumors and blackmail. There are so many secrets being kept in this town. The was a great mystery and the pot twist at the end was magnificent. This is just kind of the book that reminds me how much I do love a good mystery! show less

Maple Bay, Nova Scotia, has long attracted visitors, for its beautiful seaside setting, of course, but also because a well-documented pirate ship was engaged in battle there and a chest of pirate treasure is known to have been taken onshore and buried. Some townspeople still ponder ways to find it, along with newcomers. Peter, the longlost grandson of the elderly town matriarch, has arrived at the invitation of his grandmother, who hopes to heal the family rift before she dies; failed writer Cass is given a reprieve by a family friend who invites her to house-sit while the homeowners are on a year-long travel adventure. How they meet up with townspeople, and how they learn of the treasure are only a few events that lead to dangers they show more could never foresee…. As far as I can tell, this is a stand-alone mystery, and quite a treasure it is! Beautiful setting, generations-old secrets, murders and an old pirate treasure - what more could one want? Well, how about a few super-twisty twists in the plot, that this reader at least never saw coming! The writing is fine, the characters are well-drawn and interesting, and the inter-generational nature of the tale are all reasons to pick this up (but the biggest twist is probably the best reason). Recommended! show less

I loved the premise of this mystery/adventure, but ultimately not the execution. Dandy and Grandy were great characters but Cass and Peter and Bree never really felt fully fleshed. I was frustrated by the narrative shifts, especially when Peter acquired knowledge he didn't share with the reader. Though Peter's actions ultimately made sense with the story, I had already lost all sympathy with him as a character before that became clear. The big twist was a surprise to me but also one that felt like a bit of a cop out; I wanted a much more satisfying ending.

I've been looking forward to reading this Canadian mystery ("The Treasure Hunters Club" by Tom Ryan) for months! I read it over the course of a the Civic Holiday weekend in a lakeside town. The story involves a lost pirate treasure in a fictional seaside town in Nova Scotia and how it effects many people and several generations. The small town characters - the rich old woman, the doctor, the librarian, the bookstore owner, the baker etc - are fun. It reminded me of the best aspects of an Agatha Christie novel but set in 2020s Canada. I loved the use of mysterious letters, maps, journals and notebooks to tell the tale. It was awesome to see Canadian places featured including Vancouver.

** Spoiler Warning! ***

The ending disappointed me show more because like a let down. The treasure is finally re-discovered and then it is essentially thrown away into the sea again. That was sad to see after the hunt for the treasure had impacted so many people. I kept imagining ways that the various characters would use the fortune. Perhaps the 'lesson' of the story comes down to 'journey before destination' - that the act of searching for the treasure is more valuable than riches. Still, it felt like the story was building, building and building to the conclusion of SOMEBODY getting the treasure and putting it to good use. show less

The Treasure Hunters Club - Ryan
3 stars

There was much to like in this story. It had a good, twisty plot with lots of red herrings and ‘gotcha!’ surprises. I enjoyed the small town Nova Scotia setting. I liked the way current day murders tied into the series of cold case murders. The protagonists were likeable with mostly believable backstories.

My only problem with the book is that it reads like a fleshed out script for a TV drama. Given the publisher’s description “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone meets The Goonies in The Treasure Hunters Club—a rollicking murder mystery set in a seaside town filled with pirate lore, family secrets, unforgiveable grudges, secret societies, and of course, a treasure lost to time.” show more I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that were true. It would probably adapt really well to the small screen. But, in that case, I hope someone will rewrite some of the cringe-worthy dialog. show less