Review: A Ton of Gold

Once a promising young student, Crystal Moore is now struggling to leave her past behind and build a successful career. The problem is, not only her past in coming back to haunt her, but myths of decades past are stirring up trouble as well. In the midst of big projects at work, Crystal finds herself in the middle of a hunt for gold, complete with bullets and dangerous criminals. 

The first chapter is set back in the time, but the rest of the story is set in modern day. The first chapter serves a very important purpose. It sets up the mystery of the gold, the gold that throws Crystal's entire life into total chaos. The aspect of the gold was a great part of this book. I enjoyed the story behind the interest in the gold and the way it was researched. I also enjoyed the characters trying to figure out what was going on, the villains, and the action the search for the people behind the attacks on Crystal and her grandmother created. I stayed interested in the plot the whole time. 

Crystal works in information retrieval, and her work plays a huge role in the development of this story. Callan blends the technical side of this story with the fast paced adventure seamlessly. The pacing was well done throughout the whole book. There was a good balance of action and reflection. The fast paced scenes kept me interested and I was able to follow the action easily. The moments spent with Crystal as she contemplates her past and her future was equally interesting. I felt connected with her as a character and wanted to see her face her past and the current events making life a mess. 

All of the characters, even the side characters, were quite enjoyable. Callan took the time to develop an intricate story for each one. Crystal struggles with events in her past, and those events have changed who she is. Coming back from her problems is a major struggle for her and it affects her choices throughout the book. Mark, Crystals boss, was also a great character. He was a good addition to both the action scenes and the mystery. I was hoping for a little more of a romantic side to this book, because I'm a sucker for a good romance. There was potential for something more to develop, but Callan held off on making it a focus. I would have preferred the relationship had played a bigger part, but other readers may prefer to not have the action and mystery clouded. Overall, this was a very enjoyable book and I look forward to reading more from James Callan. 

Connect with James online at his website, blog, a book site. 

A Ton of Gold is available now from Amazon and Oak Tree Press.

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