Coming July 11, 2025
Come to the Book Launch in Watkins Glen, New York, on July 11, 2025 at the Seneca Lake Events Center. The event includes a history talk on Watkins Glen in the 1800s followed by the book launch and book signing. To pre-order your copy of The Lucky Six, go to the Schuyler County Historical Society Website, or click on the Shop link above.
A historical mystery set in Watkins Glen in 1874 (release date July 11, 2025). Told from multiple perspectives, including a recent graduate of Elmira Female College drawn into the mystery, a mysterious stranger recently released from the Tombs Prison in New York City, and a Confederate soldier’s journal.
1864: As the American Civil War rages on, six Confederate soldiers survive on luck and visions of finding hidden gold in the western Carolina hills.
1874: Ten years later, in the small town of Watkins, New York, college graduate Annie Anderson discovers a dead man clutching a gold nugget slumped against her mother’s gravestone. She alerts the sheriff, but the dead man and the gold mysteriously disappear. When the sheriff dismisses her story, Annie begins her own investigation to find the missing body and bring the dead man’s killer to justice. As she stumbles upon long-buried secrets from her past, Annie must choose carefully who to trust while unraveling the connections between former Confederate soldiers, lost gold, and a hidden counterfeiting ring—or risk becoming the next victim.
Here’s some of the comments from early beta readers:
“The Lucky Six’ is the best story I’ve read in 2024, and I’ve read some great ones, so please take my reaction as high praise indeed. It’s fast paced, with excellent, flawed, three-dimensional characters.“
“I enjoyed reading The Lucky Six and would recommend it to anyone who likes both Civil War Historical Fiction and/or a good mystery/thriller.“
“The plot was thrilling, the characters were interesting and had depth, and the twists and turns throughout the mystery kept me on my toes. I really enjoyed not knowing everything and not always being able to put every piece of the puzzle together.“
“I enjoyed each and every character. Annie Anderson, especially, was a snack.“
“I loved the ending. I thought it did a great job of wrapping up the story, completing and explaining the mystery, and concluding the characters’ stories.”