In the spirit of City of Ember and The Goonies, it’s the discovery of a coded message that starts them on an unexpected path of mystery and danger. Will hopes finding an ancient relic will guide him to the truth and prove his father’s innocence. Unfortunately, Will soon learns he isn’t the only one searching for this valuable object. It’s a race to follow hidden clues until Will is confronted with a harsh reality. His determination to help his father has jeopardized the lives of the people he cares for. With a cold-blooded killer on his trail, Will must choose between the safety of his friends and family or freedom for his father.
Excerpt:
After returning the box to its hiding
place, he reached for his phone, rotating it to different angles. “The next
cache is about a mile up the trail. Once we loop around, we’ll stay to the left
when the path splits.”
“I’ll follow you.” I didn’t want to
admit it, but I was having more fun than I ever thought I would. It was like
having a treasure map where “X” marked the spot, except the treasure was a
bunch of worthless stuff.
We continued up the path for about a
mile. Just like he said, we looped around and headed back on the Confederate
side of the trail. After another thirty minute hike, it was time to turn left.
That was until we noticed that turning left meant navigating a huge section of
fallen trees and thick brush with thorns.
“Now what?” I asked.
“Well, it isn’t much of a trail, but
the cache must be over there. The hint has to do with a pile of leaves.” He
took a closer look at the trees, rocks, and fallen leaves that blanketed the
area. “I think it might be by that big lump of leaves, but the map says it’s a
little farther away.”
“Should we check it out?” I asked,
hoping he would say no.
“I’ll search this area. Go ahead
another hundred yards and see if you can find an easier path to the leaves.”
I started alone up the trail. Mason
yelled a couple of times. He must have been knee-deep in thorns. I grinned. It
was the first time I had heard him use profanity. I kept moving forward, but my
trail narrowed and roots stuck through the dirt like speed bumps. With my
attention searching for piles of leaves, I tripped on a root, falling to my
hands and knees. As I brushed away the dirt, I looked in Mason’s direction,
hoping he didn’t see how uncoordinated I was. The way the trail curved, he was
out of sight. There was no way he saw me fall. I continued forward, keeping my
eyes on my feet.
“Will!”
My head snapped around when I heard
Mason scream. It wasn’t the same, I found
the cache scream of joy as before. The pitch of his voice was high and
sharp. He was panicking, yelling for help. I couldn’t imagine what could have
scared him this much. I sprinted in his direction. The trail led me around a
dense area of brush. Then I spotted him. He sat on the ground, frantically
driving his feet into the forest floor, pushing himself backwards, away from a
pile of leaves.
“Calm down,” I said. “Are you hurt?”
“Get him off me! Help! Get him off
me!”
“What is it, a bug?” As I reached for
his hand to pull him to his feet, I caught a closer glimpse of his face. He was
pale, almost transparent. It was like something had scared him enough to freeze
his blood. His mouth hung open and his eyes stretched wide, strained on
something in front of him.
“Mason, you’re freaking out. What’s
wrong?”
“Oh my God, Will! Help me! Please help
me!” Tears now flooded down his face.
I moved behind him, hoping to recreate
his point of view. Then I saw what had frightened him. Partially covered by a
mound of wet leaves, a light, chalky grey hand, the color of sidewalk cement,
lay flat across the ground. It almost touched Mason’s leg, like it was trying
to grab at his ankle. I held my breath and my heart thumped in my ears as I
followed the shirt-covered arm until I saw the dull, lifeless eyes of someone I
knew.
“It’s Mr. Peters.”
My Review:
Conspiracy Theorists will love this book. The Dark Side of Truth is gripping, intense, mysterious and makes you scratch your chin deep with thought of who is behind all of this. The truth will shock you!
What seems like a misunderstanding and a frame up, Will is desperate to clear his fathers' name and find the real killer. With finding the body in the woods comes danger and a mystery so tangled and deep, Will enlists the help of his best friend Mason and Masons' father. But when it comes down to the nitty gritty, you will not see the outcome and what was worth murdering a science teacher over.
Mr. Caruso did an amazing job creating this intense story of treasure finding, murder and conspiracy theories. He perked up my interest in Geo-caching that I want to try it. I just hope I find only treasure and not a body along with it.
Links:
You're awesome, Crystal! Thank you for such a wonderful review. If your review doesn't have your followers rushing to Amazon to purchase The Dark Side of Truth, I don't know what will. Please continue recommending The Dark Side of Truth. Word of mouth is by far the best promotion. And thank you again for your generous post and support.
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