The Beckoning Spark

In the autumn of 1891, four lives are on an intersecting course, and the results could be deadly. After being swept away by a flood, Amanda Grant tries to find shelter in a strange wilderness. She is offered refuge in a place called Angel Falls. But the dream-like landscape is not what it seems. Union organizer Jeb Thomas is floundering. He is on a cross-country quest to find Amanda, who broke off their relationship. But when he can't find her, he tries instead to locate the valuable puzzle box she left behind in Boston. Former Confederate soldier Devlin Richards knows Amanda's puzzle box was originally owned by a scientist named Victor Marius. He believes Victor hid valuable items inside the box. Devlin is willing to kill to obtain it. His uneasy alliance with Jeb will only survive long enough for the two of them to track down the mysterious container. Meanwhile, Victor, a brilliant but troubled sci.entist, has no idea the wooden box he originally lost at sea has been found. Victor has reluctantly abandoned his scientific research. Instead, he works as an electric lineman and part-time police officer. But those are choices that may lead him toward tragedy.

The Beckoning Spark is the final volume of the sprawling six-volume Puzzle Box Chronicles, set in a time when new technologies and rapid social change are helping alter the very nature of the American Landscape.

Shawn P. McCarthy is a Massachusetts-based researcher and author. He usually can be found exploring a variety of waterways, using a variety of boats