The Secret of the 48th Foot

The Secret of the 48th Foot is the tale of the search for one of the great lost treasures in history, a chest of gold and silver coins that disappeared after General Braddock was defeated near present-day Pittsburgh in July 1755. In this suspense thriller academicians Ben & Julia are bequeathed a coded message from a student who has turned up missing. Deciphering a series of riddles and clues, they learn not only where the treasure may be but that a ruthless band of right-wing militiamen are also after the treasure and have vowed to kill anyone who gets in their way. To keep ahead of their murderous pursuers the pair must rely on their wits, an academically-challenged former student and even the town fool. Blind luck doesn’t hurt either. Using faked documents, a series of desperate and unexpected aggressive moves, clever disguises and gutsy maneuvers, they careen across West Virginia and western Maryland, pursued by armed killers. What began as a race to find an historic treasure becomes a deadly race against time with a finale that is both surprising and poignant.