It's June of 1973, and 13-year-old Mike is going to be spending the summer with his dad once again. Usually, that means heading from his California home with his mother and stepfather to Florida, where his father is a college biology professor. Instead he is going to be heading to tiny Shipwreck Island on the Gulf Coast in Alabama.

Since his father always seems to be overly busy with his students, Mike makes sure to bring along his own entertainment in the form of a good portion of his coin collection. At first, this proves to be a good idea since his predictions are basically right. Things starts to change when he gets to know Kyle, a local boy whose father works as a custodian for a labs hosting the summer courses on the island. The two quickly become friends by fishing and exploring the island and its people.

Things really take an exciting turn when the boys are exploring Fort Henry, a local Civil War era post that area lore suggests might play host to a missing treasure. Spurned on by the fact that a group of treasure hunters are searching the waters near the fort, the boys are drawn into the thrill, particularly since the treasure is likely tied to Confederate coins.

One afternoon, Kyle and Mike are in a closed area in the fort when their flashlights spy on something sparkling gold. After checking it out, it looks like it is a Confederate double eagle coin. They decided to keep their findings secret as they talk to some people on the island to try and see if it really is possible that the local fort might have ever had such coins and whether the New Orleans Mint had ever transitioned to making American to Confederate coins.

As the local treasure hunters, and a couple of others, take note of their interest, the boys find themselves in real danger as they try to find where the rest of the potential cache may lie. The race becomes more imperiling when a hurricane bears down on the island. Do they have enough time to solve the mystery and elude the villains?

I thought this was a pretty interesting treasure hunting mystery that ties in nicely with some real historical fact. I appreciated that Collard includes a great Authors Note defining what historical facts were included in the story as well as providing references for those who want to know more about the area, the New Orleans Mint, and the Battle for New Orleans in the Civil War. I found the pacing to be enjoyable as it slowly introduces the important elements before speeding faster and faster to the stunning climax and conclusion. The only thing I wasn't sure about was why wasn't a modern tale rather than setting it in the 1970s since none of the story elements were required to be set at that time.