I loved this historical fiction adventure story which was full of drama and excitement. The dual timeline worked beautifully to move the action along and was a real page-turner of a story. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys adventure stories and the thrill of treasure seeking.

Barbara Eppich Struna’s ‘The Old Cape Blood Ruby’ is an absorbing read and historical fiction at its best.
From the tip of Cape Cod to Alaska, this story spans centuries from the late 1800’s thru present day with an intricately woven plot and a mixture of mystery, love, loss and legend.
A storm tore through Provincetown in 1898 and fisherman Walter Ellis lost his ship as well as his livelihood. With a wife and two children to support, he heads for Alaska in search of gold. Troubles mount throughout his journey but he reaches and falls in love with Alaska and never returns.
Nancy Caldwell (present day), is visiting family in Alaska. She stumbles upon a letter that was never sent to its destination; Provincetown, MA. Intrigued, Nancy sets out to find what happened to the missing fisherman. Her answers are buried in ancestry, treasure, messages and a myriad of clues.
This is simply a great read and highly recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bestruna Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

Struna weaves a story of Alaska in the Gold Rush, a pirate’s treasure, and a modern-day woman’s search through an old house about to be put on the market together into a satisfying drama with moments of suspense and mystery. Part of a series, it is not necessary to read the others to understand this one because the connections to the other books are explained enough for the reader to understand without being inundated with information.

I very much enjoyed the historical stories and how they were connected and brought to a resolution in the present day. My only complaint was there were too many instances of the main character running into artifacts in different parts of the country that just happened to tie together the mystery she was investigating. Overall, an enjoyable story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Barbra Eppich Struna takes the reader on a journey in time and every minute is a new mystery. Starting in Provincetown, Ma and spanning to Alaska the tale that starts with a pirate named Sam Bellamy and his lover Goody Hallett and emerges into a family history that is fascinating. The author jumps from olden days to present time and keeps the reader spellbound. A father leaves his home in Provincetown in hopes of making money to care for his family. What happens to him and how all of their lives are changed forever, is historical fiction at its finest. I enjoyed this book and will be getting her others. Be sure to put it on your reading list!

Mainly set in Juneau, Alaska and area in dual timelines, this interesting book is full of legend, treasure, loss, sorrow and love.

We see bits of 1780s but the main timelines are 1898 through the early 1900s and the present time. In 1898 Walter Ellis loses his livelihood and income when he lost his ship. Tales of Alaska riches swirl around his mind so he decides to pack up and leave his family (wife Sarah, daughter Grace and son Charles) for Alaska. His trip is fraught with problems but he falls in love with Alaska. Meanwhile, back home his family is forced to fend for themselves so begin taking in boarders. All of their lives are modified due to Walter's decision.

In the present, Nancy travels to Alaska and discovers a life-changing letter. She seeks answers which are embedded in ancestry and legend. We follow her quest as well as the lives of the Ellis and Hallett families. There is a very helpful family tree in the back of the book.

I like how the author knits together the various timeframes. Well done.

My sincere thank you to Bestruna Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this intriguing book.

In general, this reads like a cozy mystery. It is part of a series told partly in the present, and partly in other time periods, in this case circa 1900, following the adventures of a present day sleuth and the people who made up the history of the treasures she uncovers..

I was really excited to read this book, having grown up in Juneau/Auke Bay, Alaska, where a good half of the story takes place.. That probably made me a tougher audience than most for this story.

I saw another reviewer praising the depiction of Tlingit culture, and while I am not an expert there, I did like the time and detail the author put into describing the culture. However, when it came to things I did know, unfortunately there was a lot that didn't jibe with my experience/knowledge of the area and its history, and I am not talking esoteric stuff. This carelessness really took me out of the story.

Juneau is not an island, though it is true there is no road access. Any map can show you that. Tropical is the wrong word to use to describe the rain forests there. It is not as cold as most people think, but it is definitely not tropical. And while I appreciate the author getting her protagonist to Juneau, I was thoroughly confused about why he ended up there. There was much about the hero's hunt for gold that didn't jibe with the time and place. A little license is okay for the purposes of a story, but this was way off. The accumulation of mistakes made me question all historical details included. Felt like a good editor really could have helped this story.

What happens to the historical characters was unrelentingly grim, and I found myself dreading picking up the story and seeing what horrible thing had happened next. While certainly theft, work accidents, racism and bears happened to early Alaskans, our poor hero gets more than his fair share. Perhaps if I hadn't been hung up on the errors, I would have gotten into the story more,

I appreciated the opportunity to read this book, and really wanted to like it since the dual time line concept was so interesting, but I just couldn't get myself there.