A treasure and mystery spanning multiple generations the Treasure Hunters Club is a cozy thriller.

While it starts off slow to introduce us to the key players and get them to Maple Bay, the action kicks off shortly after. A found treasure hidden and then lost again is the main mystery but the twists and turns surrounding it lead to unexpected thrills.

The descriptions and storytelling lend you to picture yourself at Bellwoods along with the characters. While I did question some things as the book was progressing, it was surprising in it's conclusion.

This book bored me and had me rolling my eyes. It is getting fabulous reviews and then I come along--sorry, not my cup of tea. The characters and the plot are too far-fetched and over the top. Thanks to NetGalley and the Atlantic Monthly Press for the digital ARC. This review is in my own words.

3.5 stars rounded up. While this book wasn't quite the fun adventure the title made me think it would be, it was entertaining and twisty enough to hold my attention. I liked all of the main characters, which is always a plus when there are multiple story lines going on.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I picked up this book, thinking it would be a cozy, seaside mystery and getting so much more. This is a fast-paced novel, filled with family secrets, bodies piling up and the hunt for legendary pirate treasure.

Told by multiple points of view, our main characters are: Peter, a 40 year old who feels his life is going no where, Cass, who recently gave up her dream to be an author and Dandy, a local teenage treasure hunter. The characters are relatable and full of personality. Making reading this book feel like I was sitting in the town bar watching it all play out. I was pulled in and invested fully in finding out what was happening in Maple Bay.

Something I found unique was that the characters were from a variety of age groups. I think this makes the book a good fit for a broad audience as you are more likely to find a character that you can relate to.


Overall, I highly recommend this book! I loved the characters, setting and the complex mystery.



Available October 15th

Thank you to Netgalley, Publisher Grove Atlantic, Atlantic Monthly Press and author, Tom Ryan for the advanced copy.

The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan is a twisty mystery that will keep readers on their toes. Set in beautiful seaside of Nova Scotia, three lives will collide. Cass, a young struggling author in NYC, takes an unexpected house sitting job in hopes of finding some peace and inspiration to get writing again. Upon arriving and quickly learning the story of hidden pirate's treasure, she decides on the topic of her next novel. Middle aged Peter is orphaned and renting a bedroom in a run down home from a aloof roommate. He receives a letter from the grandmother he has never met and sets out to take her up on her offer to meet at her mansion in Nova Scotia. Peter learns that his long lost family holds dark secrets that may lead him to the buried loot Last, there is 17 year old Dandy who is grieving the death of her beloved grandfather. He has left her a letter instructing her to go to a meeting at the local library in hopes the group will let Dandy stand in for him. She learns that her grandfather was a part of a secret society searching for the buried treasure. Cass, Peter, and Dandy's lives will collide and family secrets and lies decades old will come to the surface.

Although I enjoyed this novel, there were too many characters to keep track of. I wish the author had included a map of area and family trees to help the reader keep track of everyone. Thanks to Netgalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an ARC of The Treasure Hunters Club in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5
⭐⭐⭐

I recently came across this book and was really looking forward to delving into a story about a club centered around treasure and pirates in Canada. However, it turned out that the story focused more on current events rather than exploring the club and its purpose. It felt more like a cozy mystery than a book about a secret society. If you're someone who enjoys uncovering clues to discover more about a hidden treasure and its members, this book might be just what you're looking for. I hope that this story finds its audience.

I really wanted to like this book because the premise is amazing! However, this book suffers from very poor execution of the concept.

The narrative centers on three people: Peter, who is nearly 40 and has nothing to show for his life and no money, who gets a letter from the grandmother he didn't know existed to invite him to Maple Bay, Nova Scotia, to the family home. Dandy, a seventeen year old young woman whose grandfather has just died, and he left her a cryptic set of clues to the famous Obelisk Treasure. And Cass, a struggling author who gets an opportunity to house sit in Maple Bay. As each of them start to investigate they want to figure out where the treasure might be hidden.

The writing in this book is very juvenile. It's disjointed and the flow is disrupted with abrupt changes of point-of-view between the three main characters, with no warning as to when this is going to happen. It sometimes will happen in mid-narrative so that Peter's first person narrative in one paragraph switches to Cass's third person narrative in the next paragraph.

Dandy does not speak or act like any teenager I've ever met. I thought she acted about twelve and yet her dialogue is stilted and seemed more like an adult at times. There's also one of my least favorite narrative styles, which is info dumps disguised as journal entries. It takes the reader out of the action and makes it telling rather than showing. And there were way too many characters from the past, the present, and some of them overlapping with nicknames. It was nearly impossible to keep them all straight and how they were connected.

There is one twist that comes from absolutely left field and seemed so bizarre, and it happens and then it's over super quickly. With all of the buildup and long exposition, to have what little action occurs take place in only a few pages seemed anti-climactic. Plus: (view spoiler)

I also could not figure out why it needed to be mentioned over and over (and over) again that Peter was gay. They could be driving along and then all of a sudden, it's mentioned. For no reason. It was seriously eye-rolling. And what was with the need to add romance for Cass? It wasn't like we didn't have enough going on.

Unfortunately, for all of the potential of this treasure hunting plot, this book just does not deliver in an enjoyable way. It took me a very long time to get through it because nothing about it drew me back.

The Treasure Hunters Club hit all the marks for me. Liken anything to The Goonies and I'll give it a shot.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

The pacing in this felt off. For something billed as being similar to The Goonies, I expected more adventure, more excitement, more... well, treasure hunting. But there's barely any of that, instead the story moves between cozy mystery, domestic drama, young adult coming-of-age, and historical fiction. The transitions between POV characters are clunky, particularly once the twist is revealed (I'm still not entirely sure that even made sense, from a writing/style standpoint), and the actual plot never really takes off until the book is almost over.

This is a perfectly fine, sometimes even blandly pleasant, distraction for the cool autumn months, but it didn't live up to the expectations set by its blurbs (I mean, come on.... Riley Sager, AJ Finn, and Alex Finlay?!) and its synopsis.

I really enjoyed this book! Who doesn’t like the thought of looking for buried treasure?! This book was full of surprises. It had a few twists that caught me off guard.
It was a good mystery!

This is definitely *my type* of book. As someone who is solidly GenX and grew up watching movies like <i>The Goonies</i> and <i>Indiana Jones</i> and reading Nancy Drew and Amelia Peabody books, I am a sucker for a murder mystery with pirates and treasure.

I love stories of towns with lore, and, as a librarian, would love to be able to be the town archivist and holder of secrets.

The cast of characters - three people who are on the hunt for rumored treasure, but have never met - is provide multiple POVs and each has a unique voice.

The stakes are relatively low, but the book was entertaining from start to finish, and I genuinely enjoyed the read.

You guys, this is, like, such a fab read! It’s, like, a total cozy mystery that just wraps you up in all the feels. The characters are super relatable, and I was totally rooting for them the whole time! Peter, Dandy, and Cass are, like, an unlikely trio, but their stories totally blend together in this, like, epic way that kept me on my toes!

I can't even with the twists! I thought I had it all figured out, but then—boom! Mind blown! This book is perfect for a chill evening read when you're just, like, wanting something light and fun. Seriously, you’ve got to check it out! It’s, like, a cozy mystery that’ll make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside! ✨

A huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

So this book took me a lot longer to read than normal. To be honest, I just wasn’t in the mood to read it. I’d pick it up randomly and read a few chapters at a time. But even with big gaps between reading, I never forgot what was happening as the story is so different to anything else I’ve read.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, and thought it was rather unique. Not only is it about treasure hunting now, but it’s following how the treasure was originally found years ago by the characters ancestors. I loved how there were so many points of view, it allows you to see so much more of what’s going on and how each character is feeling about it all.

There is a bit of a twist at the end and I have to admit that I didn’t see it coming at all (not that I ever can in these kinds of books). It was so interesting and I literally couldn’t put the book down at that point, I just had to know what was going to happen next.

I’d like to give this book another read sometime in the future, as I think I’d appreciate more of what was happening (and possibly see more of the clues) now I know how it all wraps up. It’s definitely an interesting one and I think those who enjoy a good mystery and treasure hunt would love this too!

For readers who:
✨️ loved The Goonies as a child
✨️ never get tired of a good treasure hunt
✨️ appreciate mystery, suspense, and adventure

Synopsis: In a small town in Nova Scotia, there's a legend of an old pirate treasure, the Obelisk. For generations, there's been people hunting for it. Peter (the grandson of the wealthiest treasure hunter), Cass (a housesitter for a local family) and Dandy (the 17 year old granddaughter of a treasure hunter) all find themselves connected as they look for the treasure and try to solve the mysteries surrounding it. But will they solve the mystery before the bodies start to pile up?

My Thoughts: the book started with a verrrry grown-up Goonies feel. It felt a little bit light and fluffy - even the first person to be offed didn't seem that sinister. There were likeable characters, characters that were supposed to be likeable but didnt come across that way, little clues, etc. But I was not expecting the dark turn it took 2/3 of the way through- it really tuned into a thriller at that point!
If you like The Goonies and you like psychological thrillers, The Treasure Hunters Club by @tomryanauthor is a really interesting mash-up of the two. I enjoyed the wild ride, and I'll recommend it to you too!

On sale October 8 - just a couple of weeks from now. Add it to your list! (Thanks to @Netgalley and @groveatlantic for the ARC)

The Treasure Hunters Club was the perfect early fall read. The perfect blend of domestic saga with mysterious twists and turns, Tom Ryan has read a book that's easy to gift to just about any reader. I had so many Goonies flashbacks while reading, which of course is an added bonus.

Fast paced, great character building. The Treasure Hunters Club is going to be a favorite of many this year.

The Treasure Hunters Club was a delight. I love unpredictability, and this book had it in spades. The different timelines, the twisty plot, the evil you don't see coming - everything was fantastic. Tom Ryan has written a book suitable for mystery lovers, as well as those looking for messy family sagas.

Loved it! I started this book with no expectations but was quickly swept away with the whole treasure adventure. There are a lot of characters to sort out but the intrigue just keeps growing. The titled, short chapters are told from various unidentified POVs; each delving further into the storyline. All seems straightforward until a major twist is introduced and ‘all hell breaks loose’! This was a fast, 2day read for me that was very different from anything that I’ve read in a long time. I highly recommend it!
Thank You to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and Tom Ryan for the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy this ARC

I just finished reading "Treasure Hunters" by Tom Ryan, and I was hooked from the beginning. The story follows a group of kids who stumble upon a hidden treasure map, and their adventure to uncover the treasure is packed with twists, excitement, and some great friendships.

One of the things I loved most is how relatable the characters are. They’re all quirky in their own ways, and I found myself rooting for them the whole time. Plus, the humor is on point! It’s light-hearted but still has some meaningful moments that really hit home.

I couldn’t agree more with the reviews I saw on Amazon and Goodreads. This book is a perfect blend of adventure and humor—I seriously couldn’t put it down! The characters felt like friends by the end, and the treasure hunt kept me on the edge of my seat.

Overall, if you’re looking for an adventurous read that’s fun and full of heart, "Treasure Hunters" is definitely worth picking up. I can’t wait to read another book by Tom Ryan.

Thank you for the complimentary review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Treasure Hunters Club.

A combination of The Goonies and Oak Island, this is about three very different people with ties to a hidden treasure, pulled together to discover the truth and dark secrets of the seaside town of Maple Bay.

I love The Goonies so I was stoked to read this, but the narrative was cozier than I expected, the writing YA-ish to me.

The premise was good but the story was bogged down with three different POVs, Peter, Cass and Dandy.

I didn't like any of the characters, except Dandy and Grandy, and the latter is deceased.

Peter is a dullard, about as exciting as a sack of flour, and the author decides to give Cass a romantic storyline.

There doesn't need to be romance in every book!

Dandy is described as weird and strange. Why? Because she's inquisitive and asking questions and interviewing people?

This is the fault of the author, stereotyping a young woman, who is strong and independent and doesn't care what others think of her, searching for answers to a mystery that has confounded their town for decades.

The story employs the all-too common literary device by providing exposition in the form of telling the readers what happened in the past with diary entries.

As a result, there's a lack of urgency and suspense, even in the present day as Dandy tries to discover where the treasure is hidden.

I'm not a fan of the twist at the end, though I kind of saw it coming. If it had been written in a better way, I might have appreciated the twist more. Maybe not, since Peter was so boring.

Also, I found some of the writing repetitive and Peter says 'far-fetched' a half dozen times.

Murder, treasure and decades long secrets turn the seaside town of Maple Bay, Nova Scotia upside down with twists you won’t see coming. It follows three perspectives - Cass, a writer looking for inspiration, Dandy, a teenager fuelled by her grandfathers memory, and Ricky, a man reconnecting with his past. I enjoy multi-pov stories but they can be tricky when you prefer some over others. Personally, I didn’t love Cass’s sections and felt it took me out of the rest of the story. On the other hand I really enjoyed Grandy and Dandy’s characters and felt she had the most depth and realism to her character.

This one took me some time to get into. I found it too long winded in the setup and the story dragged but the final 1/3 was my favourite. Some other highlights were the setting, which felt very immersive, and the inclusion of Henry’s diary entries. There is also really good twist that I didn’t see coming at all.

Overall this was a fun one but I think it took a bit too long to get to the good stuff.