The following is excerpted from In the Shadow of Goldwhich Kirkus calls a high-stakes, well-paced adventure saga.

Chapter 1
June, 2020

The sound of small glacial stones hitting the undercarriage of the speeding red Jeep Rubicon ended when the road became paved, marking the beginning of the Arvin property. Minutes later, Jonas Arvin reached under the dash and pressed a button, and the tall, wrought-iron gates opened, splitting the name Cherry Side Arboretum and revealing the tree-lined...