What do you think?
Rate this book
The Gold of Cape Girardeau
WINNER OF THE 2005 GOVERNOR’S BOOK AWARD FROM THE MISSOURI HUMANITIES COUNCIL!
A treasure trove of gold is found buried next to a skeleton with a bullet hole in its skull. Young lawyer Allison Culbertson faces the toughest courtroom battle of her career to prove the gold belongs to her client. The secrets of the gold are revealed in an unforgettable story that transports the reader from a modern courtroom to the glory days of steamboating on the Mississippi, from a love story on the river to the perils of the Civil War. A Missouri border town of divided loyalties is “captured” by Union soldiers, its occupants facing martial law, loyalty oaths, hangings, and brutality, with cannon from the town’s forts ready to obliterate Cape Girardeau itself should Confederates attack.
Swingle’s riveting tale brings the past to life — combining mystery, love, greed, romance, and courtroom drama into a suspenseful blend of history and fiction.
“Move over Michener, here’s Morley Swingle with high adventure on the Mississippi. It’s the most amazing historical novel I’ve ever read, opening and closing with absorbing courtroom drama.” Elmore Leonard, Former President, Mystery Writers of America
“I recommend this memorable historical novel to anyone interested in the Civil War, steamboating on the Mississippi, a good love story, or simply an exciting and entertaining read. Once you start it, be prepared to stay up late. I can’t wait for Swingle’s next novel.” Bill Bradley, author, Time Present, Time Past
“Swingle is a gifted writer with a captivating novel — a tale of love, war, mystery, and drama with authentic history woven into every page. I highly recommend it. David Limbaugh, author Absolute Power
“Bootheel Man (the sequel to The Gold of Cape Girardeau) is Morley Swingle’s third book and second novel, and it proves that some lawyers can actually write entertainingly.” Harry Levins, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"I highly recommend this engrossing book." Vincent Bugliosi, Author of Helter Skelter (referring to Morley Swingle's Scoundrels to the Hoosegow)
Morley Swingle (From the 2023 Afterward to the E-Book Second Edition of The Gold of Cape Girardeau):
"I defy you to read anything you wrote twenty years ago and resist the urge to edit it.
"It can’t be done.
"The Gold of Cape Girardeau was published in 2002. E-books weren’t a thing back then, or at least not yet a big thing. I decided in 2023 to make an e-book version of The Gold of Cape Girardeau. My original plan was to simply put out the book exactly as published in 2002. It was well-reviewed at the time, after all, and even won the 2005 Governor’s Award from the Missouri Humanities Council for being one of the best books written by a Missourian at the time.
"But . . .
"It was too painful to type without editing.
"The overall story is exactly the same. But the thousands of readers who bought the first edition twenty years ago will be pleasantly surprised by the improvements in this new and improved Second Edition."
A treasure trove of gold is found buried next to a skeleton with a bullet hole in its skull. Young lawyer Allison Culbertson faces the toughest courtroom battle of her career to prove the gold belongs to her client. The secrets of the gold are revealed in an unforgettable story that transports the reader from a modern courtroom to the glory days of steamboating on the Mississippi, from a love story on the river to the perils of the Civil War. A Missouri border town of divided loyalties is “captured” by Union soldiers, its occupants facing martial law, loyalty oaths, hangings, and brutality, with cannon from the town’s forts ready to obliterate Cape Girardeau itself should Confederates attack.
Swingle’s riveting tale brings the past to life — combining mystery, love, greed, romance, and courtroom drama into a suspenseful blend of history and fiction.
“Move over Michener, here’s Morley Swingle with high adventure on the Mississippi. It’s the most amazing historical novel I’ve ever read, opening and closing with absorbing courtroom drama.” Elmore Leonard, Former President, Mystery Writers of America
“I recommend this memorable historical novel to anyone interested in the Civil War, steamboating on the Mississippi, a good love story, or simply an exciting and entertaining read. Once you start it, be prepared to stay up late. I can’t wait for Swingle’s next novel.” Bill Bradley, author, Time Present, Time Past
“Swingle is a gifted writer with a captivating novel — a tale of love, war, mystery, and drama with authentic history woven into every page. I highly recommend it. David Limbaugh, author Absolute Power
“Bootheel Man (the sequel to The Gold of Cape Girardeau) is Morley Swingle’s third book and second novel, and it proves that some lawyers can actually write entertainingly.” Harry Levins, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"I highly recommend this engrossing book." Vincent Bugliosi, Author of Helter Skelter (referring to Morley Swingle's Scoundrels to the Hoosegow)
Morley Swingle (From the 2023 Afterward to the E-Book Second Edition of The Gold of Cape Girardeau):
"I defy you to read anything you wrote twenty years ago and resist the urge to edit it.
"It can’t be done.
"The Gold of Cape Girardeau was published in 2002. E-books weren’t a thing back then, or at least not yet a big thing. I decided in 2023 to make an e-book version of The Gold of Cape Girardeau. My original plan was to simply put out the book exactly as published in 2002. It was well-reviewed at the time, after all, and even won the 2005 Governor’s Award from the Missouri Humanities Council for being one of the best books written by a Missourian at the time.
"But . . .
"It was too painful to type without editing.
"The overall story is exactly the same. But the thousands of readers who bought the first edition twenty years ago will be pleasantly surprised by the improvements in this new and improved Second Edition."
- GenresFiction
440 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2002
About the author
Morley Swingle
24 books30 followersMorley Swingle is a former prosecutor now writing mystery/thrillers and law books. As both a state and federal prosecutor, he personally prosecuted 111 homicide cases and tried 178 jury trials. His cases have been featured on Dateline, Forensic Files and Oprah. His historical mystery thrillers include The Gold of Cape Girardeau (praised as absorbing courtroom drama by Elmore Leonard) and Bootheel Man (finalist for the 2008 William Rockhill Nelson Award for fiction). His true crime memoir Scoundrels to the Hoosegow was called “engrossing” and “highly recommended” by Vincent Bugliosi. His short story “Hard Blows” in the Mystery Writers of America anthology The Prosecution Rests was singled out by Publisher’s Weekly as “dramatizing the challenges prosecutors encounter.” His collection of 16 short stories won the 2024 Firebird Award for Crime Fiction. His law books teach search and seizure law and evidence with a dose of humor. Although relatively well-liked for a prosecutor, he occasionally found it necessary to wear a bullet-proof vest.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 21, 2026
3.5 stars. It was uneven, sometimes too clinical for fiction and a bit too repetitive for my liking.
Full video review is posted @DarinasReads BookTok (https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8xFMmEb/) and Bookstagram (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DU6tgd...)
This was my choice as an indie author book for our Travelling Sisterhood club. I wanted to read a historical fiction that evokes a deep emotional response. I got some of it and more.
It starts in our present time with a court hearing over a dispute of a found treasure - a buried chest full of gold coins from the 19th century and a skeleton.
Then the story moves us into the 1950s where we read about a boy and a girl. They meet each other under tragic circumstances and fall in love. Lindy is the daughter of a steamboat owner and businessman. John, an orphan teenager, is accepted into the family and welcomed into the steamboat business.
We have a coming-of-age romance part with quarrels and hopes. A steamboat race and yet another tragedy. The boat race was excruciating! My anxiety was all over the place. It was so intense! There were also a powerful enemy and new good friends.
The next part moves the story 9 years forward - way into the Civil War and Cape Girardeau being occupied by the Union. Linda stays in place and works at the hospital. But John joins the Confederates.
The flow of the story switches as well. It is alternated between Lindy and her life full of worries and John fighting against the Union. Lindy wasn’t even allowed to write to John or receive letters from him for doing so was punishable by death. These are the dark parts of the history.
I learned quite a lot of interesting facts - the oaths, the laws that were in place, how mail was delivered, and how the Civil War divided families and neighbours on friends and enemies. These parts were especially interesting.
The lengthy parts with the extensive history about the movements of the forces, however, felt like history textbooks— the ones I always zoned out during particularly boring and detailed history lessons about battles and armies. Constant unloading of new names didn’t help the matter. As soon as I got used to the new batch of names and characters, they were replaced by a new wave of more new names of mostly (I think) historical figures. And… I was drowning.
On page 324, I zoned out so much that I realized that I was starting on a white noise of information that didn’t add anything new for me. I already know how it all ended. These tiny army movements are irrelevant to the plot because they really change anything. They are plain textbook information. I was not here for a history lesson.
So it was either stare at the white noise without getting it all in except for a headache, or set the book aside for who knows how long. Or just skip the history of army battles and movements that didn’t involve the main chapters altogether.
On audio, I would have listened to it (just like I did with the Outlander series). On paper— I skipped most of pages 324-325. And some after that.
Don’t get me wrong, I love history and studying history. But it has to be on my terms and when I want to or have to. In this case, I wanted to read a historical fiction with the main focus on the word “fiction” rather than “history”. The history parts were too clinical and dry for me to enjoy them.
A few additional notes.
Lesson #1. If I am to find a buried chest full of treasure on my property, I’d better make sure that neither lock nor identifying plaques are found alongside it before announcing my find.
Lesson #2. Never hire a lawyer just because they have a nice 🍑 in a yoga class.
Lesson #3. Found a treasure? No interviews or bragging unless you want a “welcome, thieves!” sign on your main door.
I could really use a map of the Mississippi River and the mentioned towns and islands.
Page 223: “the watchman was sitting on a crate […] chin nestled against his stomach”
… 😳😳😳…
I tried and failed to picture this snailman.
Page 245. Question about oath of allegiance: is it original text? If so, how could they go against the 2nd Amendment? They specifically prohibited here not just carry but to own any arms.
In general, between present and before parts, I loved the present part more. It has more life-like characters and it is the same stable pace.
Full video review is posted @DarinasReads BookTok (https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8xFMmEb/) and Bookstagram (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DU6tgd...)
This was my choice as an indie author book for our Travelling Sisterhood club. I wanted to read a historical fiction that evokes a deep emotional response. I got some of it and more.
It starts in our present time with a court hearing over a dispute of a found treasure - a buried chest full of gold coins from the 19th century and a skeleton.
Then the story moves us into the 1950s where we read about a boy and a girl. They meet each other under tragic circumstances and fall in love. Lindy is the daughter of a steamboat owner and businessman. John, an orphan teenager, is accepted into the family and welcomed into the steamboat business.
We have a coming-of-age romance part with quarrels and hopes. A steamboat race and yet another tragedy. The boat race was excruciating! My anxiety was all over the place. It was so intense! There were also a powerful enemy and new good friends.
The next part moves the story 9 years forward - way into the Civil War and Cape Girardeau being occupied by the Union. Linda stays in place and works at the hospital. But John joins the Confederates.
The flow of the story switches as well. It is alternated between Lindy and her life full of worries and John fighting against the Union. Lindy wasn’t even allowed to write to John or receive letters from him for doing so was punishable by death. These are the dark parts of the history.
I learned quite a lot of interesting facts - the oaths, the laws that were in place, how mail was delivered, and how the Civil War divided families and neighbours on friends and enemies. These parts were especially interesting.
The lengthy parts with the extensive history about the movements of the forces, however, felt like history textbooks— the ones I always zoned out during particularly boring and detailed history lessons about battles and armies. Constant unloading of new names didn’t help the matter. As soon as I got used to the new batch of names and characters, they were replaced by a new wave of more new names of mostly (I think) historical figures. And… I was drowning.
On page 324, I zoned out so much that I realized that I was starting on a white noise of information that didn’t add anything new for me. I already know how it all ended. These tiny army movements are irrelevant to the plot because they really change anything. They are plain textbook information. I was not here for a history lesson.
So it was either stare at the white noise without getting it all in except for a headache, or set the book aside for who knows how long. Or just skip the history of army battles and movements that didn’t involve the main chapters altogether.
On audio, I would have listened to it (just like I did with the Outlander series). On paper— I skipped most of pages 324-325. And some after that.
Don’t get me wrong, I love history and studying history. But it has to be on my terms and when I want to or have to. In this case, I wanted to read a historical fiction with the main focus on the word “fiction” rather than “history”. The history parts were too clinical and dry for me to enjoy them.
A few additional notes.
Lesson #1. If I am to find a buried chest full of treasure on my property, I’d better make sure that neither lock nor identifying plaques are found alongside it before announcing my find.
Lesson #2. Never hire a lawyer just because they have a nice 🍑 in a yoga class.
Lesson #3. Found a treasure? No interviews or bragging unless you want a “welcome, thieves!” sign on your main door.
I could really use a map of the Mississippi River and the mentioned towns and islands.
Page 223: “the watchman was sitting on a crate […] chin nestled against his stomach”
… 😳😳😳…
I tried and failed to picture this snailman.
Page 245. Question about oath of allegiance: is it original text? If so, how could they go against the 2nd Amendment? They specifically prohibited here not just carry but to own any arms.
In general, between present and before parts, I loved the present part more. It has more life-like characters and it is the same stable pace.
December 1, 2025
An entertaining historical tale framed by a modern courtroom drama!
The beginning captured my attention and held it. There’s humor, intelligence, and real depth. The author made me invest in a character in very little time, and then seamlessly switched gears to deliver an incredible backstory.
The time jump back to pre–Civil War Missouri was such a fun surprise. I became deeply invested in the plot and the characters of that era. Learning the backstory behind the present-day court case was an exhilarating ride that followed the main character’s journey into adulthood.
The look at life and work on a steamboat was fascinating. I’d never read anything quite like it, and it even led me to take a few breaks just to read more about the luxury—and danger—of traveling on these boats.
As the story moved into the Civil War, I became even more engrossed. I appreciated how the book balanced life on the battlefield with life back home. The female lead in this section truly shined, and I loved her strength, struggles, and the precarious position she was in.
The ending was more than satisfying, and I’m so glad I discovered this author!
The beginning captured my attention and held it. There’s humor, intelligence, and real depth. The author made me invest in a character in very little time, and then seamlessly switched gears to deliver an incredible backstory.
The time jump back to pre–Civil War Missouri was such a fun surprise. I became deeply invested in the plot and the characters of that era. Learning the backstory behind the present-day court case was an exhilarating ride that followed the main character’s journey into adulthood.
The look at life and work on a steamboat was fascinating. I’d never read anything quite like it, and it even led me to take a few breaks just to read more about the luxury—and danger—of traveling on these boats.
As the story moved into the Civil War, I became even more engrossed. I appreciated how the book balanced life on the battlefield with life back home. The female lead in this section truly shined, and I loved her strength, struggles, and the precarious position she was in.
The ending was more than satisfying, and I’m so glad I discovered this author!
March 19, 2026
I was pleasantly surprised. The book has the backdrop of a legal trail and attorney thoughts /experiences which I expected; however, what I did not expect was a love story, family trauma and history lesson of the civil war from the state from which I grew up. I also was pleased to see that he answered my questions formed while reading as to what was real /fiction and where the info came from in his follow up. Well written and kept me engaged. The reason for the 4 stars rather than 5 was so much civil war info presented at once, that at times, made my head was spinning a bit.
Overall, a good read and I will seek out more of Morley Swingle's books!
Overall, a good read and I will seek out more of Morley Swingle's books!
Read
February 25, 2026a man digging in his basement found a chest of gold. and a skeleton. the relative of the skeleton said the gold was his and sued. the mans lawyer found out the relatives son had broken in the house and found the key to the chest behind a brick in the fireplace and so they used that to say it was their gold. but she got him to confess about finding the key and they were awarded the money
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2023
a good historical read
Although this book is long , it has interesting descriptions of life on a riverboat, life during the civil war, and life in general during that time period. It is also a poignant love story, and a trial strategy lesson. A very interesting book.
Although this book is long , it has interesting descriptions of life on a riverboat, life during the civil war, and life in general during that time period. It is also a poignant love story, and a trial strategy lesson. A very interesting book.
March 18, 2026
Love
Love has.it's ways it's hard to not.love the characters portrayed in this volume of fictional history. My, wives, friend taught in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. This is fascinating stuff.
Love has.it's ways it's hard to not.love the characters portrayed in this volume of fictional history. My, wives, friend taught in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. This is fascinating stuff.
November 8, 2025
Thrilling historical fiction, with adventure, crime, romance and Civil War history sandwiched between lively courtroom drama. So glad I found this author.
October 29, 2009
Swingle, a prosecuting attorney, has combined history, mystery and a courtroom battle to provide an entertaining and instructive read.
The tale begins in the courtroom as lawyers battle over the question of who is legally entitled to a fortune in gold found buried with a skeleton that has a bullet hole in its skull.
He then takes the reader back in time to unravel the mystery behind the trove. The story includes steamboating on the Mississippi, romance, treachery and the perils of the Civil War as it divides residents of the river community.
The tale begins in the courtroom as lawyers battle over the question of who is legally entitled to a fortune in gold found buried with a skeleton that has a bullet hole in its skull.
He then takes the reader back in time to unravel the mystery behind the trove. The story includes steamboating on the Mississippi, romance, treachery and the perils of the Civil War as it divides residents of the river community.
September 3, 2008
I read Bootheel Man first. So when I read Gold of Cape Girardeau, I was able to hit the deck running with the characters because I already knew them. Could be that because I know Morley, I was more focused on reading. But I really did enjoy the book - makes me want to read the books he used in his research for the book.
July 20, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. It’s a mixture of modern day with a backstory that is a historical mystery with a romance. It had great character development. There’s quite a bit of interesting history about steamboating and the civil war in Missouri, but not in a boring way at all. I actually found the book hard to put down.
July 26, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. It’s a mixture of modern day with a backstory that is a historical mystery with a romance. It had great character development. There’s quite a bit of interesting history about steamboating and the civil war in Missouri, but not in a boring way at all. I actually found the book hard to put down.
September 21, 2011
Interesting courtroom type drama. Local Missouri author.
October 31, 2011
The only reason I bought this book was because I was a police officer in Cape Girardeau at the time Morley wrote it. Morley was our prosecuting attorney.
Read
March 28, 2013It is why I am writing.
January 15, 2017
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13877100
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13877100
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews