Hidden Treasure

The Skinners of Goldfield #2

by Stephen Bly

Gold may abound in the town's mine shafts and sandy soil, but that's not where Goldfield's true treasure lies. The Skinners do not want to be in Goldfield, Nevada. The weather is harsh. Sin is glorified. Greed is rampant. Spiritual sensitivity is scarce. And kids grow up with sand in their eyes and gold fever in their bones. The Lord, however, leads in mysterious ways, and it is clear that the Skinners can't leave just yet. Not with O. T. having to find his friend who is out treasure-hunting in the middle of the desert. Not with Dola Mae needing to search for a missing child and still feed dinner to 75 hungry miners. And especially not with the Rokkers clinging to them and their faith as they face yet another struggle. And yet as the Skinners grapple with each situation--and their own life-and-death circumstances--they are reminded of what riches they have in their faith even as they discover unexpected treasure in their Goldfield friends.

Genres: Westerns, Christian, Christian Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Stephen Bly (August 17, 1944 - June 9, 2011) authored 100 books and hundreds of articles. His book, THE LONG TRAIL HOME, (Broadman & Holman), won the prestigious 2002 CHRISTY AWARD for excellence in Christian fiction in the category western novel. Three other books, PICTURE ROCK (Crossway Books), THE OUTLAW'S TWIN SISTER (Crossway Books), and LAST OF THE TEXAS CAMP (Broadman & Holman), were Christy Award finalists. He spoke at colleges, churches, camps and conferences across the U.S. and Canada. He was the pastor of Winchester Community Church, and served as mayor of Winchester, Idaho (2000-2007). He spoke on numerous television and radio programs, including Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family. He was an Active Member of the Western Writers of America. Steve graduated summa cum laude in Philosophy from Fresno State University and received a M.Div from Fuller Theological Seminary. The Blys have three sons: Russell (married to Lois) and father of Zachary and Miranda (married to Chris Ross) and mother of Alayah, Michael (married to Michelle), and Aaron (married to Rina Joye) and father of Keaton and Deckard. A third generation westerner, Steve spent his early years working on ranches and farms.

Reviews

[Amanda Tero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very similar to my review for book one, the main reason I could enjoy this was because I anticipated the writing style to be older, not modern.

Timeline-wise, this was better paced than the first book. Not quite so many unbelievable things happened in such a short time.

There was really a lot packed into this book. It dealt with spouses staying faithful, love of family, not coveting, and more. Just like in the first book, Christianity was a way of life for the Skinner’s, so a lot of Biblical truth was woven naturally into the plot.

There were a couple of “adult topics,” but I think I figured it out. Because the author didn’t dig in to express the character’s feelings and emotions for their desires, it came across as appropriate and not sensual. And the wrong situations that were curved were done in a way that made me go, “Wow, that was totally a temptation resisted.” It was refreshing, actually.

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
After enjoying the first book in this series so much, I was eager to read the 2nd book.
While I did enjoy it, I didn’t like it as much as the first one.

What I didn’t like:
There were hints of things that made me slightly uncomfortable. Nothing was really mentioned, but one lady was talking to younger girls about what makes boys different, and the way it was mentioned made me nervous.
I also didn’t like how Rita Ann acts. She’s only twelve but she acts like she’s nineteen and isn’t all that respectful of her parents.

The setting and descriptions of the desert, the sand, the heat all made me feel as though I was there. I enjoyed getting to be with the characters again and watching the events unfold. I really liked that these characters live their faith everyday. It’s not just something they put on on Sunday. They talk to God when things are hard and when things are good.

Overall, I would read this book again, and recommend it to readers who are over 16.

[A Busscher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story line is still good albeit I was getting sick of listening to Dola talk about how plain she is. Also the commentary about her children, how they are growing up so fast, the talk with the townspeople. Then for "pop" to come up and say he was going to go hunting with Teddy... yet they some how run in the same circles with the Skinners. How the skinners just have attitude whereas the other people have real issues.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. The little baby was so cute, "My momma is pretty".

[Olean Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

-The skinners lived in the desert, and faced many hardships. Their original plan was to leave, but they became content with the many blessings God gave them. It’s a good story about family, friends and strangers.