What do you think?
Rate this book
Deadly Gold Rush
Not yet published
Expected 3 Mar 26Murder, mines, and missing millions—retirement just got interesting.
When a shady real estate developer is found murdered beneath Harriet Keaton’s family home—shot, stabbed, and surrounded by rare 1830s gold coins—her estranged twin brother Joey is the prime suspect. He insists he’s innocent...but won’t name the real culprit.
With Joey refusing to talk and millions missing from the retirement accounts, the future of the Independence Retirement Community is suddenly on the line. Now, whip-smart Harriet and her sleuthing partners—Craig Travail (savvy lawyer, reluctant romantic) and Yeager Alexander (conspiracy theorist, resident rabble-rouser)—must dig into the past to solve the crime.
Their best lead? A decades-old memoir from Harriet’s treasure-obsessed father and whispers of a long-lost gold hoard.
But treasure has a way of attracting trouble. As fortunes vanish and suspects multiply, the trio must untangle two decades of betrayal—before the killer strikes again.
Murder, mayhem, and the Carolina gold rush: welcome back to the Indie, where retirement is anything but quiet.
When a shady real estate developer is found murdered beneath Harriet Keaton’s family home—shot, stabbed, and surrounded by rare 1830s gold coins—her estranged twin brother Joey is the prime suspect. He insists he’s innocent...but won’t name the real culprit.
With Joey refusing to talk and millions missing from the retirement accounts, the future of the Independence Retirement Community is suddenly on the line. Now, whip-smart Harriet and her sleuthing partners—Craig Travail (savvy lawyer, reluctant romantic) and Yeager Alexander (conspiracy theorist, resident rabble-rouser)—must dig into the past to solve the crime.
Their best lead? A decades-old memoir from Harriet’s treasure-obsessed father and whispers of a long-lost gold hoard.
But treasure has a way of attracting trouble. As fortunes vanish and suspects multiply, the trio must untangle two decades of betrayal—before the killer strikes again.
Murder, mayhem, and the Carolina gold rush: welcome back to the Indie, where retirement is anything but quiet.
- GenresMystery
380 pages, Paperback
Expected publication March 3, 2026
4 people are currently reading
2727 people want to read
About the author
Landis Wade
17 books73 followersLandis Wade is a recovering trial lawyer who writes mysteries and legal thrillers with amateur sleuths and underdog attorneys.
His Christmas Courtroom Trilogy has been called a cross between My Cousin Vinny and Miracle on 34th Street.
His Indie Retirement Mystery series involves humor, good puzzles, and engaging retirees who solve mysteries with a historic component. Deadly Declarations, book 1 in the series, won ten awards, including Winner in the 2022 American Fiction Awards in the Cozy Mystery category, and Winner in the Mystery category in the 17th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards. Next in the series is Deadly Gold Rush. His love of history led to this series.
Landis also founded the popular Charlotte Readers Podcast where he interviewed more than 500 authors, and compiled The Write Quotes series–8 books that feature inspirational and practical quotes from those authors. While podcasting, he co-wrote a novella with podcast co-host Sarah Archer titled Death by Podcasting, a comedic mystery about the danger of podcasting with author guests.
The Charlotte Writers Club awarded Landis their 2025 Adelia Kimball Founders Award for service to the club and the literary community. He lives in North Carolina, where he grew up, went to school, practiced law, and learned to write. He enjoys travel, playing golf, reading, and spending time in the mountains and at the beach.
His Christmas Courtroom Trilogy has been called a cross between My Cousin Vinny and Miracle on 34th Street.
His Indie Retirement Mystery series involves humor, good puzzles, and engaging retirees who solve mysteries with a historic component. Deadly Declarations, book 1 in the series, won ten awards, including Winner in the 2022 American Fiction Awards in the Cozy Mystery category, and Winner in the Mystery category in the 17th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards. Next in the series is Deadly Gold Rush. His love of history led to this series.
Landis also founded the popular Charlotte Readers Podcast where he interviewed more than 500 authors, and compiled The Write Quotes series–8 books that feature inspirational and practical quotes from those authors. While podcasting, he co-wrote a novella with podcast co-host Sarah Archer titled Death by Podcasting, a comedic mystery about the danger of podcasting with author guests.
The Charlotte Writers Club awarded Landis their 2025 Adelia Kimball Founders Award for service to the club and the literary community. He lives in North Carolina, where he grew up, went to school, practiced law, and learned to write. He enjoys travel, playing golf, reading, and spending time in the mountains and at the beach.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Hang on for a courtroom page turner.
In the historic Charlotte gold district, Harriet Keaton cannot catch a break. Her childhood home collapses over top an old mining shaft and a body is discovered, surrounded by rare gold coins. What's worse is her twin brother Joey is the prime suspect, after his prints are discovered on the knife found in the body.
Harriet's friends from the Indie Retirement Community come to her aid, led by Craig Travail, who serves as Joey's lawyer to try and prove his innocence. But the Indie community is dealing with more than they can handle when millions of dollars disappear from their accounts.
The twists don't stop there. This murder appears to be linked to the events that placed Joey in jail initially, twenty years ago. Craig, Harriet, and the other members of the Indie Community follow a treasure hunt buried in the history of the Carolina Gold Rush to see if they can save Joey from an almost certain life sentence and still see if they can find a way to save the Indie Community in time.
Wade has a knack for keeping the pages turning with witty courtroom banter and continuous twists. His cast of characters come to life with moments of humor and heartache as they navigate later stages of their life. While this is the second installment in the Indie Retirement Mystery Series, this book stands alone. However, after reading it, I'll be looking for the first one.
In the historic Charlotte gold district, Harriet Keaton cannot catch a break. Her childhood home collapses over top an old mining shaft and a body is discovered, surrounded by rare gold coins. What's worse is her twin brother Joey is the prime suspect, after his prints are discovered on the knife found in the body.
Harriet's friends from the Indie Retirement Community come to her aid, led by Craig Travail, who serves as Joey's lawyer to try and prove his innocence. But the Indie community is dealing with more than they can handle when millions of dollars disappear from their accounts.
The twists don't stop there. This murder appears to be linked to the events that placed Joey in jail initially, twenty years ago. Craig, Harriet, and the other members of the Indie Community follow a treasure hunt buried in the history of the Carolina Gold Rush to see if they can save Joey from an almost certain life sentence and still see if they can find a way to save the Indie Community in time.
Wade has a knack for keeping the pages turning with witty courtroom banter and continuous twists. His cast of characters come to life with moments of humor and heartache as they navigate later stages of their life. While this is the second installment in the Indie Retirement Mystery Series, this book stands alone. However, after reading it, I'll be looking for the first one.
Read
January 17, 2026Dear Landis Wade…
Thank you for turning a page on the forgotten history of North Carolina’s 1820’s gold rush, creating some well-crafted stubborn characters, tossing in a couple dead bodies and some suspect gold coins, all the while guiding me through the alleyways, forgotten gold mines, and old buildings still in existence in downtown Charlotte.
You had me at the first dead body but kept me reading while you twisted it all together with even more mystery and a little spark of love…not to mention some complicated but very charming characters along with a big question of why with the who-done-it.
Deadly Gold Rush is pure gold and good writing and should inspire more than one reader to pack their bags and drive to Charlotte to walk the streets and discover for themselves the lost mines, gold coins and fascinating history of gold fever in North Carolina.
Let me know when you start doing the goldmine tours!
Carrie Knowles
Thank you for turning a page on the forgotten history of North Carolina’s 1820’s gold rush, creating some well-crafted stubborn characters, tossing in a couple dead bodies and some suspect gold coins, all the while guiding me through the alleyways, forgotten gold mines, and old buildings still in existence in downtown Charlotte.
You had me at the first dead body but kept me reading while you twisted it all together with even more mystery and a little spark of love…not to mention some complicated but very charming characters along with a big question of why with the who-done-it.
Deadly Gold Rush is pure gold and good writing and should inspire more than one reader to pack their bags and drive to Charlotte to walk the streets and discover for themselves the lost mines, gold coins and fascinating history of gold fever in North Carolina.
Let me know when you start doing the goldmine tours!
Carrie Knowles
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was a terrific read, with a compelling plot and a cast of strong, engaging characters. The fact that most of them are retirees who are confident and grounded in solid morale is refreshing and nicely done. I enjoyed the way Charlotte’s gold and mining history is woven into the story alongside the central murder mystery. The romance is sweet but never distracts from what the reader really wants to uncover. Wade’s humor shines throughout, as always. Overall, it’s a very solid sequel to the Indie series.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews