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A sleepy Appalachian river town can hold many secrets... and so can its people.Best friends, Josh Baker and Eddie Debord, revive a one-hundred-year-old local legend of missing gold from a train heist in 1903, by discovering a sealed-up parchment map along the shady banks of their river. This leads them and their friends on an epic, adventure-filled, coming of age, journey of a lifetime!

Combine a fog-shrouded river island with a shadowed past, a beast of a mountain man, a knowledgeable but mysterious retired investigative reporter, a large pile of missing gold from a train robbery years ago, and a homemade downriver raft adventure, you have the ingredients of an Amazon Best-Seller you cannot lay down!

Fans of “Stand By Me” are really enjoying “River Rocks”.

Be careful wishing for big adventures... one may find you!

STEVE KITTNER BOOKS ... Your Adventure Begins Here!

“... Suspenseful and wonderfully crafted book...” ★★★★★ reviewer

“... River Rocks took me back to my youth of running the hills and creeks near my home, my friends and I searching our own adventures. Very well written...” ★★★★★ reviewer

“River Rocks” is Book #1 in the Best Selling “What Lies” Adventure Series ★★★★★

339 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 28, 2014

204 people are currently reading
231 people want to read

About the author

Steve Kittner

6 books7 followers

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5 stars
133 (54%)
4 stars
73 (30%)
3 stars
25 (10%)
2 stars
8 (3%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Lisa Malmquist.
771 reviews23 followers
March 4, 2022
A charming adventure story about a couple of teenagers that love to hike, camp and fish in the hills of a small town in West Virginia.
One day while fishing, they find an old milk container and a map inside. The map leads them on a treasure hunt all over the hills.
They meet lots of new people while they search, a mountain man, a librarian, and others not on their side.
Will they find the missing Confederate gold removed to have been stolen in 1903?
A great story about a couple of kids and lots of adventures on the river!
Profile Image for Nicholas Harvey.
Author 42 books173 followers
August 2, 2020
Fun old fashioned adventure tale

A great story with enjoyable characters who'll take you back to your youth. I look forward to the rest of the series.
10 reviews
February 25, 2016
I enjoyed this book.

What a great adventure story. It's summer break. Josh and Eddie, 14 year old friends and neighbors, have little more to do than spend their days riding their bicycles and fishing along the river that runs through their small community.
The adventure begins when the boys discover a sealed jug stuck in he river's mud. As word leaks out about the discovery, the boys soon find others might go to great lengths to get the jug's contents for themselves.
I enjoyed the story and found myself wishing for those carefree summers on the creek bank near the railroad bridge nearly 50 ago. I hope teenaged boys still read these types of adventures and get the itch to explore and conquer as my friends and I did.
I liked the fact that Josh and Eddie were polite and that the book had no vulgar language or other unsavory themes. Now I plan to read the companion book "WHAT LIES IN THE HILLS"
Profile Image for Book Him Danno.
2,399 reviews78 followers
January 6, 2018
An enchanting adventure tale of a train robbery, stolen Confederate gold and murder which occurred in 1903 in rural West Virginia. Move forward to the present time and two young friends find an old sealed milk container in the muddy river edge while fishing. After hearing something moving around inside they manage to get the top off and find an old rolled deer skin which leads them into an investigation which leads them to the train robbery. Will they solve the clues given on the old deer skin and more importantly will they find the gold.


This book was written for the young readers and will keep their interest to the end. I have given this book a four star rating and would recommend it to anyone with young readers.

I obtained this book in Kindle format from Amazon.
Profile Image for Janis Brown.
79 reviews
August 7, 2021
A refreshing story of teenage boys

I am an avid reader of books by the tropical authors, but this new author to the group popped up on their newsletter and I gave it a try. Steve Kittner has a way with words and the minds of young boys. The entire story makes one realize what goodness there is in this world , if only this could be the norm. Small towns are wonderful places and this location of the real place, Blue Creek, WV, must be a great place to grow up. I don't like stories with made up places. I just can't make a realistic connection to the story and that leaves me flat and uninterested in the story. Technology was available but these boys decided to find adventure the old fashioned way. Looking forward to Steve's next book.
Profile Image for Stacie Sullivan.
48 reviews2 followers
April 11, 2016
Having been born and raised, myself, in West Virginia, I was hoping to read a story that would reminisce me back home. This book did not dissapoint!!!! I felt as if I was right alongside the characters during the entire adventure! Very rich in detail and perfectly paced, this book itself is a treasure!
Profile Image for sara.
21 reviews1 follower
May 5, 2015
Wild and Wonderful

This book really brought back memories. Not just one certain place but several areas in WV are like this. The tale of friendships and hardship is something postural communities know well. The author does an excellent job of putting you in the raft and in the woods with the boys. This is a book I will definitely read to my classroom and in my home.
Profile Image for Jack.
459 reviews1 follower
March 29, 2015
Nice adventure tale

Kind of like a Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn story of some West Virginia kids who find a treasure map related to a crime that happened over a 100 years ago. Good characters and a well written story. Enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Connie.
309 reviews6 followers
July 6, 2017
This book got off to a slow start, and the author often times repeated the storyline. However, I did enjoy the simplistic lifestyle of boys in the book live out as they go on this adventure. It was well worth getting on past the slow start to find out how things ended.
8 reviews
August 24, 2020
Totally engrossing

This is an easy book to read. The plot flows naturally and the relationships are believable. So liked how the characters were built up and improved by their interaction.
Profile Image for Phil Curtis.
41 reviews
October 4, 2020
River Adventure

A wonderful book, wonderfully written. An exciting story centering around two young boys. Just what every young boy from the country dreams of. I would really recommend it.
1 review
January 16, 2021
Great Read

Wonderful, believable characters. Hated to finish the book it was entertaining and so true to the personalities of young boys that age. I really enjoyed reading this book. My first book from this author and I’ll look for more of his works.
106 reviews
September 28, 2022
Good adventure

I like that it was an easy read with a nice and an interesting adventure filled with folklore. This book is for the reader that like adventurous mysteries. Its a four stars for me; nothing great or bad about this book.
Profile Image for Stephanie Collins.
6 reviews
October 1, 2015
Awesome adventure!

It reminded me of my adventures as a kids. This book made me feel as if I were there on the adventure too. It was exciting and funny.
2,956 reviews
September 20, 2015
This was such a good book! What a refreshing change from the typical mysteries I usually prefer. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys adventure, bad guys, good guys and friendships.
Profile Image for Reba.
239 reviews1 follower
May 20, 2017
A worthy read

I found th is book hard to get into the first several pages and almost didn't finish it. But...I'm glad I did. It turned out to be engaging and quickly placed.
Profile Image for Mary E.
434 reviews3 followers
December 31, 2017
Good story

I enjoyed the premise of the story. The characters, especially the older men were so much fun. The plot was well developed .
305 reviews4 followers
May 17, 2018
Pretty Kool

This was an entertaining young adult book. It took me back to my own childhood. Running wild and free in the woods and countryside.
Profile Image for George Hebert I.
23 reviews
October 21, 2020
Great engaging and easy read

I was looking for a book to share with my grandson. This is a great start and I am looking forward to reading the other two books in this series
Profile Image for Jon.
35 reviews
December 13, 2020
Just a nice story with good and bad characters, but mostly good. Would be nice to read to your young children and grandchildren, if this is still done Today.
29 reviews
April 21, 2021
Great Read

Great read. It's like being a kid again after reading Buck Finn. No foul language in general a way kids should spend their summers.
Profile Image for Russell Waters.
11 reviews1 follower
February 22, 2022
Great Adventure

Easy to read and exciting. Brought back memories of the carefree days of a kids seeking an adventure. Well done. Highly recommend.
Profile Image for Rob Roy.
1,555 reviews31 followers
June 20, 2024
This novel is set in the back country of West Virginia and follows three 14-year-olds and one 18-year-old in the adventure of their life along a river. The description of their love of the wilderness will cause any reader who was privileged to grow up in the bonnies to often remember their childhood adventures. The land may be different, but the joy and the adventure is the same. This time however, the adventure is real and the intrepid four follow a treasure map, that may lead to long-lost Confederate gold. As they pursue their adventure they meet other allies and, unbeknownst to them enemies. But which is which? This is a book for all ages and is simply a joy to read.
Profile Image for Mary Stenvall.
Author 14 books8 followers
January 6, 2023
This was a good read, reminiscent of Huck Finn, with two boys who have an adventure. Those they meet along the way, the flashbacks, tie together for the adventure of a lifetime. Well written, interesting and entertaining.
Profile Image for Connie Cook.
949 reviews7 followers
December 9, 2023
This was a mystery/adventure book about a couple of 14 year old teen age boys. They fish on a river and find an old milk can with a clues to find gold from an old train robbery. There are other characters in the town that help, a bad guy, a hermit type person, and a really cool raft.
46 reviews
April 16, 2024
An Enjoyable Delight

It's been a challenge finding good fiction this year for me. I truly appreciate Steve Kittner. He delivers my favorite book of the year so far. Wholesome and full of lessons, good and bad, while keeping up the page-turning fun of fictional treasures.
1 review
September 8, 2023
super book

Hard to put down, well written without a lot of extra unneeded info.
Reminds me of better times. Highly recommend
Profile Image for Tracy.
181 reviews
May 12, 2016
Great Adventure!

What a great adventure! From the first page to the last I enjoyed every minute I spent with Josh and Eddie on their summer adventure. I look forward to doing it again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

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