What do you think?
Rate this book
Lucas Caine #3
Blackbeard's Lost Treasure: Book 1 of the Lucas Caine Adventures
A 300-year-old mystery from one of the world’s most notorious pirates leads to the adventure of a lifetime for two friends – an adventure which could lead to fame and fortune, or to their deaths.
Deep within the archives at a museum in Raleigh, NC, Darwin Trickett makes the discovery of a lifetime: the diary of Blackbeard’s wife and a folded treasure map tucked in its pages. He asks Lucas Caine for assistance in helping find the location marked on the map which they believe was drawn by Blackbeard.
Now, these two friends embark on a journey in search of treasure. They uncover clues leading them to several locations along the Carolina coast while being shadowed by a group of mysterious men.
By the time Darwin and Lucas unravel the puzzle, they find themselves fighting for their lives.
What happens next will rewrite the history books and change the two men’s lives forever.
Deep within the archives at a museum in Raleigh, NC, Darwin Trickett makes the discovery of a lifetime: the diary of Blackbeard’s wife and a folded treasure map tucked in its pages. He asks Lucas Caine for assistance in helping find the location marked on the map which they believe was drawn by Blackbeard.
Now, these two friends embark on a journey in search of treasure. They uncover clues leading them to several locations along the Carolina coast while being shadowed by a group of mysterious men.
By the time Darwin and Lucas unravel the puzzle, they find themselves fighting for their lives.
What happens next will rewrite the history books and change the two men’s lives forever.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2016
217 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Caleb Wygal
21 books153 followersBe sure to follow Caleb on BookBub for the latest on sales: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/caleb...
Caleb is a member of the International Thriller Writers and Southeastern Writers Association, the author of five novels, social media marketer, woodworker, occasional golfer, reacher of things on tall shelves, beach walker, shark tooth finder, and munchkin wrangler.
His two Lucas Caine Adventure novels, Blackbeard's Lost Treasure and The Search for the Fountain of Youth, were both Semi-Finalists for the Clive Cussler Adventure Awards Competition.
He is currently at work on the next book in the Myrtle Beach Mystery Series.
He lives in Myrtle Beach with his wife and son (the munchkin).
Caleb is a member of the International Thriller Writers and Southeastern Writers Association, the author of five novels, social media marketer, woodworker, occasional golfer, reacher of things on tall shelves, beach walker, shark tooth finder, and munchkin wrangler.
His two Lucas Caine Adventure novels, Blackbeard's Lost Treasure and The Search for the Fountain of Youth, were both Semi-Finalists for the Clive Cussler Adventure Awards Competition.
He is currently at work on the next book in the Myrtle Beach Mystery Series.
He lives in Myrtle Beach with his wife and son (the munchkin).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 7, 2023
Blackbeard's Lost Treasure - a review by Rosemary Kenny
One of the most infamous pirates of all time, Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard the pirate, was a real person, not just the caricature portrayed in Disney films.
What many people don't know is how or where exactly he acquired all his vast treasure, or where he hid much of it, before being murdered and beheaded.
Caleb Wygal's Blackbeard's Lost Treasure, tells in a most interesting and exciting way, exactly what happens when lonely 'gentle giant' Darwin, comes across a huge clue - and a teaser to solve - at the Museum where he works - that may allow him and his new friend Lucas Caine, a treasure hunter, to succeed where many others have failed before.
Get your copy today and don't forget your cutlass, bandanna and skull and crossbones T-shirt, so you'll look the part, but also be on the alert for other bounty-hunters, who may shanghai you and your crew, or make off with your hard-won gains!
One of the most infamous pirates of all time, Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard the pirate, was a real person, not just the caricature portrayed in Disney films.
What many people don't know is how or where exactly he acquired all his vast treasure, or where he hid much of it, before being murdered and beheaded.
Caleb Wygal's Blackbeard's Lost Treasure, tells in a most interesting and exciting way, exactly what happens when lonely 'gentle giant' Darwin, comes across a huge clue - and a teaser to solve - at the Museum where he works - that may allow him and his new friend Lucas Caine, a treasure hunter, to succeed where many others have failed before.
Get your copy today and don't forget your cutlass, bandanna and skull and crossbones T-shirt, so you'll look the part, but also be on the alert for other bounty-hunters, who may shanghai you and your crew, or make off with your hard-won gains!
November 2, 2017
I wish I could give it more stars, but there's just too much that I found to keep me from honestly giving it more stars. Mostly, the problem is that it needs at least a proofreader, but a professional editor would be preferable. Besides errors in grammar and punctuation and the typos, there are many descriptions that are extraneous to either plot or characterization. In addition, there was some profanity, which was relatively mild by today's standards, but exceeds my personal taste. The story was a straight-forward modern day adventure of hunting for Blackbeard's legendary lost treasure, meaning there were few surprises or twists and turns. Over all, however, I liked the story. That is why I wish that I could give it more stars. Mainly I cared for the main characters -- Lucas and Darwin -- and detested the antagonist, which is a good thing. Despite its predictability, I felt some tension in wondering what was going to happen to them.
August 14, 2016
Caleb Wygal put some serious gray matter to work on this tale of plundering pirates and booty, bringing it into contemporary times and a tale of Lucas and Darwin. Not my genre, but I offered to read it for a potential review and found it thoroughly researched, intricately written, and enticing for those readers pining for life a sea, Jolly Roger on the mast and saber on the hip. Pirate lovers will feel they died and went to heaven. I loved the weave of historic and contemporary setting, the tale well plotted. Some telling versus showing in many places, but the storytelling overshadowed most of them.
July 26, 2016
A Good Read
This book was written by a friend & former coworker of mine. It went fast and you found out that you cared about the characters. I would highly recommend it.
This book was written by a friend & former coworker of mine. It went fast and you found out that you cared about the characters. I would highly recommend it.
April 19, 2020
I'd love to know how much of the story is true and what parts were not. lol. I had no idea that Blackbeard was only a pirate for a few years. WOW! He must have been totally bad-assed to make a lasting impression that has carried through for centuries.
The story is quite interesting as it follows two young men after one of them finds Blackbeard's wife's journal. Of course, one must have one or two arsehats who find out that the duo have way more information than the normal treasure hunters. More than anything... I totally enjoyed the deep historical research that flowed so easily in the story. One felt like they were a mouse in the corner listening to them as they figured out clues to the treasure!
I'll leave it to YOU the reader to find out whether or not the clues are accurate! I highly recommend, Blackbeard's Lost Treasure: A Lucas Caine Novel (Kindle Edition) for those that love a fun thriller!
The story is quite interesting as it follows two young men after one of them finds Blackbeard's wife's journal. Of course, one must have one or two arsehats who find out that the duo have way more information than the normal treasure hunters. More than anything... I totally enjoyed the deep historical research that flowed so easily in the story. One felt like they were a mouse in the corner listening to them as they figured out clues to the treasure!
I'll leave it to YOU the reader to find out whether or not the clues are accurate! I highly recommend, Blackbeard's Lost Treasure: A Lucas Caine Novel (Kindle Edition) for those that love a fun thriller!
August 11, 2020
Was an excellent read, well researched a good build on the characters a d the story.
I had read some of the other reviews as it tends to give one expectation of a new to you author ( I find it amusing to see what sets other authors off), and the one critique that I found amusing was that one re ier claimed that there was profanity in this story (to which I say that I must be the most jaded person, as i could not see any).
I did notice one typo in the text, but it was not recurring and did not spoil the story. I would highly recommend this story.
I had read some of the other reviews as it tends to give one expectation of a new to you author ( I find it amusing to see what sets other authors off), and the one critique that I found amusing was that one re ier claimed that there was profanity in this story (to which I say that I must be the most jaded person, as i could not see any).
I did notice one typo in the text, but it was not recurring and did not spoil the story. I would highly recommend this story.
February 2, 2021
I enjoyed the read. As a past fan of all-things-pirate and shipwrecks, the story was well founded on facts with a nice, fictitious story spun around them. Living in the Myrtle Beach area now, I was also impressed with the geographical accuracy of all locations written about. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for an easy-read, mystery/adventure story.
December 28, 2017
This book is difficult to review. Aside from a few occurrences which I found to be fairly unlikely in a real-world scenario, I really enjoyed the story. The plot was great, characters were believable for the most part, and the story was engaging.
The problem is that the book is desperately in need of an editor. Not just a proofreader (though it does need that), but an editor to fix sentence structure, odd word choices, and other errors. For instance, there is a portion of the story where for at least two paragraphs, the two main character's names are reversed. It's not just once, but it happens repeatedly until that chapter ends. Another example is the overuse of "meaty" as an adjective to describe Darwin's hands. It was used quite often throughout the book.
In addition to those sorts of mistakes, there are far too many instances of missing words in a sentence. I could almost always tell what the sentence was supposed to be from the context, but it just happened so frequently that I just got really annoyed. Errors like these pull me out of the story.
All that being said, I finished the book so that is a testament to the story's (and the author's) potential. I really did enjoy the protagonists, Lucas and Darwin and was generally satisfied with the way the story ended. If you are interested in pirate stories (as I am) and can tolerate the multitide of errors then the book might be worth your time.
One other note: Just an fyi that there are several instances of mild cursing.
The problem is that the book is desperately in need of an editor. Not just a proofreader (though it does need that), but an editor to fix sentence structure, odd word choices, and other errors. For instance, there is a portion of the story where for at least two paragraphs, the two main character's names are reversed. It's not just once, but it happens repeatedly until that chapter ends. Another example is the overuse of "meaty" as an adjective to describe Darwin's hands. It was used quite often throughout the book.
In addition to those sorts of mistakes, there are far too many instances of missing words in a sentence. I could almost always tell what the sentence was supposed to be from the context, but it just happened so frequently that I just got really annoyed. Errors like these pull me out of the story.
All that being said, I finished the book so that is a testament to the story's (and the author's) potential. I really did enjoy the protagonists, Lucas and Darwin and was generally satisfied with the way the story ended. If you are interested in pirate stories (as I am) and can tolerate the multitide of errors then the book might be worth your time.
One other note: Just an fyi that there are several instances of mild cursing.
February 6, 2018
Fun modern treasure hunt
This story channels the essence of the popular Robert Langdon character as the smallest most obscure clues lead to an adventure that uncovers one of histories most mysterious treasures. While most treasure hunts happen I. Europe or the middle east , this story takes place in The United States on the east coast in the Carolinas. This is a very historical American treasure hunt. Lots of fun to read.
This story channels the essence of the popular Robert Langdon character as the smallest most obscure clues lead to an adventure that uncovers one of histories most mysterious treasures. While most treasure hunts happen I. Europe or the middle east , this story takes place in The United States on the east coast in the Carolinas. This is a very historical American treasure hunt. Lots of fun to read.
August 15, 2024
I have no idea what's going on with these other reviews nor why the other reviewers are so smitten with this book. Yes, it has pirate lore and there's a fast pace to its narrative. It's got the Dan Brown/National Treasure thing going on, with a fun adventure propelling things forward.
But it also has some dreadful writing. We have paper-thin characters (one guy is a divorce; the other guy is a bashful size sixteen shoe; a girl is a sad childhood), and all characterization occurs in huge infodumps as if they were plopped in as an afterthought.
And the typos. My goodness, the typos. There are the forgivable ones, like a missing word here and there, but then there are just some wacky ones that honestly make you pause for a minute. I would hope even a self-published author would catch most of these.
Here's perhaps my favorite:
"I don't know what to say," Darwin stuttered.
"Just say yes," Riddick said, standing and holding his hand out to Riddick.
Riddick took it in a firm grip. "Absolutely. Let's do it."
So happy was he at the offer, he forgot about Lucas's instructions.
I read this book because it's summertime and I wanted a light adventure, preferably one that touched on pirate lore since I aspire to be a pirate one day. And yes, this kind of scratched that nautical itch since Wygal clearly did his historical research (often to a fault, piling exposition into the middle of a chapter). But the journey to get to the fabled treasure was pretty arduous, with not nearly as many twists as I'd expect from this genre. You could likely do better than this one.
But it also has some dreadful writing. We have paper-thin characters (one guy is a divorce; the other guy is a bashful size sixteen shoe; a girl is a sad childhood), and all characterization occurs in huge infodumps as if they were plopped in as an afterthought.
And the typos. My goodness, the typos. There are the forgivable ones, like a missing word here and there, but then there are just some wacky ones that honestly make you pause for a minute. I would hope even a self-published author would catch most of these.
Here's perhaps my favorite:
"I don't know what to say," Darwin stuttered.
"Just say yes," Riddick said, standing and holding his hand out to Riddick.
Riddick took it in a firm grip. "Absolutely. Let's do it."
So happy was he at the offer, he forgot about Lucas's instructions.
I read this book because it's summertime and I wanted a light adventure, preferably one that touched on pirate lore since I aspire to be a pirate one day. And yes, this kind of scratched that nautical itch since Wygal clearly did his historical research (often to a fault, piling exposition into the middle of a chapter). But the journey to get to the fabled treasure was pretty arduous, with not nearly as many twists as I'd expect from this genre. You could likely do better than this one.
June 12, 2022
great plot, poor editing
Lucas and Darwin became treasure hunters after finding a hidden map where X marks the spot. Could this be Blackbeard’s elusive lost treasure? The plot, filled with twists and turns, takes the reader for ride along the Carolinas’ Coast. Sadly, the outing hits numerous bumps along the way due to poor proofreading and missed grammar errors. I’ve read newer novels by Mr. Wygal and found the story lines to be intriguing and editing greatly improved.
Lucas and Darwin became treasure hunters after finding a hidden map where X marks the spot. Could this be Blackbeard’s elusive lost treasure? The plot, filled with twists and turns, takes the reader for ride along the Carolinas’ Coast. Sadly, the outing hits numerous bumps along the way due to poor proofreading and missed grammar errors. I’ve read newer novels by Mr. Wygal and found the story lines to be intriguing and editing greatly improved.
April 10, 2024
I really enjoyed the story but it needs editing. There are typos, incorrect grammar, words missing from sentences and some irrelevant stuff taken out. Having said that though it has potential to be a really good book.
July 22, 2024
Blackbeards Lost Treasure
Good interesting story of the life of Blackbeard. Treasure hunting, boating, life changing events are all included in this book. Can’t wait to read Book 2
Good interesting story of the life of Blackbeard. Treasure hunting, boating, life changing events are all included in this book. Can’t wait to read Book 2
December 9, 2017
Many descriptions that are extraneous to either plot or characterization.
June 2, 2021
Intresting some parts felt dragged out.
May 19, 2023
Good story, but it's a little slow in some parts. It was easy to figure out who the bad guy was.
July 20, 2024
Really enjoyed this book. Lots of intrigue and twists and turns.
March 21, 2025
Pretty much an very amateur effort.
A good story but presented in an amateur writing style. Way too many editing errors that any proof reader should catch.
A good story but presented in an amateur writing style. Way too many editing errors that any proof reader should catch.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews