Something Found: A Coin

by Troy Aaron Ratliff

Local Artist and so-called “Selfless Scavenger” Todd Freeman may have a seemingly idyllic life painting and scouring the Key West sands with his metal detector and returning lost items to grateful locals and tourists. Yet, his past holds grief and pain: the death of his son, the swift end of his marriage, and the tumultuous period that saw him uprooting from his Midwest home and starting anew, under the South Florida sun.

But he never expected, in his routine beach-scouring, to find the mysterious little coin -- a coin that would set him on an adventure that he never could’ve imagined. One that would unveil a legend primed to change the world, and rewrite history.

With violent pursuers on his tail and bullets flying, Todd finds himself plunged into an incredible quest that will help him not only uncover one of the greatest mysteries of all time, but test his own strength and bravery to a point he never thought was possible.

Something Found: A Coin is the beginning of an adventure that will set your sails for the Floridian tropics, and your heart for the grand unknown.

Genres: Mystery

154 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 25, 2020

About the author

Troy Aaron Ratliff was born and raised in Hamilton, Ohio and self educated in writing, art and voice impersonations. When he's not reading, writing, sketching, or cooking up his next monstrosity, you can generally find him defending the galaxy from the forces of evil, feeding hippopotamuses, dining with foreign dignitaries and Zen masters, waking up to his supermodel wife, altering the space-time inter-dimensional warp or, more than likely, stuck in traffic somewhere in Southern California on his magic carpet.

Reviews

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS
23rd November 2020
TITLE: Something Found: A Coin
AUTHOR: Troy Aaron Ratliff
Star Rating: 4

To Sum Up
‘A cleverly plotted thriller populated with complex and charismatic characters. Very enjoyable.’

REVIEW
I do enjoy a good thriller. I like them fast-paced with plenty of twists and packed full of compelling characters. And, I’m happy to report, this book, despite the rather mundane title, ticks every box.
It all begins when a man, Todd Freeman – very much your typical hero; a man with a difficult history, brave, smart, tends to do the ‘right’ thing – discovers a coin with his metal detector. But this ‘coin’ is not any old coin! What follows is a cleverly interwoven plot involving a number of well-developed characters and a vividly described Florida setting.
Now, this book is not particularly long, but the author works hard to pack a lot in and to offer the reader interesting and sophisticated characters. All of the characters, even the secondary, jump off the page. So much so, I was sympathizing with many and rooting for the rest.
The author also has a competent writing style. It’s descriptive too, but not overly so. He also understands pacing and how to develop characters through speech. I did feel the speech was a little wooden in parts; the author might wish to work on this in future novels.
So, would I recommend this novel? Absolutely! Who to? Well, if you happen to enjoy Clive Cussler (who’s sadly passed away now) and his Dirk Pitt books, this is for you. Like Cussler, this author not only knows how to keep things moving, but also how to keep the reader guessing. And, for me, that’s a sign of a competent ‘thriller’ author.
I see this novel is the beginning of a trilogy. Excellent! Then I think I just discovered a new author to enjoy.

A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
www.thewsa.co.uk

[Pegboard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone has secrets, but Todd Freeman is about to learn a secret that could very well end his simple way of living and even his life in Something Found: A Coin, by Troy Aaron Ratliff. Todd, the Selfless Scavenger, finds a mysterious coin one day on one of his hunts with his metal detector. He gets a thrill out of finding lost valuables and returning them to their owners. When the ocean deposits a rare coin on the beach, Todd asks a friend for help to identify it. This could be the coin that allows him to retire, but it leads to living on the run, finding a secret society, and opening a whole different world to him. If he can stay alive long enough to deliver it to his friend.


Troy Aaron Ratliff has been working on the Something Found: A Coin series for over a decade. This novel lays the foundation for the life of Todd Freeman. Once a successful professional, now an artist living off his talent and anything he finds on the beaches of Key West. Ratliff weaves a complex web of mystery around the life of Todd Freeman and the significance of the coin. This engaging story line creates a mystique around the character, the beauty of southern Florida, and the events that will reshape Todd’s beliefs. The author constructs his story around the emotions of the characters and secrecy of lost treasure. Overall, this novel is descriptive and provoking; a great beginning for a series. I love how the author uses this novel to connect with the brother he lost, and the hope that lays in his heart is like Todd’s.

Written by Peggy Jo Wipf for Readers' Favorite.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've got to say this book kept taking turns that I did not expect and left me wanting to read more and more until I got to the end. I found the main character engaging and thoughtful without droning on (I admit a fear I initially had when I read the first chapter) but nope, definitely someone you can relate too and want to hear more from as a narrator. Definitely looking forward to the next book in the series and having a blast with that one too.

[Juquita Self · Rating 2 out of 5]

boo

Loved the story but where is the sequel? Do not like reading a story that leaves me hanging. Get it written.

[Thomas Riddell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Todd Freeman led a normal Midwestern life: a decent job, married with a son he adored and then horror strikes. His son is killed while fighting overseas and his marriage soon ends because of it. Todd needs a change. He quits his job and moves to Florida, a total change from the life he lived. He lives out a dream of being an artist and finds a new hobby of scouring beaches with a metal detector, looking for small treasures and returning trinkets that beach goers have lost. He finds new purpose in hunting down and returning those lost valuables to people, but his happy and purposeful life is about the change dramatically. He finds a mysterious little coin, the size of a penny, and it's this little coin that precipitates a warning and a wave of violence that causes Todd to flee his beachfront home. He later finds out that this small little coin holds a clue to one of life's all-time mysteries: The Bermuda Triangle. Todd Freeman's strength and bravery will be tested as nefarious individuals now chase him for what he now holds in his pocket, and he finds something even more amazing while fleeing from these individuals. It's a Magic that stuns and awes him like nothing he has ever encountered in his life.

Soon after I started to read this story, I have to admit, I was thrown off a bit, and wondered if I would even continue, but I stayed with it and I'm glad I did! In my opinion, the author presented a back story and history of the main character's life after the opening chapter but in my view, this "back story" should have been presented first. It added depth to the character and interest to the plot; and it kept me glued to the page. At that point the story took off to be very exciting, mysterious and suspenseful. I could not put the book down. I wanted and needed to know more about this little penny and the story behind it. After the last word was read, I wanted more. Looking forward to reading more in this series.

[Nela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Same as the main character, Todd Freeman, found a coin that set him on an adventure that he could have never imagined; in this book I found an unexpected amazing read. This is the start of a brand-new trilogy, by author Troy Aaron Ratliff, that completely engaged me. So, for sure, I will continue reading the sequel!

Here, Todd’s odyssey started and took him to do things he had never done before. This novel is perfectly plotted and full of surprises. There are certain twists and turns that make the tale really difficult to put down.

“Something Found: A Coin” is a gripping and action-packed book, perfect as a holiday or weekend read.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the start of a trilogy so it’s nice to have a good background of the main character’s life. The author really nailed it with the one-on-one type of narrative; I enjoyed very much his writing.

As for the plot, I found it very interesting the connection between the title and the meaning of the search Todd does in the beach. After losing everyone and everything he happens to find a coin that is going to give the man new hopes and meaning in his life. This coin will led Todd into an adventure.

The end comes very fast and unexpected, so I’ll be on the hunt for the second part.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings with this novel because when I started reading it, I felt that the storyline was a bit slow, and all of the sudden, with some interesting twists and turns, the story changed completely.
The story, narrated in the 3rd person, is written through the eyes of the narrator, and he tells the journey of Todd, a man whose job was looking with his metal detector for lost items. On the other hand, I think the descriptions of the scenes, in general, are very good; and the characters are fresh and original. The ending of this novel was, in my opinion, a bit abrupt, but I think it is because there will be a sequel, so I can´t wait to see how this story continues.

[Christina Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Troy Aaron Ratliff’s second awesome novel Something Found: A Coin! Ratliff beautifully crafted an adventure that drew me in from the very first paragraph. The characters are believable and relatable and I can NOT wait to read the next step in Todd Freeman’s adventure.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.

[Kendall Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A man with a grief filled past finds an object that has the potential to change the world and rewrite history. This puts him on a collision course with violent individuals out to steal the object. The book is an action packed, intriguing story, that sets up the Trilogy in such a way that the reader is reading long into the night and wishing for the next book the minute the last page of this book is turned. A wonderful read that doesn’t disappoint!

[Rebecca S Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Very Idea of the Title

Of this book grabbed my attention immediately. The flowing descriptive language used by Troy Aaron Ratliff was simply beautiful and made me feel I was right there with him beginning his new life alone in Florida. A joy to read and a bit terrifying to imagine. Well done, Mr. Ratliff!

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too wordy

Author too overdescriptive. The story itself is different and well thought out. Biggest problem I had was getting through the text leading up to the information you need to follow plotline. Disappointing.

[Isaac (Ike) Standifird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stars if some of the lengthy description of objects such as a palm tree.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting

Love the story line keeps you interested all the time. Very descriptive of the land that trace k s too. Story line keeps you reading especially at the end

[vicki carnicle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something found

This is an weird story about a young man found a coin on the beach and his world chance with being attached and he is still running

[Bethani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg! You’re not going to want to put this book down! I won’t give anything away but by chapter 4, I was sobbing. By the time I finished the book I was so engrossed I wanted nothing more than to pick up the next book. I have a hard time putting myself in the shoes of the main character often when reading. But with Todd Freeman, it was no issue. I will be counting down the days until I can go along this journey with Todd again.