The secret of lost gold is known to very few. The search turns deadly.
Golden Goose is a fictional enactment of a fantastic true story. Jean Harris has uncovered a well kept secret from World War Two.
During the early years of the war the axis powers were unstoppable. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill secretly met with American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt aboard the British battleship Prince of Wales, ostensibly on a fishing expedition. Much of what the two great statesmen said is in the records of the Atlantic Charter, but their agreement to store British gold in America was kept secret.
Excerpt
LOCATION: London, England.
Date: August 1941.
A tall, handsome man in the uniform of the Royal Navy makes his way up the rickety stairs to his leased second floor apartment in crowded wartime London. The navy requires him to live close to his assigned office. He wears the braids of a full commander on his sleeves. While he usually springs up the stairs like a cat, his mood shows in his lethargic steps. His face looks grim. The German Luftwaffe has been bombing London again, and he worries about the safety of his wife and young son. He wants them to move to his family’s estate in Witney, but his pretty wife Emily refuses. They have had many separations because of his naval career, and she wants to be with him whenever possible. Tonight he has another concern.
Emily opens the door and greets him on the landing. She is dressed in a simple green, cotton dress and carries Gregory, their one-year-old son, in her arms. Her auburn hair is cut short and she wears little makeup and no jewelry. Her eyes are large, green and expressive. Her features are small and well formed, whereas her husband’s are sharp and prominent. Their apartment is dark as required during blackouts, which are common because of the frequent bombings.
She reaches up, takes off his hat, being careful not to smudge the polished bill. She smoothes his thick ruffled hair and kisses him. He kisses her and takes little Gregory without speaking.
Emily notices his cheerless mood and says, “I trust you didn’t get your posting?”
Donald Harris carries their baby into the small flat and sets him on the beautiful thick carpet Donald brought back from the orient. Emily closes the door, pulls down the heavy shades and turns on a small table lamp. Donald unbuttons his tunic, loosens his tie and collar, and says, “Oh, I have a posting, unfortunately not one I care for.”
“You’ll be leaving soon?”
“No. Point of fact, I’ll stay right here in London.”
Emily’s face brightens and she hugs her husband tightly.
“Darling, that is wonderful news. What will you be doing?”
“Some bloody hush hush project. Mainly paperwork I suppose. Long hours of sitting on my backside while others fight the war.”
Emily’s smile dims and her words scold. “You should be grateful. You will see me and Gregory and not be off to God knows where.”
“Yes,” Donald says without enthusiasm. “I guess I should be grateful, but I’m due for a ship command. My contemporaries all, or most, have major war ships, or at least executive officer billets. The war will be over before I see a ship again.”
“Well let us hope so. Dinner will be ready shortly. Why don’t you freshen up, or you could change Gregory?”
Commander Harris is washing his face when the air raid siren begins its incessant wail. He hurries out of the bathroom and slips his tunic on as Emily grabs little Gregory up from where he plays on the floor. She wraps him in a heavy blanket and pulls on a thick sweater. They leave their flat and head towards the air raid shelter, a few blocks away in the underground subway station.
They are at the bottom of the stairs when the distinctive grinding
Professional Reviews
Golden al the way.
Golden Goose is Golden all the way, April 4, 2008
By Rob Walker "RWW"This review is from: Golden Goose (Paperback) 5 Star
I read the Golden Goose and found it a page-turner that I could not put down; it belongs up there with the best thrillers of the day. It has everything one wants in a thrill-packed, action-packed suspense novel along with mystery and intrigue. It's as good, if not better than, most I've read from the bestseller list. Jean Harris is an amazing character and for Ed Humm to create such a believable character in a gender not his own is another testament to the author's ability along with setting the scene, dialogue that moves, and an amazing, twsiting plot. For a first novel debut, this is a winner of the first order.
Robert W. Walker, author of City for Ransom, City of the Absent, and DEAD ON
Fast moving 5 star
Golden Goose, July 1, 2008
By John C. Watts (Hardeeville SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Golden Goose (Kindle Edition)
Golden Goose I do not have time to read a lot of books. However, I enjoy reading when I travel. I recently purchased Golden Goose when I was scheduled to travel to Memphis for a few days and then fly to New Mexico. I started reading the first night and could not put the book down. I finished the book in just a few hours.
It is such a fast moving story with so many twists and turns that you will not know the outcome until the end of the story. The characters are well developed and the interesting way that the author changes the scenes and ties some events of WWII to the events of the present time is exceptionall well done.
I will look forward to future works of Edmund Humm.
Sixty-seven days after departing Flores Island in Europe’s westernmost waters, the schooner Heimdall and her stalwart crew has finally arrived at the mysterious Isla Socorro in the Revillagigedo Archipelagoes. The discoveries they make are astounding
