A rare book dealer becomes involved with intrigue and murder over a map locating a fabulous gold horde, hidden from the Nazis during the opening days of WWII. He and his lovely assistant are chased across the US and end up in Greece for the final confrontation and discovery.
Connor MacLean is a rare book dealer, who specializes in military and historical manuscripts. His grandfather Ian was a WWII veteran and father Grant served in Vietnam, though emotionally scarred, by the tragic bombing of a catholic orphanage he failed to prevent. Yet Connor was a hero of the Gulf War, as well as a successful businessman, respected by his peers and considered an expert in the field. Connor MacLean attends an estate sale in an affluent Chicago suburb, where he intends to purchase a number of one-of-a-kind items concerning Erwin Rommel, the famed Desert Fox. This sets the stage for a hidden map, possibly revealing the location of a fabulous gold horde hidden from the Nazis during the opening days of WWII. The map exists and in several people’s minds, it’s certainly worth killing for. Travel across the United States to a former POW camp for Axis prisoners, where clues are hidden, to a whitewater chase on the Wolf River in Wisconsin. Help MacLean and Elena, his assistant and lover, decipher the numerical code that will lead them to the treasure, or possibly to their deaths. While Connor MacLean deals with an ex-wife, alcoholic father, crotchety grandfather, jealous rival book dealers and neo-Nazis, led by a former German air ace, you will wonder what can go wrong next. All the action leads to a series of plot twists, unexpected developments and the final confrontation on the resort islands of Greece. When you think you’ve got it all figured out, the final surprise is a classic. So if you’re into action, passion, nasty bad guys, unusual locales and a hero who hits what he aims at, it's Dust Jacket.
Professional Reviews
Three Roses
DUST JACKET is set against the world of rare book dealers, but it definitely isn’t some cozy little relationship novel. The story pulses with intrigue and international treasure hunting. The ride may start slow, but it is soon careening from one escapade to another with breath-taking speed.
The book opens with vignettes from three generations of MacLean soldiers as a pivotal event in their life occurs. The facts given out in these brief, cinemagraphic glimpses are integral to the plot, though their importance is not immediately evident.
The contemporary section of the plot starts at a rare book auction. Connor MacLean has a successful bookstore, and is considered an authority on the subject of North Africa in World War II. He is here at the auction with his manager, the lovely Elena, to add to his collection. The romantic tension between the two begins to sizzle from their first introduction, and it is inevitable where it will end up.
When they get their prizes back to the store, a series of bizarre occurrences leads Connor to the conclusion that someone is out to get him, and it has something to do with one of his purchases at the auction.
Gradually, he begins to work out the puzzle with the help of Elena, his father and grandfather. The quest takes them back and forth across the country, and finally to Greece and Macedonia for the final climax.
DUST JACKET is a real page-turner. It has a well-plotted story, though a few of the incidents seem a bit far-fetched, or contrived. The characters are all three-dimensional people with good and bad points, and subtle relationships are woven throughout the story. It was intriguing enough to keep this reviewer reading for most of the day. Yes, there were bits of exposition that seemed stilted, but on the whole, it is a worthy addition to the Hart canon.
Mr. Hart is best when writing about military operations. Those passages are gripping and dynamic. In this case, he pulls off the love story as well, which is a sign of growth from some of his earlier works. There is a lot of potential in this book, and this reviewer looks forward to seeing more Derek Hart in the future.
