DARK FORTUNES

The hunt for stolen Nazi treasure quickly turns deadly in Beck’s debut historical thriller.

Frank Reid is sad to lose his best friend and billionaire business partner Henry Weddell. Suspecting foul play, Frank enlists a security team in California to protect his own family as well as Henry’s, who may be targeted by diabolical types pursuing a fortune in Nazi-pilfered gold and cash. It seems that back in 1944, two American soldiers were captured by an SS officer, who made a deal with them: They’d get to live (“You’ve managed to avoid a firing squad”), and would even be comfortably rich, if they helped with a valuable haul. In 2008 Alaska, former CIA operative Jim Bennett keeps a close eye on three dubious individuals in his village: a wealthy oil producer, a recently-hired cop with a questionable past, and a nosy self-proclaimed writer. These potentially-linked men, along with Nazi artifacts that a local man unearthed decades ago, may all have ties to the search for the World War II–era loot. As the story progresses, Beck effortlessly adds characters to the perpetually growing cast; they include pilot Dale Olsen, Jim’s personable, 20-something kids Danny and Audra, and several highly-skilled members of security team Dark Star. There’s ample mystery at the beginning, as it’s unclear how the dual time eras, the action in two U.S. states, and the bevy of individuals will possibly connect. However, readers will be mostly caught up before the halfway point and way ahead of the characters piecing together what they’ve learned and concocting theories. There are still plentiful surprises and suspense as people double-cross one another or suddenly die (and trusting an SS general isn’t easy, even when he claims to despise Hitler). Facing off against greedy villains precipitates some entertaining action, and more than one pair among the cast may find a romance more rewarding than whatever the Nazis stole.

Sprightly characters propel this tense story of dark secrets and duplicity.