Wednesday 1 August 2007

General Slocum's Gold by Nicholas Kaufmann

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketPublished by Burning Effigy Press

General Slocum's Gold is the tale of a thief named Sackett who is fresh out of Rikers and already headed for trouble. He was given a map, a map which shows the location of a fortune in gold which is rumoured to be buried on a deserted island. The island is located in New York's East River. Word is already out about the map, and before he even begins his journey, adventure comes to find him, in the form of Carson, a low ranking thief who is out to make a name for himself.

When Sackett joins Whitey and his crew, they depart for the island with no idea of what faces them. The island isn't deserted after all and the ghostly inhabitants are willing to do whatever it takes to protect their treasure.

What I loved about this chapbook, is the mixture of past and present. The tale slips back and forth between the tale of Sackett, and the story of how the gold came to be at the island. It makes for a compelling, tense, and wonderfully detailed read. I was pleasantly surprised at how much of the characters shine through. It's not often that a reader can connect in so few pages.

It's a great read!

Author's website: http://www.nicholaskaufmann.com/

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