tom meinecke

This novel is an intriguing mystery of a lost map to a hidden silver mine on land near the Calf Killer River that runs through the middle of Sparta, Tennessee. 

A mysterious letter to an investigative reporter, Jim Templeton in Houston, telling him his life and legacy are in danger, prompts him to go to Sparta. There he meets a beautiful woman who assists him, as the last surviving Templeton heir, to obtain the land which contains the hidden silver mine. 

Other characters that emerge, some being prominent local citizens and a stranger with connections to the past, learn of the map and silver mine and seek by any means necessary to obtain one or both. 

As the characters surface their unusual and troubling back grounds and sometimes evil personalities are revealed. 

With the help of the local archivist, Templeton discovers the history of his Revolutionary War ancestor and how the land was obtained and passed down through the generations. He also finds a will of an ancestor with strange wording that suggests the location of the map.

Soon, unusual killings begin to happen. In each case the victim is killed by an ax plunged into their head. As these unsolved murders continue to mount, there is a suspicion that they may be related to previous murders of the same type in the past.

The unsolved ax murders of Chief Calf Killer two hundred years ago and that of Templeton’s wife in Houston two years ago, suddenly appear to be connected to the hidden silver mine.

The twists and turns involving the murders related to the map and silver mine creates a story of mystery, romance, revenge, betrayal, and finally redemption.