Wreck of the Gossamer: The Puzzle Box Chronicles Book 1

by Shawn McCarthy

Book one of the sprawling Puzzle Box Chronicles.Victor Marius, an inspired scientist and budding entrepreneur, is lost in a shipwreck off the coast of Cape Cod in the summer of 1891. But before he disappears beneath the waves he manages to release a strange box that he hopes will protect his legacy. Amanda Malcom, a young woman enduring a troubled marriage, is about to make a discovery that will lead her on a dangerous odyssey – one that takes her across the country, and into the heart of a rapidly changing America. Along the way, she meets Plains Indians, ex-slaves, riverboat charlatans, and secretive workers who champion the U.S. labor movement. At a time when electric lighting is spreading across the country like a wave, she also meets inspired engineers and Montana miners who dig deep to feed the country's insatiable demand for copper. Amanda has survived many things in her short life, but it’s not clear if she will be able to survive the first year of the last decade of the 19th century.

203 pages, Paperback

Published January 7, 2016

About the author

I'm the author of ten books, with a heavy focus on historical fiction.

My historical novels include:
- "Local Honey" - Set in 1951, it's the story of a small town's "haves vs have-nots" in post-war America. It’s part love triangle, part class struggle, and part dreamy window into the lost New England of the 1950s. The backdrop includes seashore towns, rural farms, the gritty slums of Boston, and brief flashbacks to World War II battlefields.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

- "The Puzzle Box Chronicles" a six-book series set in Boston, Cape Cod and the American West in 1891. it focuses on an important time of transition in America, when electric lighting is spreading across the country like a wave.
Its locations range from private luxury train cars to seedy back alleys. Even the sparks created by that time period's "War of the Currents" can't fully illuminate the darkest parts of that history. It starts with Book 1, "The Wreck of the Gossamer."
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

- "The Sea Glass Empire" a collection of five short stories that raise questions about how external influences can sometimes have a huge impact on the trajectory of people’s lives.

I've also written two non-fiction books, (one for John Wiley & Sons and one for the National Society of Professional Engineers) and authored articles for The Washington Post, Tribune Publishing, United Press International, the Associate Press and various Smithsonian Institution publications.

Reviews

[Anthony Tobianski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful Read!

It seems like a great mix of history and fiction to bring life to and intriguing tale. I'm definitely going to to be looking for the 2nd book!