Desert Gold — S.R. Hawley

When Allison Ames and her friend, geologist Terry Braun, trek into the Mojave Desert to look for turquoise, they come up dry. But what they do find chills them to the bone, a dying man whose last gasp sends them on an unexpectedly treacherous quest.

As a journalist, Allison loves a good story, but the one the dead man's widow has to tell is hard to believe. There's gold in those sun-scorched hills-Civil War booty -- and finding it would help Mrs. Montoya immensely. Besides, the lure of discovering hidden treasure is too challenging to pass up. But for Allison and Terry, the heat is on: They're not the only ones who are searching, and their competitors' motives are certainly not pure. The cruelly murdered Mr. Montoya was merely the most recent in a long line of gold-fever victims, and if Allison and Terry aren't careful, they will be next!