Ghosts of Black Diamond — Dan Hanel

Wedding plans for high school teachers Harrison Barrett and Celeste Scott are put on hold after finding a murder victim's cryptic message scrawled on a pioneer cemetery headstone. As the couple investigates the mysterious warning, Celeste becomes inescapably linked to a centuries-old legend rooted in Pythagorean philosophy and a sinister quest for power. Harrison and Celeste's search for answers draws them into the historical accounting of Nortonville, a 19th century coal mining town set among the Mt. Diablo foothills. The untimely deaths of some townsfolk have a few prominent residents fearing the misfortunes are more than tragic accidents. What ancient secret lies hidden among the Welsh immigrants and their toil for lucrative black diamonds? Follow Harrison and Celeste on their epic and often precarious journey traversing secret societies, mystic symbols, and medieval legends. Will they discover Celeste's connection to the profound mystery before it's too late? The answer can only be found where past meets present, fact meets fiction, and mystery meets romance . . . in the Shadow of Diablo.