Nazi Gold - Latitude 55

"Inspired by conspiracy theories and stories surrounding eighty-four million ounces of gold stolen from victims of the Holocaust, A. Jay Collins’s historical thriller Nazi Gold, Latitude 55 imagines a clandestine plot to stash the plunder in British Columbia’s outback, as well as a present-day mission to retrieve it. A legend about a mother lode in Toodoggone entices several prospectors, though no one has returned from hunting it the Canadian wilderness with success. Then, in the 1940s, Lucky, an emigrant from Sicily, finds a gold vein in a cavern. Turning to his mafia connections in hopes of developing a mine, he instead meets Lansky, who spies a chance to hide Nazi gold inside of the cavern for later use. From this outlandish scheme, an adventurous story about Toodoggone’s colorful opportunists and its rugged environment unfolds. In tone, there’s both appealing, tall-tale flair and a sense of determination…..the list of the people and organizations involved is intriguing: the Vatican, Cosa Nostra, and banks all play in to these ominous, high- level collusions. Their financial maneuverings hold attention.The novel is as entertaining as it is familiar: there’s a classic man of mystery whose persuasions are intimidating and whose actions are calculated and bemusing. And the duo’s adversaries panic and bumble, so that the ultimate results of their work are seldom in doubt."