Long Shadows
In Long Shadows, a mining engineer and his descendants are caught up in events spanning the American continent and beyond. The adventure begins after Horrace Braddick receives a telegram during a poker game in Alaska. Ling Chow, a mysterious and powerful figure needs his help to blast a tunnel through a mountain. Ling Chow is in possession of a vast fortune in ancient gold bars hidden in a mountain cave. The gold could save the United States from bankruptcy during the Panic of 1895— if it can be moved to New York in time.As the story unfolds in the 1890s, Ling Chow and J.P. Morgan, the wealthy 19th century financier, outline a plan to transfer the gold by rail across the country. Later, F.A. Mitchell-Hedges (a famous explorer) challenges and complicates the lives of the Braddick family when the mysterious artifact, known as the Crystal Skull, is taken to ruins in British Honduras where it is stolen. By the 1960s, all that remains of the Braddick name is a house known as Braddick Manor, an abandoned Victorian mansion at the edge of a small town. Three of the town’s children begin to piece together the tale of Horrace Braddick and the family’s incredible history as they explore the house he built. The family’s remarkable story unfolds as they find clues while exploring an ancient cave and by searching dusty books, faded photos, bundles of letters and telegrams discovered in an old trunk in a storeroom at Braddick Manor. This fictional tale shines new light on a few of history’s most unique characters and the circumstances that surrounded them.