*A Second Chance (Also published as 'The Sun, The Glass, and The Leaning Rock'), Volume 1 in the Florea/Holland Mystery Series... A SECOND CHANCE (original edition) is a thrilling story of high adventure, of friendships, of romance, of loyalties and betrayals, and of great personal danger in the lives of ordinary people. This tale combines a tricolor of excitement, yielding the grand adventure of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', the enchantment and humor of 'Romancing the Stone', and the suspenseful who-done-it of Sherlock Holmes--hang on tight! The story opens in the year 1984, but centers on the 1924 discovery of the 'Lost Dutchman's Mine' in Arizona, the inevitable misfortune of its discoverer, and the strange fate of the loot itself. A treasure map, an unusual necklace, and a simple nursery rhyme set the stage for double murder, betrayal, kidnapping, and unrelenting drama in this tale of the high desert. An unemployed ex-cop and his two friends become entwined in this adventure-mystery, which takes the reader from Boston to Arizona, from Ohio to California, and finally into the harsh, Nevada desert, where the good guys meet the bad guys in a final, head-on confrontation. Both want to unlock the treasure's secret--'the sun, the glass, and the leaning rock, tell you when it's four o' clock'. If you're ready to jump out of an airplane on a foggy night, hopefully land unscathed in rugged terrain, repel from a high cliff on a short rope, take an eerie night stroll across miles of barren desert, find your way through an unyielding sandstorm, escape a deadly confrontation with rattlesnakes, pass through the turbulent waters of a flash flood, leap from a high-rolling flatcar on a train ride to terror, and in the meantime solve all the 'who-done-it' before the astonishing climax--then you are more than welcome to the millions in gold that lay hidden within a dark, abandoned void, somewhere near Ely, Nevada.
About the Author: Mark Stephen Taylor is the author of 'Hiking the Trail of Truth', an award winning autobiography. He has also authored 'Hiking Life's Difficult Trails', an in depth look at life's spiritual dilemmas, now in two editions. 'Knowing Just Who You Are', is the latest in this 'self-help category', and is for sure an eye-opening look at ourselves as individuals-a treatise on body, mind and spirit. Mr. Taylor has in addition produced books that he labels, 'a bit of fiction and reality'. Among his bestsellers in this category are, (1) 'Lone Pine'; a story of love undying, (2) 'A High Sierra Christmas'; an untold tale of Jeremiah Johnson, (3) 'Three Days in Lone Pine'; and untold tale of the High Sierra 1873, and a latter western, (4) 'Still Waters'; legend of the white wolf. (Note: 2, 3, & 4 are now part of the new 'Lone Pine Western' series. Moon of the White Wolf, an untold tale of the High Sierra, 1874, is now the newest release in the Lone Pine Western series.) 'The Sun, The Glass, and The Leaning Rock'; the secret of the lost Dutchman's gold (also published under the 1984 title, 'A Second Chance'; a daring tale of high adventure), kicks off an exciting mystery series involving characters Rod Florea and Mitch Holland, whose expertise in treasure hunting and route finding are unmatched anywhere in the country. The second book in this series is 'The Secret of Monument Valley'; the Trail of the Anasazi, which solves the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Anasazi people of the desert southwest. In the third book of the mystery series, 'Treasure of the High Sierra'; Dead Men's Gold, their treasure hunting and route finding experience leads them on a most enlightening but dangerous journey, where they come to the aid of two teenagers in their quest for old, hidden pirate treasure. Unfortunately they must deal with the ghastly spirits of long dead buccaneers! Expect more great stories in both this mystery series and the new Lone Pine Western series. Coming soon in the mystery series: The Secret of Death Valley, (late 2014).