It’s the 70’s, and Bev, widow of a soldier killed in combat, struggling to make ends meet for her and her young daughter, finds herself in a situation many would envy. Just about everyone is fascinated in some way by the tale of D, B. Cooper, who famously parachuted from a plane, a with bundle of money, never to be seen or heard of again. In this story, Bev and bunch of others, are invited to join Andy, who says he is a friend of DB, to look for the loot D.B. carried with him when he parachuted out of the plane that day, in the Cascade mountains. People will sometimes do strange things for money. It is a motley crew, each with his/her own reason for joining, but, really, they are there for the adventure or the money. As they search, a bad blizzard traps the group in the area where they are searching, which only adds to the story.

The author takes the reader on this trip, without much information of the group except for Bev, who seems to be telling the story. Nevertheless, you get a good sense of who the characters are, from their conversations, interactions and events. The story of this search was well done. The characters are believable and relatable and could fit in anywhere at any time, though the book is set in a different, long- ago era. Thus, a lot of questions arose in my mind as I read book: why look for just $200 K, why not use a GPS, why not use cell phones, etc. However, none of these existed back then. The story line flowed well, though at times I did find it slowed a bit. I kept wondering if Bev would ever get back to her young daughter or to file what she hoped would be the block buster story of the year with her newspaper employer. The backstory about D.B. Cooper was a clever trick the author used to pique interest in a story that, in many ways, resembles others that abound. I think a reader will be impressed with this unique take on things. I know I was. I received this form NetGalley to read and review.

DB Cooper and his airplane hijack for ransom have been the subject of many a book and/or television show. Everyone has a theory of how he managed to get away or did he die and someone else take the money? Rick George has taken this story and given it a twist...one that could be possible. Enter our journalist. She's working hard against a good old boy system designed to keep her at the bottom of the ladder when she's offered a chance to go along with a group to recover the hijacking loot. As the group works closer to the supposed site, events will make you wonder if there is more to the story than meets the eye. The twist in Cooper's Loot makes it a unique back story to an old story that has been told and retold. You will find yourself wondering why in 50 years, no one else had ever thought of this!