* Arc given in exchange for a free and honest review. Thanks to Netgalley.

I really wanted to like this.

I was promised certain things, and I was looking forward to reading a combination of Everyone in my family has killed someone and The Goonies (one of a handful of movies I will stop and watch whenever I come across it).

It started out okay, but then it just stayed in that lane. I admit April is not the greatest reading month for me, but I had a hard time getting thru this. I kept waiting for something to happen. And waiting. And waiting.

There was no character that I was rooting for; they were just there.

And then when something did happen, I felt a bit cheated because even going back, I couldn't find a point in the narrative that I could have had an inkling about the twist. After that, the rest of the book felt like an info dump, just for the purpose of wrapping everything up.

Think missing pirate treasure, cosy seaside town and a host of newcomers to stir things up!

★★★★

I am not one to normally reach for an adventure book, but this one really caught my eye and I was not disappointed!

This is a feel-good, cosy adventure mystery full of warm and likeable characters which made reading this an absolute treat. I loved how unique the host of characters was, and how the book covers an entire town across generations without the story becoming complex or convoluted. Ryan writes from all three perspectives which was refreshing and fast paced, always leaving me excited to see what would happen next and to whom. It felt like a puzzle, each new chapter giving us another missing piece towards the conclusion.

Ryan absolutely nailed the twist in this. I was expecting a cosy mystery/adventure, assuming we would simply find the treasure at the end, and that would be that, but surprisingly, the unexpected twist around 3/4ths of the way through worked brilliantly and surprisingly, was completely unguessable for me.

Overall, this book was a breath of fresh air. The premise was simple enough that I could just let myself get lost in the story, with enough breadcrumbs for me to put my mind to work trying to figure out what was going on. I would absolutely read some of Ryan’s YA books following this.

Four stars simply because I felt the writing style did stray more so into YA territory than I was expecting and I think I would have welcomed a sharper edge to really hit the spot.

Review to go live on Wednesday 8 May on linked Instagram page.

FYI - spelling error on line 6, page 162

The Treasure Hunters Club is truly a treasure of its own! A fun, fast paced adventure, that also includes murder, and a twist you won’t see coming!

I’m the type of reader who loves a good mystery and boy, does this book deliver! When Peter gets a letter from his estranged grandmother, on his mother’s side, he decides he’s going to Maple Bay to learn about a life and family he never knew. When he arrives though, he learns of dark family secrets, and the possibility of hidden pirate treasure.

I love Tom Ryan’s writing in this book. Each character was unique and the way he describes the seaside town of Maple Bay, I just want to pack my bags and fly off there this fall! From the perspective of 3 different characters we get our story that is immersive, atmospheric, fasted paced, and thrilling. From start to finish I couldn’t put this book down, and even when I did it’s all I could think about. Not to mention the twist literally had me gasping out loud!

This book will be out in October and I highly recommend you pick this up and give it a read! I want to thank NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and the author Tom Ryan for the eARC.

In his thrilling page-turning whodunit, The Treasure Hunters Club, Tom Ryan captures the thrill and essence of adventure/mystery novels most of us enjoyed reading when we were kids, in addition to making the story intriguing to an adult audience. Upon further reflection on the plot, I would (tentatively) say that this book can be read by a broad audience [both older and younger (16+) readers] who enjoy murder mysteries.

The Treasure Hunters Club is a multigenerational story told through multiple POVs using different devices and types of narration. Depending on the character the author uses 1st person POV and journal entries, in addition to 3rd person limited. The mix of narration styles and the novel's structure adds another level of suspense and mystery to the plot.

The novel's structure and pace will keep you glued to the book, reading long past your bedtime as you attempt to figure out whodunit before the reveal. The Treasure Hunters Club is an excellent beach read (the setting of the novel is a small idyllic seaside town in Canada, and a pirate treasure is at the heart of the story) with a sprinkle of nostalgic childhood reads (I was reminded of Treasure Island and The Famous Five series of novels) but with a very contemporary way of writing and structuring.

I really loved this! The mystery surrounding the Obelisk treasure’s location that everyone in the story is hunting for is fascinating and I loved how the story had three separate POVs for Dandy, Peter and Cass (mostly) to show each of their journeys on the investigation. Definite Goonies vibes and it was great

Pirate treasure - how that term excites the imagination. Peter comes to Maple Hill to meet his long lost grandmother. Cass is looking for inspiration for her next book. Dandy is mourning the loss of her grandfather. Maple Hill is the home of a famous missing pirate treasure, and Dandy's grandfather leaves her a clue. As Cass and Peter get drawn into the mystery things begin to happen that are hard to explain. Abounding in local characters this is a tale that gathers strength as it progresses to an ending I guarantee you did not see coming. A good mystery and easy read this one moves along and keeps pulling you with it.
Thanks to #NetGalley#TheTreasureHunter'sClub#AtlanticMonthlyPress for the EARC

This was an absolute delight to read.

The characters are all very well-rounded, and I'm a sucker for a young girl making everything happen. My family comes from NS which hooked me initially, and the small-town vibes were pretty spot-on.

A very easy and super quick read—perfect for the vacation I bought it to. Not stressful at all nor super complex, but was definitely a page-turner and kept me interested the whole time.

I haven't read anything from Tom Ryan other than this, so looking forward into reading more!

Thank you Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for this review.

To be totally honest, I found the first third of the book quite plodding and at one stage thought I would just end up skim reading it to the finish, I didn't feel engaged with the characters and didn't like the jump back and forth between different years, but then the story picked up pace.

People have been visiting Maple Bay not just for the scenery but also in the hope of finding the legendary lost pirate treasure

Peter Barnett on the eve of his 40th birthday receives a letter from a long lost, estranged relative inviting him to the ancestral home in Maple Bay, along Dandy, a teen who has just her beloved grandfather and Cass, a disgruntled author, the three of them are drawn into the mystery, but what can they possibly hope to discover.

I would say this is more of a cosy read, enjoyable to pass a few hours, I did enjoy the twist at the end, which I did not see coming.

This was my first Tom Ryan book and I really enjoyed it. The flashbacks of the boys in the coastal town searching for treasure very much gave Goonies vibes. I loved the weaving of different generations.

This was a great spin on a typical inheritance mystery and murder. Tying in a long hidden treasure is a good discussion point for motives, character evaluation, and having tandem story lines going. This will be a great option for entertainment, book clubs, and classroom discussions.

I had high hopes for this to be a great adventure story. It really wasn't that at all. By chopping up chapters into viewpoints by different people( written in first person and third person) made it harder to follow. Each person did not seem different enough to be a seperate character. Scenes with a character were too short and needed to be fleshed out more to really get a feeling of something happening. It was just too flat to me to be adventurous or to be interesting.

The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan is a fast-paced murder mystery. I loved the plot twist that I didn't see coming.

Thank you, Netgalley, and the publisher for a copy of this book for my honest opinion

RELEASE DATE: October 24th, 2024
GENRE: mystery
TOPICS & THEMES: murder mystery, family, adventure, multiple povs, pirate treasure

The narrative's structure, shifting between multiple points of view with an inconsistent mix of first and third person, leads to repetitive storyline that fails to captivate me. Sadly, I do not think is the book for me. But other reader might find it more enjoyable. I certainly hope they do. It also feels like a start of the series, or at least the story it has must more to say.

I had a lot of fun with this book. It was, for me, the perfect book to take on my recent vacation. I was looking for something that was lite, easy, entertaining, and fun. This basically nailed it on all accounts. It felt to me like the author was actually one of the main characters. There was an intimate knowledge and life experiences that came through with both the setting and the characters, and that made it seem like the author had been there and done that. The story was quite good, it kept me engaged, with subtle and big hooks. The style made for a quick and enjoyable read, the conversations between characters made me feel like I was involved in the conversations. My favorite part was the big drop towards the end, the author delivered a major plot twist that I didn't see coming. I thought I had the book pegged, I was wrong, which made for a fun read. The blurb is actually spot on the book pretty much is a treasure hunt multi level murder mystery. I highly recommend this and wish the book and author success.

I'm a sucker for a lost treasure and a murder/mystery. I also love the "Inherit a house from a long lost relative" trope. This was a fun read and was hooked from the beginning. I was expecting the main characters to work together more and search for the treasure or try to solve the mystery. Overall I enjoyed this book

Set in the quaint town of Maple Bay, Nova Scotia The Treasure Hunters Club follows the story of 5 friends and their descendants on the hunt for lost pirate treasure. Taking the best from the genres of mystery, adventure and intrigue Tom Ryan takes you on a decades long journey about friendship, family and the ties that bind or divide over lost treasure.

So well written with vivid characters and told from different perspectives the author keeps you invested in the journey and initimately invested in each characters outcome. Skillfully plotted with unexpected twists and turns, you’ll want to keep reading long into the night.

I would highly recommend giving this story a read!

Managing to strike a fine balance between an adventure story and a cosy whodunnit, The Treasure Hunters Club is ostensibly about families and inheritance. Three people - a 'Gen Z Nancy Drew', a washed-up writer looking for her next big strike of inspiration, and the long-lost scion to a prestigious local family - find themselves drawn to the secrets of a coastal town, particularly a legendary hidden treasure trove. Is it a perfect mystery? No, not quite - there are several instances of clunky dialogue and the split perspective (several POVs and a mysterious diary to boot) means that the fragmented narrative loses coherency as a result.

Despite all this, the tonal balance is great with a sense of warm found-family battling some genuinely dark and unsettling mystery beats, the whodunnit itself is well-constructed, and the twists, when they come, are genuinely startling, all of this leading to a deeply satisfying ending. The Treasure Hunters Club is a solid, enjoyable mystery that evokes classic tropes and feeling, to create something relatively fresh, like unearthed treasure finally coming to light.

This review is for an ARC which isn't the final version, so some things might change. Hopefully, some things might improve, because this book really deserves it. I almost gave it 4 stars, but I didn't like how one of the twists at the end was done, which was frustrating because it's a really nice idea that could have been explored much better. Apart from that, I liked it. It's a light summer read, preferably while you're on the beach, and it's entertaining. The writing is light and easy, in an informal tone (which I'm not usually a fan of, but that's a personal preference) but the story is intricate enough to keep you wanting to know what comes next. I'd also like to point out that maybe to fans of lighter, more informal reads and YA books this might be actually a good pick!

The Treasure Hunters Club is an enjoyable story surrounding a generations-old mystery. Three unconnected people all play their part in setting into motion this tale. The story takes place in Maple Bay in Nova Scotia. Peter, has been contacted by the grandmother his mother was estranged from. Now in her 90's she is reaching out to him as her only relation. She has things she needs to share. Cass is a YA writer, but her first book did not do well, and she is struggling with what is next. She has received an unexpected invitation to housesit for a year in Maple Bay. Finally, there is Dandy. With the recent passing of her beloved grandfather, she is at loose ends until she finds a message from him where he directs her to visit The Treasure Hunters Club.

The story involves a lot of characters across several generations and with many interconnections. While this could have made the story hard to follow, the author did a great job of laying the story out in a way in which I never was confused or struggled to follow. In Maple Bay, there is a long-held tale of lost pirate treasure. It has captured the attention of visitors as well as the locals. But the treasure isn't the only mystery that the area has hidden.

I enjoyed every moment of this story. The pacing and the characters all worked well together to keep me engaged and invested in the story. We are given enough information to try and unravel the mystery ourselves, but the unexpected turns and a stellar twist make for a
delightfully twisty puzzle. There is a cozy mystery feel to the story so in spite of a murder or two, the action is not too threatening. I am looking forward to reading more from Tom Ryan.

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review.

Told from multiple perspectives, The Treasure Hunters Club begins with 5 boys who find lost pirate treasure. The book follows these 5 five families and how this discovery impacts them and their families for generations.
This book was so fun, it makes you think of the fun you imagine as a kid hunting for buried treasure, but come to life! The author did a great job weaving in the 5 different family stories and making it all make sense. A great plot twist and just the ending we needed.