Dandy, Cass, and Peter find themselves gaining entry into a special club- one that for decades has focused on finding the treasure hidden in Maple Bay. They each have found their way to this coastal town in Nova Scotia differently- one lives there, one is invited there, and one lived there long ago and has found his way back. The Bellwood’s Mansion has been hiding secrets all along… the unraveling will keep you on your toes. @tomryanauthor I didn’t see half of these twists and turns coming!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@netgalley and @groveatlantic thank you so much for this #advancedreaderscopy - pub date is 10/15/24

Mystery. Secrets. Families. Treasure. Enjoyable. Clever. 3/5.
Didn't love this book, but didn't hate it.

Well, this book has a sort of local legend that involves pirates and a treasure, a secret kept for years, and generations of families tied to this. Plus, some other dark mysteries. The thing, for me, was that one of the main characters wasn't appealing at all. And there were a lot of things that were either clichés or pretty obvious. But, on the other hand, some characters (even secondary) were quite interesting, as well as some things that happens, and the writing style, structure and climax were well done. So, thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for this ARC, and congratulations to the author.

This is an amazing book! It immediately pulled me in with its rich descriptions & the promise of buried treasure. The three main characters all come to the treasure hunt through different means & each of their stories would be compelling alone. When they come together, it’s gets even better. Dandy is my favorite! The added bonus of journal entries from the past was illuminating. I loved the town of Maple Bay, the homes, the beaches, all lush & enticing sounding. I don’t know if this is a stand alone novel or the beginning of a series. The author has created a wonderful template of characters & location, if this is just the start. This is easily one of my favourite books for the year. The ending was had such perfect, surprising twists!

The blurb immediately drew me in. I expected to love this wholeheartedly.

It fell a little flat for me, but it may just be a me thing. I DNF’d it early on because the writing felt very juvenile. And I was already confused with the characters and switches in POVs.

I think a lot of people will enjoy this book, so definitely give it a chance. However, it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy!

The Treasure Hunters Club is a fun read with twists and turns. Set in a cosy coastal town, three characters (newcomers Peter and Cass, and teenager Dandy) seek un unravel the mystery of the Obelisk treasure. Though the story is told from three (or four?) POVs, there are a lot of characters over multiple generations to keep track.. The first half is paced a bit slow, but necessary for the world-building.

We first meet Dandy (Danielle) and Grandy (her grandfather) while they're out searching for treasure on the beach in Maple Bay. This is where we first hear about the Obelisk Treasure that is supposedly hidden somewhere in the sand and ocean surrounding Maple Bay.

The book then moves forward and Grandy has passed away. There is a strong level of grief that really comes through Dandy's character and her relationship with her grandfather is one of my favorite aspects of this story. We also then meet Peter and Cass, both of whom are struggling in their own ways and are called to Maple Bay for reasons that seem a little too good to be true, but both arrive in Maple Bay with high hopes.

One aspect I appreciated in this story is the theme of family and atonement. Whether a family by blood or by choice, we all have complex relationships that ebb and flow and this story includes several different types of relationships, the consequences of past actions, and how we try to correct our mistakes and move forward.

The one issue I had with this story was the number of characters. It started to feel overwhelming trying to keep track of everyone, who was related to whom, and how they fell into the story. Even minor characters seemed to pop up frequently, and it felt a bit distracting for me. As a caveat, many of the characters are related but unfortunately, they don't have similar names, so this is where it started to feel a bit chaotic.

The last 25% of this story is where the bulk of the thrills are, and if you enjoy a slow burn, you'll enjoy this one. This story has a complete ending, which is great with all of the character development that the author created. It's a lot to pack up but the author does a nice job at making sure no one is forgotten.

If you enjoy a slow-burn, centuries-old mystery, with a diverse cast of characters, you'll enjoy "The Treasure Hunters Club".

I'm not really sure what to make of this. I feel like the cover and blurb hurt it by making us expect something super adventurous and fun and exciting and it's just not that. It's cosy and enjoyable but it moves pretty slow. The characters weren't unlikable but I didn't feel particularly attached to any of them. If anything, what I loved most was when we heard the voices of the older generation. The promised 'secret society' isn't nearly as exciting or scandalous or dark as you'd expect. The 'pirate lore' is barely there. In fact, it seemed like there wasn't that much treasure hunting at all. I also wasn't a fan of the multiple POVs with some in first-person (which I tend to hate) and some in third-person.
This is hard to review though because I honestly quite liked it; it was not at all unpleasant to read. But it also was not at all what I went in for, and I perhaps wouldn't have gone for it had the whole presentation of the book not made it sound like something quite different. In my opinion, this should be marketed as more of a small-town, low-stakes cosy mystery than a rollicking adventure with plenty of excitement.

A treasure and mystery spanning multiple generations the Treasure Hunters Club is a cozy thriller.

While it starts off slow to introduce us to the key players and get them to Maple Bay, the action kicks off shortly after. A found treasure hidden and then lost again is the main mystery but the twists and turns surrounding it lead to unexpected thrills.

The descriptions and storytelling lend you to picture yourself at Bellwoods along with the characters. While I did question some things as the book was progressing, it was surprising in it's conclusion.

This book bored me and had me rolling my eyes. It is getting fabulous reviews and then I come along--sorry, not my cup of tea. The characters and the plot are too far-fetched and over the top. Thanks to NetGalley and the Atlantic Monthly Press for the digital ARC. This review is in my own words.

3.5 stars rounded up. While this book wasn't quite the fun adventure the title made me think it would be, it was entertaining and twisty enough to hold my attention. I liked all of the main characters, which is always a plus when there are multiple story lines going on.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I picked up this book, thinking it would be a cozy, seaside mystery and getting so much more. This is a fast-paced novel, filled with family secrets, bodies piling up and the hunt for legendary pirate treasure.

Told by multiple points of view, our main characters are: Peter, a 40 year old who feels his life is going no where, Cass, who recently gave up her dream to be an author and Dandy, a local teenage treasure hunter. The characters are relatable and full of personality. Making reading this book feel like I was sitting in the town bar watching it all play out. I was pulled in and invested fully in finding out what was happening in Maple Bay.

Something I found unique was that the characters were from a variety of age groups. I think this makes the book a good fit for a broad audience as you are more likely to find a character that you can relate to.


Overall, I highly recommend this book! I loved the characters, setting and the complex mystery.



Available October 15th

Thank you to Netgalley, Publisher Grove Atlantic, Atlantic Monthly Press and author, Tom Ryan for the advanced copy.

The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan is a twisty mystery that will keep readers on their toes. Set in beautiful seaside of Nova Scotia, three lives will collide. Cass, a young struggling author in NYC, takes an unexpected house sitting job in hopes of finding some peace and inspiration to get writing again. Upon arriving and quickly learning the story of hidden pirate's treasure, she decides on the topic of her next novel. Middle aged Peter is orphaned and renting a bedroom in a run down home from a aloof roommate. He receives a letter from the grandmother he has never met and sets out to take her up on her offer to meet at her mansion in Nova Scotia. Peter learns that his long lost family holds dark secrets that may lead him to the buried loot Last, there is 17 year old Dandy who is grieving the death of her beloved grandfather. He has left her a letter instructing her to go to a meeting at the local library in hopes the group will let Dandy stand in for him. She learns that her grandfather was a part of a secret society searching for the buried treasure. Cass, Peter, and Dandy's lives will collide and family secrets and lies decades old will come to the surface.

Although I enjoyed this novel, there were too many characters to keep track of. I wish the author had included a map of area and family trees to help the reader keep track of everyone. Thanks to Netgalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an ARC of The Treasure Hunters Club in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5
⭐⭐⭐

I recently came across this book and was really looking forward to delving into a story about a club centered around treasure and pirates in Canada. However, it turned out that the story focused more on current events rather than exploring the club and its purpose. It felt more like a cozy mystery than a book about a secret society. If you're someone who enjoys uncovering clues to discover more about a hidden treasure and its members, this book might be just what you're looking for. I hope that this story finds its audience.

I really wanted to like this book because the premise is amazing! However, this book suffers from very poor execution of the concept.

The narrative centers on three people: Peter, who is nearly 40 and has nothing to show for his life and no money, who gets a letter from the grandmother he didn't know existed to invite him to Maple Bay, Nova Scotia, to the family home. Dandy, a seventeen year old young woman whose grandfather has just died, and he left her a cryptic set of clues to the famous Obelisk Treasure. And Cass, a struggling author who gets an opportunity to house sit in Maple Bay. As each of them start to investigate they want to figure out where the treasure might be hidden.

The writing in this book is very juvenile. It's disjointed and the flow is disrupted with abrupt changes of point-of-view between the three main characters, with no warning as to when this is going to happen. It sometimes will happen in mid-narrative so that Peter's first person narrative in one paragraph switches to Cass's third person narrative in the next paragraph.

Dandy does not speak or act like any teenager I've ever met. I thought she acted about twelve and yet her dialogue is stilted and seemed more like an adult at times. There's also one of my least favorite narrative styles, which is info dumps disguised as journal entries. It takes the reader out of the action and makes it telling rather than showing. And there were way too many characters from the past, the present, and some of them overlapping with nicknames. It was nearly impossible to keep them all straight and how they were connected.

There is one twist that comes from absolutely left field and seemed so bizarre, and it happens and then it's over super quickly. With all of the buildup and long exposition, to have what little action occurs take place in only a few pages seemed anti-climactic. Plus: (view spoiler)

I also could not figure out why it needed to be mentioned over and over (and over) again that Peter was gay. They could be driving along and then all of a sudden, it's mentioned. For no reason. It was seriously eye-rolling. And what was with the need to add romance for Cass? It wasn't like we didn't have enough going on.

Unfortunately, for all of the potential of this treasure hunting plot, this book just does not deliver in an enjoyable way. It took me a very long time to get through it because nothing about it drew me back.

The Treasure Hunters Club hit all the marks for me. Liken anything to The Goonies and I'll give it a shot.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

The pacing in this felt off. For something billed as being similar to The Goonies, I expected more adventure, more excitement, more... well, treasure hunting. But there's barely any of that, instead the story moves between cozy mystery, domestic drama, young adult coming-of-age, and historical fiction. The transitions between POV characters are clunky, particularly once the twist is revealed (I'm still not entirely sure that even made sense, from a writing/style standpoint), and the actual plot never really takes off until the book is almost over.

This is a perfectly fine, sometimes even blandly pleasant, distraction for the cool autumn months, but it didn't live up to the expectations set by its blurbs (I mean, come on.... Riley Sager, AJ Finn, and Alex Finlay?!) and its synopsis.

I really enjoyed this book! Who doesn’t like the thought of looking for buried treasure?! This book was full of surprises. It had a few twists that caught me off guard.
It was a good mystery!

This is definitely *my type* of book. As someone who is solidly GenX and grew up watching movies like <i>The Goonies</i> and <i>Indiana Jones</i> and reading Nancy Drew and Amelia Peabody books, I am a sucker for a murder mystery with pirates and treasure.

I love stories of towns with lore, and, as a librarian, would love to be able to be the town archivist and holder of secrets.

The cast of characters - three people who are on the hunt for rumored treasure, but have never met - is provide multiple POVs and each has a unique voice.

The stakes are relatively low, but the book was entertaining from start to finish, and I genuinely enjoyed the read.

You guys, this is, like, such a fab read! It’s, like, a total cozy mystery that just wraps you up in all the feels. The characters are super relatable, and I was totally rooting for them the whole time! Peter, Dandy, and Cass are, like, an unlikely trio, but their stories totally blend together in this, like, epic way that kept me on my toes!

I can't even with the twists! I thought I had it all figured out, but then—boom! Mind blown! This book is perfect for a chill evening read when you're just, like, wanting something light and fun. Seriously, you’ve got to check it out! It’s, like, a cozy mystery that’ll make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside! ✨

A huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!