July 22, 2021
Cherokee Emerald, by R.M. Morgan
(A Harriett Roth/Don Gannon Murder/Mystery Series)
(Houston, TX/Wales, U.K.) Welcome to Cherokee Emerald, the third gripping installment of R. M. Morgan’s outstanding Roth/Gannon Murder/Mystery Series. This mystery focuses on a North Carolina legend dating back to the late 1830s — concerning a treasure so rare, so valuable, that peoples’ lives will be put on the line as they attempt to locate and recover the Cherokee Emerald.
The legend was born during a particularly dark chapter in the history of the United States. In the 1830s a tragedy was inflicted upon the Native American nations in the south-eastern USA. Sometimes called the Indian Removals — the Cherokee, Muskogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations were moved from their ancestral homelands to areas west of the Mississippi River designated Indian Territory. The Cherokee were the last to be displaced in 1838, following the discovery of gold in Georgia. This displacement is known as the Trail of Tears.
A newlywed Cherokee huntsman named Waya discovered a magnificent natural treasure, a large Emerald of the deepest green. News of Waya’s discovery quickly spread around Macon County. Knowing he would be soon forced to march westwards, Waya and his trusted friend Ian McDonald bury the treasure on the McDonald farm, hoping that someday Waya would be able to return and unearth it. Sadly, Waya never returned.
163 years later, the McDonald farm is burglarized and beset by night-time trespassers digging holes in a field. In desperation the McDonald’s turn to the Roth Detective Agency for protection and answers. Harriet Roth, the master sleuth, assigns the case to Don Gannon her primary investigator and right-hand man …
PJ Colando, author of the award-winning ‘Faith, Family, Frenzy’ series said, “I am a history buff and, while I knew of the ‘Trail of Tears’ episode that forced the Cherokee Indians from the Carolinas to Oklahoma, I didn’t know why. I enjoyed this fictionalized recounting – in large part because it was personalized.”
Morgan’s books are available anywhere books are sold. For more information, go to www.rmmorgan.com or www.3rdCoastBooks.com . Registered Screen Treatment available. 3rd Coast Books, LLC, specializes in Books-to-Film. “Kick Back and Read!”