About the Book

(Featured new release, optional reading)

Deadly Gold Rush is the second novel in the Indie Retirement Mystery series.

When a real estate developer is found murdered beneath Harriet Keaton’s family home, surrounded by rare nineteenth-century gold coins, suspicion quickly falls on Harriet’s estranged twin brother. With millions missing from retirement accounts and the future of the Independence Retirement Community at risk, Harriet and her fellow sleuths begin digging into both the crime and the past.

Their investigation leads them through decades-old secrets, a long-rumored gold hoard, and the historical legacy of the Carolina Gold Rush. As suspects multiply and tensions rise, the trio must untangle buried betrayals before the killer strikes again.

Deadly Gold Rush combines classic cozy mystery elements with humor, community dynamics, and historical intrigue, continuing the series’ focus on smart puzzles and character-driven investigation.

About the Author

Landis Wade is a North Carolina–based author of mysteries and legal thrillers and a former trial lawyer. He is the creator of the Indie Retirement Mystery series, which centers on a group of sharp, unconventional retirees who solve crimes rooted in local history. The first book in the series, Deadly Declarations, received multiple awards including honors from the American Fiction Awards and the National Indie Excellence Awards.

Wade is also the author of the Christmas Courtroom Trilogy and the founder and longtime host of the Charlotte Readers Podcast, where he interviewed more than 500 authors. He has compiled insights from those conversations into The Write Quotes series, a collection of books focused on writing, publishing, and the creative life.

His work is known for blending mystery, humor, historical context, and lived professional experience into accessible, puzzle-driven fiction.