Book one of the sprawling Puzzle Box Chronicles.Victor Marius, an inspired scientist and budding entrepreneur, is lost in a shipwreck off the coast of Cape Cod in the summer of 1891. But before he disappears beneath the waves he manages to release a strange box that he hopes will protect his legacy. Amanda Malcom, a young woman enduring a troubled marriage, is about to make a discovery that will lead her on a dangerous odyssey – one that takes her across the country, and into the heart of a rapidly changing America. Along the way, she meets Plains Indians, ex-slaves, riverboat charlatans, and secretive workers who champion the U.S. labor movement. At a time when electric lighting is spreading across the country like a wave, she also meets inspired engineers and Montana miners who dig deep to feed the country's insatiable demand for copper. Amanda has survived many things in her short life, but it’s not clear if she will be able to survive the first year of the last decade of the 19th century. Review by Jessica Foley, Modern Mom's Life blog: In Wreck of the Gossamer "Shawn P. McCarthy paints avivid picture of a ship tossed by storms on the open sea. It's whathappens after the shipwreck that is the main content of this 202 page story...This book has a very good plot but it also very easy to follow. A good bit ofmystery keeps the reader interested and involved in Wreck of the Gossamer. I recommend it, especially if the next instalments are close athand!" Review by Patrica at Patricia's Wisdom book review site:I would recommend this story to those who enjoy historic fiction and to readers who like to imagine what a time was like and how inventions came to be. Amanda's adventures are cross country in a wide sweep as she experiences and works to unravel the mysteries of the puzzle box which washed ashore after the Wreck of the Gossamer Rusty at Rusty's Reading - Book Review blog:Early readers of this book series have expressed great enthusiasm for how it helps define an important era while also offering elements of romance, adventure and intrigue. "Where Stephanie reads - Book Review site:This week I finished this really fun book. Imagine finding the leftovers of a ship that was shipwrecked. What would you do? In the Wreck of Gossamer the first book in The Puzzle Box Chronicles by Shawn P. McCarthy we meet a woman named Amanda who dreams of seeing the world but is stuck in a horrible marriage with her drunk husband. One day she discovers the remains of a ship that was shipwrecked. She sees a box and takes it home. This book series was great fun to write. I have a fascination with the 1890's because America was in a time of great transition, from the spread of electricity, to changing roles for women, to the emergence of early automobiles. Meanwhile the country itself was growing, with the addition of new states. Such changes had a huge impact on any person who elected to leave their traditional role in this era - to strike out on their own. I hope this series reflects the personal hopes and dreams that sometimes emerged along with those changes. Shawn P. McCarthy is a former journalist and Industry analyst who lives in Massachusetts. He also dabbles in history and renovating old houses.