The Valley of Arcana

Two hunters lost in the Northern California wilderness stumble upon a cabin in the woods where a young woman named Charmian Reemy celebrates her birthday alone. So begins Arthur Preston Hankins' 1920s adventure, a novel that mixes frontier romance with the thrill of discovery. Charmian possesses radical ideas for her era and an independent spirit that captivates Dr. Inman Shonto, a renowned gland specialist who has abandoned his medical practice for the sake of adventure. Together with the pragmatic Andy Jerome, they plot a journey to find the legendary Valley of Arcana, a hidden paradise said to hold precious opal claims, walled in by snow-capped mountains and untouched by civilization. What begins as a quest for wealth becomes a test of character, desire, and who each person is willing to become when civilization falls away. Hankins writes with vivid appreciation for the California wilderness and the way remote places strip away pretense, leaving only what truly matters.