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In 1558 a Spanish galleon headed for the New World loaded with supplies for the colonies sank off the coast of Georgia. Now, inside one of the largest cofferdams ever built for purposes of archaeology, Lindsay Chamberlain is excavating the site on the ocean floor. The new head of the division of anthropology and archaeology at the University of Georgia, Francisco Lewis, is staking his reputation on the project. John West, Lindsay's friend, is risking his future and his construction company on the safety of the cofferdam. For Lindsay, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to piece together a history that unfolded at sea, not on land.

Her research reveals that at least one passenger survived to tell the tale of the ship's voyage and destruction. His diary, written in code in a mix of Latin shorthand and archaic Spanish, reveals details of the voyage and describes his life at sea in the sixteenth century. This treasure of information for the archaeologists now recovering the remains of the ship tells of another lost ship -- a galleon on its way to Spain loaded with a vast treasure of gold, silver, and precious jewels. The diary also reveals that a murder occurred on the journey and provides Lindsay with a skeleton crew of suspects -- all the clever scholar needs to solve a crime that occurred more than 400 years earlier.

With the ocean and its pounding waves only two bulkheads away, anxiety takes a toll on the excavating crew. Modern-day pirates loom on the horizon, and a hurricane is blowing their way. Adding to the troubles, two men with ties to the site are found murdered.

As tensions and trouble escalate, Lindsay must solve the murders. Everyone is a suspect. After all, whocan resist the temptation of so much gold?

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