Bridge of Gold by Kimberley Woodhouse

Bridge of Gold
by Kimberley Woodhouse

ISBN-13: 9781643529578
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Barbour Books
Released: June 1st 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Underwater archaeologist Kayla Richardson is called to the Golden Gate Bridge where repairs to one of the towers uncovers two human remains from the late 1800s and the 1930s. The head of the bridge restoration is Steven Michaels, who dives with Kayla, and a friendship develops between them. But as the investigation heats up and gold is found that dates back to the gold rush, more complications come into play that threaten them both. Could clues leading to a Gold Rush era mystery that was first discovered during the building of the bridge still ignite an obsession worth killing for?


My Review:
Bridge of Gold is a Christian romantic suspense set in San Francisco in both 1933 and modern day. The main story happened in modern day when Steven, doing underwater renovation work on the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, finds a Gold Rush-era ship with a gold nugget inside. Kayla is brought in as an underwater archaeologist, and she works with Steven's crew to bring up historical artifacts and look for more gold. But someone is trying to sabotage their efforts and get to the gold first. Two skeletons are found on the ship, and Kayla and Stephen search old records to discover who they are. In 1933, Luke is a diver doing the original construction work on the south tower. He accidentally finds the ship and the gold. He and a friend return to the ship several times in search of gold, but someone else feels that the gold is rightfully his and sabotages their efforts.

The suspense came from the dangers of diving in the turbulent waters near the ship, especially in the 1933 gear and with someone sabotaging equipment. The author did a good job of creating uncertainty about who those skeletons were and if Luke and his friends managed to survive. The historical details about the building of the bridge and underwater archaeological work were woven into the story and were very interesting. The main characters were engaging, complex, and reacted realistically to events. Kayla and Stephen shared similar interests and built each other up. Except for a brief time when someone tried to ruin Stephen's reputation and Kayla didn't know what to think. I liked how Steven trusted Kayla to drive him down a very twisty street shortly after they met and never doubted her.

Kayla struggled with not wanting close friendships after losing her parents and with letting go of her need to know who killed her mother in a car accident. (Both happened before the story began.) Her faith helped her to accept that she would probably never know all the answers. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I had recommend this interesting and enjoyable mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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