Introduction Crooked Gold by author Carl Knauf is a fast-paced adventure novel with heavy Hispanic influences and history. As a traditional treasure hunt story with a modern criminalistic twist, I was intrigued by the summary when Mr. Knauf asked for an honest review in exchange for a free .mobi file. Although I ultimately enjoyed the novel, there were too many issues that distracted me from the plot and ended up affecting my overall rating. My Rating: ★ ★ ★ Synopsis: "Veteran NYPD detective Jim Beckett has started his second career at Interpol. He lost his wife, he left his job, and is now stuck between tedious paperwork and a new generation of police personnel. He is dissatisfied, and his escape each night is a corner bar stool shared only by a few fingers of whiskey. Beckett misses the degenerates, the action, the chase. Fortunately, his passion is revitalized when he is contacted by his white whale, career criminal Jack Swift. Swift baits the detective, tr