I don't think we will have many more people like my father. Not that he is exceptional, but sometimes you just exist without being part of the grid. You work jobs that are paid in cash, travel the world and perform odd jobs or live off the income you gained prior to travel. No Fancy Credentials, Degree, or College Diploma. Just a self made man, business owner, father and sometimes a schmuck (I guess those last two are the same).

His Kindle version is only $9.99, This book is his lifelong achievement. Self-published on Amazon, because getting a book written on treasure and the history of Ecuador isn't anything a big book company was interested in. He actually goes head to head with a few "respected" books on treasure claiming they are incorrect, cite impossible facts, or even reference that those people never met because historical records prove otherwise. Parts of his book is sometimes not that kind to Ecuador as a country so, there was little interest to even have someone publish it locally. A Story about treasure requires a little imagination and belief that the story you are listening to is true. His book reads more like a history book than a story, and it should. He has traveled all over to gain access to 100+ year old documents hidden away in old books or map rooms. The story is less about him and more about the legacy of the world class renowned treasure hunters of the time. He continued their journey where some left off and even acquired the entire collection of one of the most revered individuals of the time. he owns the copyright data on all of those maps and documents, so I suppose that is probably the only proof anyone can provide. I had the tedious task of taking all his cassette taps from the 70's and 80's and converting them to digital media. Endless hours of treasure hunters sitting in a room discussing so many things in great detail. Most of the people within that circle who read his book were amazed at how well he documented the history. Rather interesting when you have 80 and 90 year old men writing emails back and forth as they "remember" more and more details, excited as school children to share stories they never would have told each other at the time. Treasure Hunters were never good at sharing information/secrets.

This book has so much stuff crammed in it, they should make it required reading. (He actually does talk about Assange at the end). He talks about Charles Darwin and the Galapagos Islands, George Miller Dyott, whose Wikipedia page is a horrible insult to an amazing man of his time. Eugene Brenner (the main focal point of the story), who fought against the Nazi's in the resistance and then hunted them down after the war in Ecuador. And how can we not of course, talk about the treasure itself? Atahualpa and Pizzaro (The famous conquistador). He includes first hand stories of conquistadors and there accounts of the treasure, and most importantly more recent times. My memory is a bit hazy, but I recall a story about the military was divided into 3 factions. The Army, The Navy, and The Airforce. They would always go back and forth against who hated who and IIRC even fought a civil war against each other. I don't remember if that was the Ecuador Civil war or part of the 63 or 76 coup. So many stories I've heard they just jumble together sometimes. I can't even remember if the story was about my Father or Eugene, but one of them was pulled out of a taxi at gun point by some soldiers and fortunately they happened to have a brief case with the DOD or some other logo on it who they just happened to be loyal to and escorted them out of the mayhem.

His book is a hard read for some and it is a very niche market of stories. If anyone does buy a copy, if you left a review that would make his day. it is insanely detailed and it should be for something he wrote over and over again for 10 years.