Migrations of Butterflies and Lies

Migrations of Butterflies and LiesImagine Dark Winds meets The DaVinci Code. An archeologist disappears in New Mexico and Ranger Jack Chastain must find him, but the trail is clouded by conspiracy theories and rumors of gold. In 1765, Capitan Juan Rivera and a company of men left Santa Fe with orders to find a route into what is now Colorado, to look for gold and silver. He made two trips, found a little silver, and was largely forgotten by history. Now, 250 years later, a leather

Imagine Dark Winds meets The DaVinci Code.

An archeologist disappears in New Mexico and Ranger Jack Chastain must find him, but the trail is clouded by conspiracy theories … and rumors of gold.

In 1765, Capitan Juan Rivera and a company of men left Santa Fe with orders to find a route into what is now Colorado, to look for gold and silver. He made two trips, found a little silver, and was largely forgotten by history.

Now, 250 years later, a leather-bound journal is discovered, claiming Rivera wasn’t so much forgotten as he had chosen to disappear. He had plans—plans disrupted by a Comanche raid, but not before Rivera hid gold near present day Piedras Coloradas National Park.

Jack Chastain is bewildered as treasure hunters ravage the park, public lands come under attack, a man goes after him for reasons that make no sense, and a mysterious Native American boy appears in the wilderness—alone.

The search for answers takes Chastain on a dangerous international quest, encountering chilling lies and an unexpected connection—the murder of a butterfly biologist in Mexico. Nothing suggests the murder and the archeologist’s disappearance—hundreds of miles apart—are connected. They are.

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“Mitchell has a big story to tell and he tells it well.” –Ranger Magazine

“Migrations of Butterflies and Lies takes readers on an international adventure. Sometimes reading like a police thriller, other times similar to a treatise on ancient cultures, Migrations keeps one guessing, wondering and turning pages. Mitchell’s expertise in multifaceted plot lines gives us a spectacular ride.” -Roundup Magazine

“Mitchell captures the landscape and drama of the American Southwest while keeping the action galloping. A great read.” -Mary Taylor Young, author of Bluebird Seasons

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2025 Collective of Independent Publishers and Authors EVVY award, Silver Medal, Mystery/Crime/Detective