Look, people make sh** up all the time. Yes, and sometimes there are consequences for it. However, when a book starts with that as its first sentence, it promises a lot to look forward to. So pick up Kathleen Boland’s debut novel, SCAVENGERS, and prepare for a wild ride.

Bea Macon was a mover and shaker in the commodities world of New York City. That is, until she took a huge risk that was totally out of character. It should have worked, but instead it got her fired. No worries; she’ll find another job soon. As a matter of fact, since she has this time off, Bea decides to visit her mom, Christy, in Salt Lake City. It’s been a while since they spent time together. Maybe things between them will have improved.

"SCAVENGERS is a story of a mother and daughter reconnecting at a time when both have hit a serious bump in the road.... Read this book for its humor, but also for its poignancy."

They have an odd --- often strained --- relationship. Bea has always been the responsible one. To say that Christy is a free spirit would be a vast understatement. She’s quirky at best, irresponsible at worst. Christy leaves behind a pile of unpaid bills when she decides to pick up and move --- which happens whenever the whim takes hold of her --- and starts a new pile wherever she lands. She has never held a job, at least for long, so Bea pays her rent.

Christy’s one constant has been her plants. They are fake ones because she doesn’t take care of live ones. Now, for her latest crazy venture, Christy is on the hunt for buried treasure. She discovered an online forum claiming that a million dollars is buried somewhere, cryptically described in a poem. All she has to do is work out the clues from what’s written in the poetry and, voila, instant millionaire. She and the others in this forum are obsessed with finding it.

So Bea shows up at her mom’s place on very short notice. The reunion is somewhat awkward, as expected. Before long, Christy’s landlord posts an eviction notice, and Bea sort of figures that it’s par for the course. Then she discovers that her mom has made plans to meet a guy named Bob, one of the other online treasure seekers, in a desert town called Mercy this upcoming weekend. Christy also is hoping to find more than gold when she hooks up with him. Bea can’t believe it; this tops the list of her irresponsible shenanigans. So she insists on going with her mother to Mercy. Is she trying to protect Christy, or does she maybe want to let her own hair down? It might be possible that they will find something much more valuable than money.

What happens in the desert is truly a treasure hunt. Maybe it’s not a successful one, but Bea and Christy make some unforgettable memories that weekend.

SCAVENGERS is a story of a mother and daughter reconnecting at a time when both have hit a serious bump in the road. Christy may think she’s searching for gold, but Bea knows that she has no realistic notion of its actual whereabouts. Their adventure leads them back to each other instead. Read this book for its humor, but also for its poignancy.