{"product_id":"the-lost-claim-paperback","title":"The Lost Claim - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eS. F. Baumgartner\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA lost claim. A buried fraud. A money trail someone will kill to erase.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLori Callahan catches forgeries for a living. She's never found one with her own surname on it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe reads old paper-Queensland mining registers, transfer deeds, the dull documents that decide who owns what's underneath. So she knows what an altered date looks like. This one closed her father's claim on a day that never happened.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThen the letter arrives: YOUR FATHER'S CLAIM WAS NEVER CLOSED.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNoah Mercer has driven eleven hours to tell her the rest. A single receipt ties the worst day of his family's life to the Callahan ground-and to the money somebody buried under it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe proof exists. That's the problem. Surveillance becomes a road train coming the wrong way on a dirt track. A court order seals the ground. Fire season opens, the river rises, and every page that could clear her father is sitting somewhere that burns.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGetting it back means going down into the old workings. Legally, they can't. Practically, nobody's coming to help.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcross Queensland's channel country, Lori's command of records and Noah's field sense are their only advantages against adversaries who weaponize courts, surveillance, and the landscape itself. Every discovery must survive not only attack, but scrutiny.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor readers who enjoy the clue-driven conspiracies of Blood \u0026amp; Treasure and the grounded Outback suspense of Mystery Road. Clean action-adventure with procedural bite.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBook 2 in The Mercer Files; it can be read as a standalone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollow the evidence into the Outback today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 164\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.41 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 29, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50982972522635,"sku":"9798997400705","price":20.58,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0670\/2579\/7259\/files\/wStstKk8uh9798997400705.webp?v=1793296359","url":"https:\/\/thetaletrade.com\/products\/the-lost-claim-paperback","provider":"The Tale Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}