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. __________ "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 ___________ 2025 Collective of Independent Publishers and Authors EVVY award, Silver Medal, Mystery/Crime/Detective --J.M. Mitchell.