Chance of a Lifetime Book

With an entertaining blend of comedy and action adventure, Chance of a Lifetime depicts a gold hunt that taps into the heart of a contemporary American family with humor and sensitivity. Burnt-out middle-aged geology professor Wilson Trebourne is fed up with the social, economic, and ecological blight of Southern California. Much to his family's chagrin, he quits his job at the university, sells everything he owns, including their beautiful house in the suburbs, then gambles his entire life savings on a remote gold mine in the mountains of Northern California. They discover their cabin is occupied by a recalcitrant old squatter, Pinto Sweet, who refuses to move out. As if abandoning the American Dream isn't enough, Wilson is swindled by unscrupulous developer, Bill Dixon, who has other plans for Wilson's new-found paradise. Dixon is not a man to be trifled with. He always gets what he wants by employing a gang of threatening, but hilariously incompetent, local thugs who remove squatters from public land so he can resell it. The magnanimous Wilson befriends two such displaced folk, Molly Carter, a young tough carny and sharpshooter, and Julian Ogilvy, a former librarian. Wilson's conflict with Dixon escalates when Wilson interferes with Dixon and his mega-resort project. Some underhanded business and nasty confrontations take place in this funny story, as Wilson attempts to restore balance to the community, the environment, and to his family life.