The Gladstone Bag by Charlotte Macleod - 1989

First U.S.A. Printing: February 1990

Sarah Kelling's Aunt Emma leaps at the chance to stay at her old friend Adelaide's summer place, enjoying a quiet time repairing some stage jewelry while keeping an eye on the artists and writers who'll be occupying Adelaide's six guest cottages. On the ferry, Emma's Gladstone bag is temporarily stolen. Could someone have mistaken those junk jewels for real diamonds? She meets her guests-to-be who inform her they plan to dig for Pocapuk's legendary pirate treasure without having bothered to get Adelaide's permission. On the island, her bag is heisted again, a trespassing scuba diver is found dead, and a mysterious stranger is off on a rampage of attempted murders. Emma enlists niece Sarah and her husband, Max Bittersohn, for a spot of long-distance detecting.