Weeks after his parents disappear on a hike, engineer Adam Carson, 27, searches for answers. Then he discovers a secret web site and learns his mom and dad are time travelers stuck in the past. Armed with the information he needs to find them, Adam convinces his younger siblings to join him on a rescue mission to the 1880s.
While Greg, the adventurous middle brother, follows leads in the Wild West, Adam, journalist Natalie, and high school seniors Cody and Caitlin do the same in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Like the residents of the bustling steel community, all are unaware of a flood that will destroy the city on May 31, 1889.
In RIVER RISING, the first novel in the Carson Chronicles series, five young adults find love, danger, and adventure as they experience America in the age of bustle dresses, gunslingers, and robber barons.
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Review
"This is a fantastic book. You will experience a story rich in true history, mystery, on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense, romance, humor, serious devastation, and characters you will absolutely fall in love with." -- The Reading Cafe
"Heldt had me tearing up more than once! He also planted me firmly in the 1880s with his incredible descriptions of an era, an atmosphere, and the people of a bygone era." -- Tome Tender
"I am once again blown away with how well Heldt is able to flesh out his characters while placing them inside his stories like they belong there and have always been there. He seamlessly moves from the modern world to the historic past, putting his characters inside of towns and lives as if they were meant to always be there." -- Lara Girdler's Reviews
"You will need tissues for this one, and there are lots of twists and turns as the Carson siblings time-travel to 1888 to find their time-traveling parents. The historical realism that is intertwined within the fiction will have you gasping." -- Miki's Hope
"I greatly enjoyed River Rising and look forward to more in this series. I strongly recommend to those who love a great time travel." -- Sheri's Reviews
"Love the action, love the suspense. If you think that you have read all the time-traveling books, this will surprise you." -- Read Try Write
"This is definitely my favorite of John A. Heldt's novels." -- Author Angela Kay
"A fascinating and engaging story that grabbed me right from the start and never let up." -- Books are Theater of the Mind
"A great start to a new time-traveling series." -- MP Book Reviews
"Striving to continue in author John Jakes' tradition of family saga series, author John A. Heldt has gifted readers with this wonderfully moving first look at the indomitable Carson clan." -- Blogger Jackie Burris