The Golden City of Doubloon — Richard Natale

Doubloon is an adventure/horror novel with a strong moral and spiritual underpinning that is aimed at the young adult market. Set in the Great Depression, the protagonist's journey of self-discovery includes a massive flood, a tornado, a terrifying massacre at a tent revival meeting and a climactic battle aboard a zeppelin. Our hero, Japeth Finian, 20, the devout, orphaned son of missionary parents, embarks on a time-constrained journey to Doubloon, the “oasis of the Midwest,” to find a serum that will save the inhabitants of his small town from a blood disease that robs them of their immortal souls in return for the promise of eternal life. When they arrive in Doubloon they are confronted by all the wonders, and terrors, of modern life. Joining Japeth in his adventures are his friends, the brave and noble Crowell, the loyal but scatterbrained Lon, Crowell's sister Lucinda, with whom Japeth is not so secretly in love, and Abra, Japeth's mute younger sister who may possess secret powers.