The Last Treasure by Janet S. Anderson

The Last Treasure by Janet S. Anderson is about Ellsworth Smith, one of the youngest heirs to John Matthew and Elizabeth Smith's last treasures. John and Elizabeth had 13 children in the mid-1800s and their biggest dream was for their family to always be together. They even built special houses for the family around a square block, each facing the "Sward" in the center where a beautiful pond and oak and pine trees stood. Through a series of events through the years, many of the children (and the children's children) moved away and the Square started to decline... the remaining family members had to close up some of the houses and even sell some of Elizabeth's lovely paintings to have enough money to live! Before he died, John Matthew hid treasure in each of three houses on the south side of the Square. Up to now, only two of the treasures had been found. The one remaining in "Richard's" house (one of the John Matthew and Elizabeth's children) was still a mystery. Desperate to solve the mystery and hopefully earn some money to keep the Square in decent shape, Elizabeth writes a letter to Ellsworth (Zee) inviting him to come and stay with her. His father, Ben Robert, was initially against the idea because he was holding a grudge against his father (who still lives on the Square) as a result of his father's feelings about Ellsworth's mother. He finally gives in, though, and Zee arrives at the Square. He and his cousin Jess are certain they can find the treasure in Richard's house if they can just get into the mind of John Matthew. When the solve the mystery and figure out the secret of the final treasure, they realize just how important keeping the family together really is.

This was a great mystery! I was so glad the author included a map and a family tree in the beginning of the book. At times I was a little confused about who each of the characters were and how they were related, but it all made sense in the end. I really liked the message behind the mystery and they way the search for the treasure came together at the end.