Diamondback

A century and a half ago, just before the Cherokee people were driven at bayonet-point from their ancestral Great Smokies home to the Oklahoma reservation, they hid their gold mines. Four thousand died on that infamous Trail of Tears, and their secrets died with them.
Now, solitary prospector Moses Kyle discovers one of the ancient lost mines. And disappears.
Pilot John Hardin and Cherokee biker Kitty Birdsong begin a search for Moses. But also on the hunt in the misty folds of the Blue Ridge is a family clan rooted in the worst kind of evil, along with a group of cult members led by a fanatical snake-handling preacher. When greed erupts into violence, John and Kitty must fight for their lives.
"A beautifully written high-octane thriller."
-Ridley Pearson. NY Times best-selling author.