Riptide: Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

This was an Indiana Jones/Treasure Island sort of enjoyable novel. The story begins with person after person trying to retrieve Pirate Red Ned Ockham's legendary treasure and either going bankrupt or dying from the pit's traps. In addition to Gold and riches there is supposedly "St. Michael's Sword" which is powerful enough to kill anyone who looks at it. The story then focuses on two little boys whose grandfather lost everything purchasing the island and trying to get the treasure. When their dad is away they go to the island to play and the oldest boy dies from one of the traps set to guard the treasure, the youngest boy ("Hatch") lives with this guilt the rest of his life. As a man Hatch is approached by a treasure seeker and allows them to dig on the Island. The equipment doesn't work right once it gets on the island and they find a mass grave. Unable to come to a conclusion on why all the men in the pit died from different diseases and why everyone is getting sick, they press on. Finally they uncover and decipher the pit architect’s journal and realize the Sword was made from a meteorite and radioactive. This explains the deaths, the equipment malfunctioning, and the legend that anyone who sees the sword dies. In the end there is a battle between the Head of the expedition and Hatch in one of the tunnels. The "bad guy" has gone crazy from his exposure and once the sword is knocked down a shaft he follows it to his death. The book doesn't really tell you how hatch survives after the exposure, but he does and the treasure stays buried...for now.