The Royal Fifth
by James Peyton
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GENRE: Adventure Thriller
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NOTE: The book is on sale for $0.99
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BLURB:
The
Royal Fifth: The amount of stolen treasure Conquistadors were supposed to give
to the Spanish Crown.
In a world corrupted by
its past, what could turn a sensitive artist into a killer?
Young Santa Fe artist,
Martín Cortés, is devastated by the deaths of family members and the loss of a
huge emerald that once belonged to Hernán Cortés.
Colin Glendaring, a
disgraced archeologist with an insatiable passion for pre-Columbian artifacts,
is responsible. Martín learns that another family descended from the Spanish
Conqueror lives in Oaxaca. Rather than kill Glendaring, he heads south. He
discovers an unconventional household that includes Ilhui, a beautiful young
woman with a dangerous political agenda.
Martín is stunned when
he learns how the family manages to live so well…then alarmed when he discovers
that Glendaring is on his way to Oaxaca. Martín and Ilhui are soon accused of
murder. On the run, they are betrayed, and Ilhui is kidnapped by a guerilla
leader known for recreating grisly Aztec rituals.
With time running out, Martín makes a pact with a ruthless army officer and a crooked federal policeman. Will it be a deal with the devil, or can he do what has to be done to save his new family and love?
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EXCERPT:
EL PASO, PRESENT TIME
Martín Cortés stood on the pedestrian approach to the international bridge that would take him into Mexico. Through the pollution that daily turned the high-desert air of Ciudad Juárez into a toxic haze, he focused on the nearby vehicle traffic. The U.S.-bound lanes were choked with line after line of barely moving cars and trucks. Turning to the southbound lanes, he watched the sparse traffic moving fast and free.
He looked back at the new-old skyline of downtown El Paso and dwelled for a moment on the tragic events of the last few months. He knew what had happened. Why they’d happened still eluded him. The inner voice that brought him to this place told him all would soon be revealed. And then he wondered: Is that destiny or some karmic trickster? He shook his head. Only time would tell.
Turning again, he raised his eyes to the smog-shrouded
sprawl beyond the border where his trip would begin. He had no idea where it
would end. He took a deep breath, fished in his pocket for the bridge toll, and
resumed his southbound journey.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Award-winning Author James Peyton infuses his novels with stranger-than-fiction encounters and true-to-life characters based on his extensive travel and research. Realism in his plots and action comes from that background and his experience in martial arts and tactical firearms.
The Royal Fifth
is based loosely on historical events surrounding the Conqueror, Hernán Cortés,
brought into the present time. It will be followed by a mystery-thriller series
featuring federal policeman, Artemas Salcido. Artemas is the illegitimate son
of a Mexican governor and his Yaqui servant. Following his mother’s suspicious
death, he was sent to be raised by the village priest. He attended Harvard on a
scholarship and returned to Mexico vowing to fight corruption—only to receive
his real education, where the grade is often life or death.
Website:
jameswpeyton.com
Email: jwpeyton@att.net
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/216986.James_W_Peyton
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/James-W.-Peyton/e/B001K7XKJA
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GIVEAWAY:
James Peyton will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting The Royal Fifth! You will find a trailer for the book at jameswpeyton.com, as well as a brief account of how the novel came to be in the site’s blog, The Genesis of the Royal Fifth. I will be pleased to answer any questions. My email address is jwpeyton@att.net.
ReplyDeleteJames Peyton
I love the cover and the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt, The Royal Fifth sounds like a book that I want to read! Thanks for sharing it with me and have a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteI like the cover, synopsis and excerpt, this sounds like an excellent read. Thank you for sharing the author's bio and book details
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great blurb and excerpt. The book sounds very intriguing. Great cover!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI like the historical time period and how it's related to the present.
ReplyDelete