The Royal Fifth by James Peyton [Tour with Excerpt]

In a world corrupted by its past, what could turn a sensitive artist into a killer?

Welcome to one of the April 12th stops on the blog tour for The Royal Fifth by James Peyton with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

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About the Book

The Royal Fifth
by James W. Peyton

Published 4 April 2022

Genre: Adventure Thriller
Page Count: 410
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

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

MEXICO, 1531 A.D.

Spanish Captain Federico Alvarado pulled his horse to a halt. Directly in his path, the boulder-strewn mountain seemed to rise forever into the robin-egg sky, like a giant’s stairway to heaven. He glanced behind him at the eighteen men in peaked iron helmets riding stout horses and the ten mules laden with the captain general’s treasure. What exactly they carried, Federico did not know. Only six of their burdens weighed enough to indicate gold or silver. Based on the amount of the one-fifth promised payment—the royal fifth—that was normally sent to the king, the others obviously held something of great value. Possibly some of the priceless emeralds he’d heard Cortés had taken from the Aztec king.

Over the last two days they’d lost six men to Indian attacks and were dangerously low on food and water. But he calculated they were no more than a day from their destination, the valley of Huaxyacac.

For a moment Federico reflected that if this mission ended well his star could rise like lightning in reverse. A grand home would replace the mud hovel where he lived with his Mexican wife. They could afford a servant and help her family. But gazing at the seemingly impassable range, he wondered if his commander had understood the conditions on the ground.

About the Author

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.

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Giveaway Alert!

James Peyton will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.