The Cherokee Secret

 The Cherokee Secret: Legend of the Corazon del Rey, Edward Hendry, EE Books, 2021

This is a modern-day suspense tale about a thousand-year-old prophecy.

The gravestone of an heir to the 1500's Spanish throne has been found in . . . North Carolina. That is enough of an "Oh My God" by itself, but what was he doing there? He was searching for the Corazon del Rey, a star-shaped stone of great power that is said to be Not Of This Earth. The bearer of the stone has the ability to travel through time. The bearer also has the right to assume the Spanish throne, pushing out the present occupant. A secret office inside the Spanish monarchy is Very Interested. They want a chance to impose a conservative, ultra-religious regime, getting rid of all that liberal socialism.

Meantime, James "Mack" MacNaughton grew up in a very rural part of North Carolina. Three times in his life he was about to die, and he was saved by a woman who suddenly appeared to him and basically said "It's not your time." He has been given the task of finding an Indian named Bill Walkingstick, who will tell him a story that will shock him (there is a lot that Mack has not yet been told about what's going on). The area around the Appalachian Trail is home to lots of marijuana plants, grown right on federal land. In his travels through North Carolina, Mack also finds a solid-gold, jewel-encrusted cross, which happens to be part of the Spanish Crown Jewels. Is the Corazon del Rey ever found? Who gets to it first? Who is still alive at the end?

There are a lot of moving parts to this story, but the author does a very good job at keeping them all moving. It's got suspense and violence, and it's got a bit of ancient history and conspiracy. This novel is very much worth reading.