Come and Take It: Search for the Treasure of the Alamo

TIME TRAVEL:  In 1836, the Mexican army storms the Alamo and kills all the defenders - except one young black slave named Joe. He escapes carrying one of the Alamo’s secrets, more valuable than anything else hidden inside the Spanish mission. In present time, Nat’s grandfather and Joe’s descendant takes the secret of the Alamo with him to the grave. While investigating his death, Nat finds clues about the long lost treasure, and along with history professor Renee, he tries to solve his grandfather’s murder and find the Alamo’s hidden treasure. 

This author knows how to tell a story! Mixing fact with fiction he crafts an unusual and interesting novel about a long-lost treasure. The characters are realistic, even the secondary ones. Nat is a middle-aged football coach and there’s a side story about coaching that managed to bring more perspective to Nat’s character, but at the same time distracted the reader from the main story.  

The mystery is more like a treasure hunt - fast-paced, non-stop action - and still the narrative manages to include a lot of history while never slowing down its pace. The strongest portions of the book are the flashbacks to the nineteenth century, introducing the reader to various famous characters who played a role in the fight for the Alamo. Combining history and fiction isn’t always easy, but the author succeeded in doing just that.   

Majanka Verstraete