Gold of Cortes

by Tim McGuire

Leisure, June 2000

This is the third book to feature Tim McGuire’s character Clay Cole: The Rainmaker.

Amid the dust and desolation of southwest Texas lies a secret that has lasted for centuries - the hidden treasure of Aztec artifacts hoarded by Hernan Cortez. When Clay Cole finds English Lord Nigel Apperson and Dr. Jane Reeves wandering the Texas desert, searching for the mythical prize, he agrees to sign on as their scout. Together they confront Texas Rangers, desperadoes, and the relentless Major Miles Perry, whose driving desire is to court-martial Cole for treason at Little Big Horn - treason Cole never committed. And that’s just for starters...

Tim McGuire’s mix of very different people make for a journey of gripping reading. There’s a battle of wills between those driven by gold lust and those who’d rather not lose their lives to renegade Comanches, there’s the struggle of who to believe about the events that have lead to Cole being wanted for treason. There’s double-cross and soul searching. All told in a fast paced story of believable characters.

One of the admirable qualities of McGuire’s presentation of Clay Cole is that The Rainmaker isn’t the most intelligent of people, he doesn’t read, struggles with lifestyles outside of his own, which combine to make him come across as a very real person who is easy to relate too.

The action is first rate as the story races along to its spectacular finish. An ending that purposely leaves a few threads dangling, making it impossible not to want to read the next book in the series as soon as possible!