THE CHEROKEE SECRET

A novel about a hunt for a mysterious stone that offers its possessor the chance to rule Spain.

Hendry presents a debut novel that moves between the backwoods of Appalachia and the hallways of power in Madrid. Decades after a near-death experience in childhood, James “Jimmy-Mack” MacNaughton returns to the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, following the mysterious instructions of his longtime mentor. McNaughton sets off into the woods by himself, where he ends up in an abandoned cabin with connections to early Spanish and French explorers. He also finds the grave of a forgotten Spanish prince, and when he reaches out to a college professor to learn more about the deceased man, the query catches the attention of Diego Alcazar, a Spanish palace librarian. Alcazar, keeper of many secrets, understands that McNaughton has found proof of the location of the Corazón del Rey, a fabulous ruby with mystical powers that gives its holder great power. The librarian wants the ruby for himself, as do Catholic officials in Compostela, who want to break with Rome and establish their own traditionalist church. While McNaughton makes his way through the woods, learning more about how the prince and the magical gem are connected to the local Cherokee community and his own personal and family history, he faces a threat from the ambitious Spaniards. Over the course of the novel, Hendry presents a solid, creative storyline that holds together despite the book’s excessive length. The creativity extends even to minor plot developments, such as an encounter with a rattlesnake that will leave readers wincing in sympathy. However, the text would have been improved with a stronger edit to correct grammatical errors and awkward phrasing: “On occasion, requests for outside reviews of non-public manuscripts from pre-chosen institutions were generally approved.” There are also stereotypical portrayals (“The proud Native American ran his fingers over the damage, vowing never to look at his paralyzed face”) and factual inaccuracies, such as the fact that the land in Cherokee, North Carolina, is not a reservation.

An ambitious but unevenly executed adventure novel.