After Rafael Reyes has settled back in Santa Fe with his wife and young son, life in the capital city of New Mexico has erupted into chaos between the original Spaniard land owners and Americans who have moved into positions of power in the region. Unscrupulous politicians, lawyers, and Eastern speculators, known as the Santa Fe Ring, are stealing Royal Spanish Land Grants through the American legal system. Land grant owners were at a great disadvantage because of language barriers and a lack of knowledge of American land laws. The Spaniards are easy picking for the Ring, who then parceled out and sold American land deeds to incoming settlers. Carlos Zuniga's father-in-law, don Pedro de Soto, becomes a victim of the Ring, when he is accused of murdering a lawyer who is processing legal action to take away his grant. Mild-mannered Carlos becomes obsessed in trying to prove don Pedro is innocent, compelling him on a quest for a long-lost treasure. His best friend, Rafe, comes to Carlos' aid in an unbelievable adventure to thwart the law, the Ring, and old enemies, and to clear don Pedro from the murder charge and save their own skins. The Young Pistolero Series continues as Robert J.

Alvarado brings his unique perspective of the American southwest from Hispanic eyes, transporting the reader to a time and place where history and fiction collide.