Some journeys begin with a map. Others begin with a warning.

For Gus McIntyre and Naomi Brown, the road to the Devil’s Peaks begins with something far more mysterious: a three-hundred-year-old journal, a handful of gold nuggets, an ancient compass, and a prophecy written in Spanish by a long-forgotten explorer.

The journal tells of a place in Southwest Texas where golden birds fly, and plants never die. A place where blue lights appear after sunset. Where the earth seems to breathe beneath a man’s feet, wind carries the voices of the dead, and interlopers never return. 

Chief Tatonga presented the journal to the red-haired McIntyre and Brown, a white woman raised by the Caputa Indians, because they fulfilled the ancient prophecy that had kept the journal secret for so long.

The prophecy states: “The Devil’s Peaks will awaken and reveal their secret when the sun sinks between two peaks, and two young hearts arrive following a long journey. One will carry the fire-colored hair of the rising sun. The other will walk with the spirit of two peoples. Neither will seek riches. Neither will desire power.”

Why? 

What secret is hidden beyond the Devil’s Peaks? 

Are Gus and Naomi brave enough to find out?

The two of them have faced outlaws, rustlers, kidnappers, and men who would kill for gold. This time, his enemy may not be a man at all. 

In the spring of 1881, Gus, Naomi, and Flemming Ibbara, a friend and Spanish immigrant, set out across the rugged Texas wilderness toward the Sierra Diablo Mountains, seeking three mysterious peaks that have haunted the pages of history for centuries. 

Their old friend, Eduardo Santiago, refused to accompany them because his ancestors for generations have called the mountain range the devil’s workplace. He flatly said, “A locked door sometimes hides more than secrets.” 

Flemming, a university-trained student of science and geology, searches for a rational explanation for the strange phenomena described in the journal. 

McIntyre, a realist who discounts superstition, isn't so certain there is one.

Naomi, attuned to the spirit world of the native tribe that raised her, wonders if their journey is part of a destiny not of their choice.

The Spanish conquistador, who disappeared into the Devil’s Peaks, penned a riddle to guide them. 

It, too, is a mystery. How will they find the secret? It is baffling even to the Spanish-speaking Ibbara.

The consequences of entering the Devil’s Peaks are just as daunting in 1881 as they were in 1581. Everything about the eerie elevations warns observers to stay away.

Why?

We know there are places on earth where nature seems to keep its own counsel. Places untouched by time, where ancient forces continue their work beneath stone and soil. And somewhere inside the Devil's Peaks, Gus McIntyre is about to discover what only one other man has seen. You don’t want to miss “Diablo’s Secret.” 

"Diablo's Secret" is the 15th McIntyre Adventure, and perhaps the most engaging. It’s a tale of mystery, exploration, love, ancient prophecy, and a secret that has remained buried for centuries. It’s written in the easy Louie L’Amour style readers love and will be published this October on Amazon. The Devil’s Peaks are waiting for YOU.