Maximilian’s Treasure has it all — a lot of legal thrills, a little bit of romance, the occasional scalping, an adventurous pursuit of gold that takes us from Mississippi to Hispaniola and Mexico and just enough unmistakable-but-not-preachy Christian message sprinkled in to weave it all together.
We follow attorneys John Brooks, who’s a Christian, and Jackson Bradley, who’s not, and they start out by going to extraordinary lengths to protect a Choctaw family’s farm from those who want to twist the foreclosure process as a means to swiping land on which they are certain that an ancient treasure — last located by an executed, 19th-century Mexican emperor named Maximiliano — can be found.
Out of the fertile soil of this setting in Philadelphia, Miss., all kinds of subplots emerge as the pursuit unfolds — a race war, an episode of arson, a drive-by murder with the heavy scent of frame job . Each is spun in intense, riveting detail, with a dollop of humor when you least expect it. All roads lead to a mad dash for a treasure that not everybody’s certain even exists.
Bell brings a realism to his writing borne out of his career as a Mississippi Circuit Court judge and out of his family background — he’s part Choctaw — that fuels the enjoyment of reading his work. Even more, at least three of the characters are based on real-life people who recently passed away, including Bradley, who died in 2001. In fact, Bell even inserts himself as a minor character late in the book. We won’t spoil the ending for you, but suffice it to say that it’s a wild ride to the finish. Due to some mature themes, Maximilian’s Treasure merits the Dove-approved seal for Ages 12+.