The Curse of Cortez

All her life, Emma was told she was too dumb to succeed. First by her mother, then teachers, and finally at work. But when she inherits a family heirloom, The Talisman, she is struck with "The curse of having something everyone else wants." Within hours of receiving the magical item, her long-lost brother gets murdered, her best friend is kidnapped, and she finds herself driving full speed ahead, from Louisiana to Mexico, as her bitter mother and a ghost from Hernán Cortéz' galleon chase after her. Will Emma somehow manage to become the first person in 500 years who knows what to do with the Talisman? Find out in this hybrid page-turner of magical realism and suspense.