What if Montezumaƒ-s lost treasure really existed?
What if, nestled in a hidden cave in the side of a Mexican mountain, a 400 hundred year old gallant Aztec warrior protects Montezuma's treasure. Frozen in time, he waits for the one descendant to lead his people from their misery.
And what if that clever descendant--Aguila--learns of the treasure and how to get it. He restores the Aztec sacrificial religion and cons his people into believing and accepting it. But his altruistic goals weakens. Only greed remains. Two gold statues are keys to the hiding place of the treasure. He steals one from a seaside fishing village protected by an American, Adam Foster.
Adam Foster is no greenhorn when it comes to protecting his adopted people. He knows how to fight. And won't give up until he prevails. He finds help from the strangest people and places and follows Aguila toward the hidden cave. Tortuous jungles, captivity, fights to the death, deadly rivers, knife duels, deserts, beheadings, and overcoming obstacles on the way that would stop the average man, are the main element of this story that leads Adam to his final rendezvous with Aguila . . . and THE LAST AZTEC.
There is one quicksand scene in the novel. Protagonist Adam, his femme fatale ally Lorena and their local guide Humberto are navigating through the jungle. Lorena and Humberto go out ahead and scream for help. Adam finds them sinking in quicksand.
The entire scene, except for the final rescue, is available as a free preview (Chapter 21):
https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/The_Last_Aztec/-0Rn_j5ED4AC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=the+last+aztec+charles+hinds&printsec=frontcover
The "sinkiness" rating for me is 4/5. it is a very good sinking sequence with a respectable length and scope for what is a small plot point. The setup is subtle and well written with a good distraction to surprise us with the quicksand. We get the hot female character describing herself sinking from her waist to her breasts, and a snappy dialogue exchange between the characters as Adam enjoys watching them sink - knowing that they won't go under as long as they know how to float.
Unfortunately the free preview misses the final bit where he rescues them. Otherwise, the novel looks like a promising Tomb Raider / Uncharted -style novel.