"Presented with artful plausibility.... A thrilling historical drama, as engrossing as it is edifying." —Kirkus Reviews What if Davy Crockett survived the Alamo? Texas, 1838. Silas Grant prepares for life with the girl of his dreams. The resourceful sixteen-year-old is learning the blacksmith trade from his father and frontier skills from Texas Revolution veterans. But when a portrait of David Crockett raises the possibility that the beloved folk hero didn’t die two years earlier, Silas joins a quest for the truth. Exploring a world healing from the war, Silas and his fellow Texians investigate the accounts of Alamo survivors, follow a trail of clues across Texas and Mexico, and pursue a witness to the battle's final moments. Their odyssey turns lethal as layers of the last stand’s mystery peel away to expose a shocking secret. Will the revelation stun a nation or ignite a fatal showdown? Rescuing Crockett is an adventure, a mystery, a thriller, and a love story set in the turbulent years of the Republic of Texas. If you like historical fiction in the tradition of Bernard Cornwell and Steven Pressfield, westerns in the tradition of Larry McMurtry and Paulette Jiles, high concept mystery thrillers in the tradition of Dan Brown, and Texas fiction in the tradition of Stephen Harrigan, you’ll love David Z. Pyke’s award-winning epic of the American West. "...presented with artful plausibility.... The investigative process centers around interviews of witnesses and survivors. The reconstructions of that catastrophic day in 1836 are utterly gripping and portrayed with both intelligence and dramatic power.... Pyke has achieved something rare: a novel that is dramatically captivating, historically rigorous (if ultimately fanciful), and philosophically inquisitive.... A thrilling historical drama, as engrossing as it is edifying. " —Kirkus Reviews Five stars and the 'Highly Recommended' award of excellence : "Mr. Pyke unfurls a remarkable historical novel.... Pyke takes the reader on a very well-researched journey where all your senses are involved in the battles, the landscape, the emotions, and the intrigue of this unfolding mystery. The characters are well-fleshed out, as real as a Texas storm, and the propulsion of the storyline keeps one glued to the narrative until the very end." —The Historical Fiction Company Editor's Pick : "...revels in a little bit of everything looked for by lovers of the genre.... Pyke offers rousing adventure, engaging camaraderie between the characters, a smoldering romance.... The story moves fast, despite Pyke's feel for immersive scenic detail and welcome commitment to historical plausibility.... keeping the excitement up while never losing sight of the cast's humanity." —BookLife by Publishers Weekly " Thoroughly researched with beautifully detailed descriptions , Rescuing Crockett explores the possibility that David Crocket survived the siege on the Alamo.... The author has taken great pains to ground the novel in historical fact, deviating only when the fictional story required it; thus giving the story an air of authenticity." —International Review of Books Five stars : "As I was reading Rescuing Crockett by David Z. Pyke, I kept going online to check if the events being described were real. That is how good Pyke is at crafting his completely unique and engrossing storyline. The historical details are rich and textured.... These felt so real, and the written visuals are almost cinematic in scope.... The twists are wonderful and, aside from feeling immersive, the book is just plain good. Very highly recommended." —Readers' Favorite " A coming-of-age tale, mystery story, and action-adventure novel rolled into one , with some Texas frontier romance on the side." —Lone Star Literary Life Loved it! "I truly enjoyed reimagining Crockett's fate at the Alamo.... Pyke is a fine writer with a good eye for detail and a good ear for dialogue. His research is impressive, and he loves the characters he writes about.... Fans of historical fiction and the Alamo will find Rescuing Crockett thrilling and a welcome addition to books about the iconic last stand and its heroes." —Reedsy Discovery David Z. Pyke is a native Texan related to one of the Alamo defenders. His great-great-great-great-great-granduncle, Isaac Millsaps, was one of the Immortal 32, the reinforcements from Gonzales who answered William Barret Travis's call for help, rode to San Antonio, and died in the Alamo on March 6, 1836. Pyke began writing professionally in 1975 and has written for newspapers, magazines, and websites. In 1991, a mutual friend introduced David to Suzanne, an English literature teacher from Missouri. Their first date was on a Friday the 13th. She later confessed that before that first date, she read some of his stories to make sure he could write. Apparently, he received a passing grade. They were engaged five months later, married four months after that, and in 20