The barrier island that protects the Texas Coast is the site of many shipwrecks from storms, dating back to the Spanish galleons of the 1500s.  The Gulf Stream washes huge riches on the shores of this desolate island.  Padre Island is a novel about antiquities smuggling.  There is a market for antiquities, though collecting them is unlawful.  It is up to the National Park Rangers to interdict the smuggling from both Padre Island and Mexico.