Taste of Fear by Jadran Hawke, Sets Off New Exciting Thriller Series!

 OMG,
I went looking for a pic of a dripping candle, thinking that was as close as I would
get to this bizarre serial killer...and this is what turned up! Geesh!  Fine Art???! OK, you can tell my personal opinion about this, but I have to say, "Now I know where the author got the idea..."  And it certainly grabs the attention of the reader...

“What happened to her?” 
“Asphyxia.”
“Suicide?”
“Murdered. But not the way you might imagine.”
 “What am I supposed to imagine?” 
“There was no violence. No sign of obvious struggle . Most likely, she was consenting when it happened…”
 “Sexual games?”
 “Something like that. Her body is covered with candle wax.”

~~~

Taste of Fear:
A John Montclair Thriller

By Jadran Hawke

Fortunately, there is not too much graphic discussion of the terrible crime scenes, yes, more than one, and the main character, John Montclair, quickly gets readers involved in this short story which begins the series. Or what could maybe be better described as a serial, since this book and perhaps more of them leave you hanging... I must say that reading it on my kindle led me to immediately try to buy the next one, although I couldn't get to Amazon for some reason, else I would already have the next book! This first story is about 100 pages and a quick read. I'm not sure I'll proceed with the entire group, but it will be only because of time constraints if I don't... 

If you enjoy serial killer thrillers and matching wits against those who think they'll never get caught, then be assured that John Montclair is worthy of the task, at least for now...

“I’m still her father. Always will be.

 No matter how many new daddies

 you bring her home.”

~~~

John is freshly divorced and not happy about it, especially since he doesn't see his daughter as much as he'd like. But marriage and homicide doesn't seem to work and his ex-wife had the normal feelings. She was already out dating but he hadn't even considered it, until he had met a woman during this investigation.

The thing he was most upset about was that his ex-wife was bringing her many dates home with her and Claire had begun to talk to her father about all the "dads" that came to visit...

John hesitated and took a deep breath. “She told me that you keep coming home with new boyfriends all the time. I don’t think a five-year-old needs to see how active her mother is with her dating life. She should stay with me. All the time. At least, until you find your perfect match.” 

He heard Julie sighing. “Hey, stop being sarcastic. I’ve given up the idea of finding someone perfect since we’ve been married. And she’s just a kid. She exaggerates. It’s not that often and when it happens, she’s always in bed.”

“Not asleep, apparently… She knows when somebody’s with you. If she ever hears anything gross, I warn you I will–”

 “Listen,” Julie said, a hint of impatience in her voice. “I would never do anything that could hurt my little baby, so don’t–” 

“Our little baby,” John said, raising his voice. Julie paused for a moment, surprised by the interruption. “Yes … Our daughter.” 

~~~

I wonder what would have happened if John had realized that on his way to the crime scene, he had talked to the killer...

Just an average Sunday night in

 Paris.  He headed for the metro. 

He wanted to be lost in the crowd, 

be elbow-to-elbow with innocent

 people while walking away from

 a crime scene. That was freedom. 

He started to feel cold and walked

 more quickly into the bowels of the

 Parisian metro. He didn’t see the

 tall man coming up in front of him,

 and they bumped into each other.

 “Excuse me,” the tall man said.

 The Dark Stallion said nothing. 

He grunted and simply glanced at him

 without a word. The man was pretty

 strong. The Dark Stallion wasn’t

 hurt, but still a bit shocked by the

 impact. The tall man had short

 black hair , a little bit of a beard

and a strong jaw. He was wearing

a grade hoodie and black

sweatpants, with white sneakers.

“I said excuse me; you don’t know

 how to say sorry or what?” the tall 

man said behind him. 

The Dark Stallion looked away and

 just kept walking.

 Parisians were so rude. Asshole.

~~~

The Dark Stallion was walking in the streets and smiling. A young woman, probably a student, caught his eyes and smiled back . Women usually smiled at him. Women liked him. Women found him charming and entertaining. Despite being nearly forty, he looked exceptionally young for his age. No more than thirty, according to all his female friends. He took great care of his appearance because he liked it and because he could afford to. His professional situation allowed him a lot of flexibility and it paid pretty well.
An important part of his budget was dedicated to his wardrobe and his many “accessories”. The bag he was carrying was full of these “accessories” and he no longer needed them. He tossed the bag in an empty bin and kept walking without looking around. He was satisfied. Proud of himself . Fulfilled. He was strolling along the pavement with no particular destination in mind.
He didn’t want to go home. Not yet. He needed to fill his lungs with the cold air of Paris, the city of love. He could still smell Liliane Genet’s perfume. She was a beautiful and successful manager for a big bank at La Défense, Europe’s largest business center. He could still see her green eyes filled with lust when he manacled her in her bed, completely naked except for her red high heels. She was so delicious. He had been fantasizing about her for weeks. And today, he had finally taken her. He had been attracted to her physique, but not only that. The Dark Stallion needed more stimulation.

There were hundreds and hundreds of beautiful women out there but many of them were dumb. He needed some kind of connection. His sexual arousal was at its peak when he was also stimulated intellectually. It was part of the challenge. The Dark Stallion loved beautiful and powerful women. Independent women. Strong women with authority and successful careers. It made them more unattainable, more desirable.
And whenever they finally gave in and opened up to him, it made him feel even more powerful. There was no thrill in picking the low-hanging fruits. Only the rare ones were worth his time.      
                                                     ~~~

The woman worked as head of securities within the business center but there were no clues to help in any way...

At first, there was a quick connection to a man who worked with her, but after visiting La Club Coquin, they discovered he didn't fit the profile... The second also worked in a bank, but in a different location. Again, the crime scene was meticulous and it was clear that the victims were letting the individuals into their home...

The new romance in Montclair's life is going slow, since he's so busy with the cases, but she seems to be interested so he thinks of her for a possible future, only to consider how Claire might react to her. He knew if a choice would have to be made, Claire would always be the winner. But when John has to cancel a date to pick up Claire for the weekend, which he had forgotten was scheduled, the decision was made for him when he had to ask Cecile to take care of her...

Which led to his slowly putting two and two together to stop The Dark Stallion...

But it's not a happy ending as most serial programs love to keep you hanging! If you don't mind that, this is a (free, right now) short that will certainly do an excellent job of introducing the main character as a "good guy." worth following as a homicide crime investigator. Do check it out!


GABixlerReviews

Followup to Review of Vengeance is Mine...Give Us Some Feedback! Just for Fun... Writers Do Your Storyboard?

When I create the characters, I always envision what they might actually look like to make them seem more real. I have included some of my storyboard depictions below so you can see my ideas, but I love the images you chose as well. You nailed the dark braid on the victims. And Castle would absolutely make a wonderful Tucker!

Thank you again very much for such a comprehensive and thoroughly entertaining review. It's one of the best reviews I have received and I'm very proud to have it.

Most Gratefully,

Harry

Here's some feedback I got from Harry Krebs.

I had added some of my thoughts via picture and Harry came back with his own! Cool... Now, he was quite accepting of my selections, but we thought it would be fun to share how they rank up against his own storyboard...

Now Here's the Techie Part... Pull up my review in one window

and this in the other... See the book excerpt for further info...

Harry's                                                                           Mine!

I don't know much about cars, but I think mine looks more like a sleek jag...LOL...

 

Personally, I love Brosnan, but then, Castle is a writer like the main character...

Notice that
both look 
somewhat alike

but I thought the pose of Kate, Castle's wife, showed the personality of the wife...?





I chose the
one with
clothes because that was mentioned many times in the book...

Harry said I nailed the braid on the victims, but, then, I didn't include the following other characters...do you know who they are? The maid was one of my favorite characters, so I'm happy to get the writer's image of her! So, readers, do you know the book well enough to match the remaining three???? Add your thoughts as comments!

 

Writers, do you storyboard your characters? Share some or your thoughts with us!
Of course, they are just our personal opinions, of course...LOL

GABixlerReviews

Related articles

• Have you Met Benjamin Tucker in Vengeance is Mine... By Harry James Krebb...

Talanov News - Cover Reveal - Movie! Check out A Favorite Book Character!

Dear friends and family,

As many of you know, I've been working the past year -- that's right, I said year -- on the screen adaptation of my upcoming Talanov thriller, DRAGON HEAD. And I am proud to present the official book cover to you here and now. The same artist who designed the gold-medal-award-winning cover for November Echo also designed this one. Her name is Frauke Spanuth and her work is absolute genius.

​

Needless to say, I am very proud of the Dragon Head cover. I think it rocks. Naturally, this means I have to produce a story that matches expectations generated by Frauke's  cover, so the pressure is definitely on! It's all good, however, because pressure like this makes me dig deep and work hard.  If I'm asking you to invest a few bucks and your time in one of my books, it is my responsibility to provide you with a story that honors that investment. For me, such a task is a privilege. Thank you for allowing me that privilege.

As far as the film is concerned, like I said earlier, the screenplay is completed after a very long year of editing (and editing and editing!). We also have a line producer's budget, which currently sits at twelve million dollars. We have money budgeted for a major star to play the part of Talanov. We have money budgeted to attract major supporting actors, as well as provide the film with some cool visual effects. But VFX is not what this film is about. Action thrillers often rely on the "shock and awe" of special effects to masquerade a weak story. I have worked hard to make this a dynamite story that will be enhanced by a few visual effects. You, of course, will be the final judge as to whether or not we succeeded (assuming everything goes according to plan and this film gets made the way we want it to be made).

So, what is the story about? In short: Talanov finds himself caught between a ruthless triad leader -- Dragon Head -- and a kill squad sent by the CIA when he tries to save the lives of three trafficked orphans. The story has already been described as "Bond-meets-Bourne-meets-Taken" in a visual sweep from the grim shantytowns of South Africa to the corridors of power in Washington to the neon chaos of Hong Kong. At its heart is a Bible verse -- Hebrews 13:5 -- I will never desert you. And Talanov discovers just how costly a promise it is when he makes such a promise to these kids.

We've set up a Dragon Head Facebook page, which I hope you will visit and "Like." Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/dragonheadthemovie.

Plus, if you're on Facebook, please share the Dragon Head page on your own FB page.

As for my ambitions for this film, I've already partnered with some relief groups digging wells and building schools and houses around the world. I want this to be more than just a film. I can't speak for others involved in the production, but I will be directing some of my money toward helping provide some of life's basic necessities with those in need. So the more you can help by spreading the word, the better chance I have of making a difference with needed essentials like clean water, housing, schools, teachers, food, clothing, and medical supplies -- activities that helped create Talanov in the first place.

For those of you who know my story, Talanov the fictional hero was an outcome of an heroic act by an actual KGB agent who once leaked word out of Moscow that I was on a KGB watchlist for my smuggling activities behind the old Iron Curtain. What he did for me -- someone he had never met -- inspired the idea of a good-guy KGB agent who became a deep-cover spy for America during the Cold War ... a man whose past will not leave him alone now, when he's trying to atone for his old life in the KGB. So I hope you'll lend your support by visiting the Dragon Head page. To show my appreciation, down the road there will be free copies of books as well as movie tickets.

I also want to acknowledge the "5x Team" -- a group of totally awesome Christian family who faithfully pray for me, as well as support me with emails of encouragement. THANK YOU for helping me get to this point. (If anyone else wishes to join the group -- it's simply a prayer team helping underpin me with the wisdom and stamina needed to get this job done -- just let me know and I will add you to the list.)

Well, my friends, that is it for now. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'll be back in touch again soon with more Talanov news.

Blessings to you all,

Jim

 

Purged By M, E. May Just Out-- Don't Confuse With "Purge" Movies...

In the center of the room was a short table. On it rested a
small cauldron, much like the one they found in Sasha
Winston's duffle. Next to the cauldron sat a bell, a small
stick with a crystal attached to the end of it, a small broom,
and an athame.
"Stand next to me, child," said Victoria, taking Chennelle's
hand and guiding her. "First Barbara will take the athame
and will walk around us creating the circle of power. We
must all stay iinside of the circle or the energy will be
broken."
Chennelle say Barbara pick up the dagger and walk around
everyone holding it out as though slicing through the air to
make a circle. Then she muttered something Chennelle
couldn't quite hear in four places around the circle before
replacing the athame on the table...
Victoria spoke again in a whisper. "That is our altar. She
will light the black candle to banish evil and to bring us
protection and then the red to bring us strength in the
coming days. That one is especially for you and Erica to
help you trap this killer..."

They followed Victoria to a doorway. She opened it and gestured for them to descend the dimly lit stars. Chennelle's  unease from the meeting they'd had with Amber earlier had returned.
"Detective Kendall, Detective Barnes, welcome to both of you, said Barbara in grandiose style. She was wearing an emerald green robe which set off her dark auburn hair. "We first wanted to ask the Goddess for assistance to keep us safe and to aid you in capturing this villain."
Chennelle thought villain was a rather soft term for someone who so brutally tortured and killed these womken...
"As you may have guessed, our coven consists of thirteen, but now that we've lost two members, we were hoping the two of you would stand in for them."
Chennelle's mouth dropped open. She looked toward Barnes and found hers to be open as well. This was not what they'd expected to be doing tonight.
"But we aren't Wiccans," said Chennelle. "Isn't that kind of against the rules or something?"
Some of the women giggled. Barbara put on a broad smile. "Hardly, Detective. May I call you by your first names?"
"Sure, I'm Chennelle and this is Erica."
"That makes it a little more intimate," said Barbara. "We welcome all who are willing, but if you are comfortable with it we'll understand. However, it does make the circle stronger if we have thirteen...

~~~

Purged: Circle City

  Mystery Series

By M. E. May

I moved this review onto my adult blog once I got into it. Exposing children to as much violence as they are today bothers me...just as this book bothered me. In fact at page 150 I almost stopped reading. I decided to continue, however, and was happy I did. I had briefly heard the word "purge" on television regarding a movie and was concerned if there was a connection... The two movies out there are unforgivably horrendous.  In fact, doing an internet search for this book brought up nothing but info about those movies... Undoubtedly this book might well be lost in the maze of similar titles!

Soon it will be seven days, he thought, brightening
his mood. After seven days, Doug could bring
justice upon another sinner. Grandmother had
often said the avenging angels needed to come
 and purge the world of the sinful. Sinners were
becoming more abundant.
Ag age forty-seven, he heard the voice of god
tell him this was his calling. This was why god
had given him to this woman to train him up in
the word and why he must suffer at her hands.
He would continue to cleanse and purge as long
as his Master needed him. This was his destiny.
!!!

This story, also, is horrendous, but the second half lightens the burden on readers as some visions of light begin coming through until, by the somewhat surprising ending, there was reason to commend the author for merging such divergent points of view into what most people would call a horror movie...

It was 1973 when I saw the first "supernatural horror" movie, The Exorcist. That was my first and last experience of watching this type of religious horror movie... But that has not stopped many, many more from being created. It seems the world has a need to select the "du jour religion" to use, then some other religious group turns against them and begins to explain violence on other people because they do not believe what the first group believes.

Her heart beat harder at his pledge
to save her soul, no matter the cost.
"Why would your god want to bring
justice down on me, or to save my
soul? I've done nothing to harm
anyone."
"Because you are wicked. You and
the other witches worship the devil.
You must repent or be punished."
Her head throbbed again and her
breathing became shallow with fear.
Now Sasha understood. This
religious fanatic had no understanding
of her religion. Worse than that, this
man used religion to give him an excuse
to harm others. She knew enough about
Christianity to realize he didn't even
understand his own religion.
"I not a witch, and I don't even believe
in the devil."
"Do not lie to me! I saw you dancing
around the fires of Hell tonight,
changing and thanking some goddess."
...confess, witch, or you'll be put to
death with your own evil instrument."
~~~

In this case, a Christian church has spoken out against a group of women who are Wiccans--calling them witches...  Sound familiar? Church leaders have attempted in various ways to prevent the Wiccans from conducting religious activities, refusing to differentiate between Wiccans and witches...

The first murder occurred after a young man had seen the Wiccan ceremony held by a local group. He had waited until everybody had left but the one who had led the activities and was cleaning up after. He had attacked her and taken her to another location where he had tortured her, with her own athame [knife], forcing her to admit her sins and turning to the one true god, which was his...of course... He then burned "forgiven" or "unforgiven" on their chest! But killed them anyway...

Chennelle Kendall was assigned to the case and she immediately asked for Erica Barnes to help--quite a dynamic duo for a tough case that was quickly going nowhere... Except more of the Wicca members were murdered...

Readers will know the individual who considers himself an avenging angel for god. This is somewhat of a traditional tale of abuse by a parent, or, this time, a grandmother. Using religion to justify punishment of a child, who has no guilt except having been born, has also become an ordinary story line that has certainly run its course in my opinion...

The second half of the book brings in a new character that totally transforms the direction of the case and, without saying more, the beliefs of some of the people in that town. The ending is more than satisfactory given the first half, while I continued to feel the serial killer by virtue of parental abuse has been played over and over, even if you can't really say that the killing becomes boring--rather that readers generally come to know what to expect and gains little sympathy for the, supposedly, true victim which is the child who was terribly abused by his grandmother. 

A sub-plot regarding a female cop and her family is a good tie-in for readers that deals with a domestic abuse situation. This fits in well in a cop procedural where the female gained support from other officers to fight back against an alcoholic husband and father. But also spotlights the access of guns by children...

Purged is the fourth book in The Circle City Mystery Series. I have not read any of the rest so do not know how this particular book relates to earlier stories. When the individual who is doing the crime is immediately identified, there is little real mystery for me. Pitting one religion against another to result in violence is not my preference, but the author carried this sensitive issue well, adding little tidbits such as a mixed-religion marriage, to soften the overall effect. I hope I've given you sufficient info to help you decide. The author is award-winning so you can be assured that the book is well written.  Do check it out, at least, won't you?

GABixlerReviews

M. E. May (Michele) lives in the far Northwest Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, with her husband, Paul, and white Husky, Iris. She was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, the fourth of five children to working class parents. Both of her parents were avid readers who loved mystery, fantasy and romance. They often encouraged her to read as well. Her son, Brian, and daughter, Marie, and four wonderful grandsons, Kodey, Kaleb, Kameron, and Gustin all live in central Indiana. M. E. attended Indiana University-Kokomo studying Social and Behavioral Sciences. This sparked her interest in the psychology of humans and the curiosity to ask why they commit such heinous crimes upon one another.

At age 50, she finally realized what she wanted to be when she grew up -- an author. She always knew she had it in her, but was never quite sure how to fit writing in with raising children and working full-time. In 2008, her wonderful husband found out about her dream of becoming an author. He suggested she take a year off to get started. The children were grown and have been on their own for several years now, so why not?

Michele is a member of several organizations, such as Mystery Writers of America (including the local chapter MWA Midwest); Sisters in Crime (Chicagoland and Speed City in Indianapolis) and is currently Vice President and Program Chair of the Chicagoland group; Chicago Writers of America and their affiliate InPrint.

She is currently writing a series of novels involving the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, which she calls the Circle City Mystery Series. The first novel, Perfidy, explores the depths of human perception and to what lengths a person will go in seeking revenge. Perfidy was honored on February 2, 2013, by colleagues at the Love is Murder Conference in Chicago, when Michele received the 2013 Lovey Award for Best First Novel. The second novel, Inconspicuous, was nominated for the 2014 Lovey Award for Best Suspense. The third novel in the series, Ensconced, was released March 7, 2014, and the fourth, Purged, will be released on November 20, 2014. Michele was also privileged to have her short story, "Uncle Vito and the Cheerleader" accepted for the Speed City Sisters in Crime anthology, Hoosier Hoops and Hijinks, which was released in October 2013.

Do you Remember??? A Tribute to Wonderful Sophie Tucker and her Career...

Last night I saw a woman,
who looks much like this star,
 sing a song called,
 "I Live Alone and Like It!
Ok, not only was it funny,
but I thought...maybe a new
 theme song for me at my age???
 What do you think?
~~~

A Tribute to a Woman

After my Own Heart...

1. 
   
2. Sophie Tucker was a Ukrainian-born American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her stentorian delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers ... Wikipedia
4. Born: January 13, 1887, Russia
5. Died: February 9, 1966, New York City, NY
6. Albums: Origins Of The Red Hot Mama, 1910-1922, Last of the Red Hot Mommas, The Great Sophie Tucker
7. Awards: Grammy Hall of Fame Award 

My sister, Dee, recently said that I'd never stopped working, even though I retired... Well, here's Sophie in 1960 appearing on Ed Sullivan, just six years before she died... So I still got a long way to go, right?

I've picked out songs that are funny because that's what she's best known for; however, she did have a beautiful voice as well... Ok, maybe my singing has been limited to churcy things, but that counts, for an amateur...

Sophia was apparently quite content at whatever age she was, and washn't concerned about sharing her thoughts on the matter...LOL

You know I've talked about reading so much and not getting much exercise, but Sophie spoke up the real truth... She sure is My Kinda Woman...

She's famous for her Red Hot Mama songs...

Welllll, we all can't be a star...LOL

You sure got That Right, Sophia...

One of These Days is one of my favorites of her songs...

What about you? Ya' Gonna Miss Me Honey?

Sure glad I heard that song last night...I enjoyed putting this together to share with all of you!

Glenda

Apache Mex by Chestcat Thomas A Western Story of A Son's Vow to Avenge His Mother...

[Her mother and Rushing
Water] decided that it would
be best if she left without
ever letting the tribe
know what had happened
to her...

It was in the early dawn of the morning, the water was cool in the creek as an Apache squaw bathed in the nude, her hair glistening as the sun peeped over the horizon...
Suddenly Rushing Water heard a noise behind her, as she looked over her shoulder of long black glistening hair expecting to see a rabbit, she instead saw two Mexicans smiling at her with their eyes open wide as if in the state of surprise or shock...
She was at the center of the creed and started to wade as fast as she could to the east bank where she entered the creek every morning...
Rushing Waterf felt her hair being yanked as her head fell back...she struggled but without success as she was snatched up backwards by her hair and waist being pulled across the Mexican's horse, Rushing Water was screaming but knew that her screams could not be heard...
As the months slowly passed on Falling Star noticed that Rushing Water was with child, and explained to her that Apache Chief Jumping Wolf would not allow a marriage between her and his son Rolling Mountain, and by her silence of what happened to her the chief would think that she had broken the sacred marriage promise vow and ban her from the tribe without food, or any skins to keep warm in the soon to come winter cold...

~~~

Apache Mex

By Chestcat Thomas

Reading the authors Introduction, I was reminded of how my brother, too, loved westerns and I was also a fan for several of them. Have Gun Will Travel was my favorite. Of course, the star who played Paladin was the reason for me...LOL  Even then I was more interested in stories that were unique... and I enjoyed his moving where he was needed, of course with his gun... And, Apache Mex by Thomas Chestcat is indeed unique...and memorable..

It's the lack of the simple pleasures
of life which is so vastly dissipating
out society. Let's get back to the
basics of fictional story telling...
~~~

But it wasn't the author's reminiscing of shared TV programs, but rather, the reason he chose to write a western, like his idol Louis L'Amour--and who has not read at least one of his many novels!? Here's a little about what Chestcat had to say: 

 "L'Amour, a writer who intrigued his readers without the use of sexual exploitation, without the use of vulgarity, his stories were written for all audiences, young and old, people of all colors could enjoy his plots, always eager for more..."

Chestcat Thomas has the right idea, in my opinion. Sure, there were always good and bad in westerns... but there was also loyalty... And when something happened that deserved revenge, it wasn't hard to find those who would stick together to fight for right... Yeah, sure, there were still lots of shooting and dying, but, in the end, most folks felt like what had happened was what needed to happen... How many of us can say that about most wars, street killings, or sex trafficking, or murder for hire, or drug lords? 

Chestcat Thomas is a true storyteller who presents readers with a short, original story that sends us right back to the days when we joyously played "cowboys and indians..." not knowing, ever, the real horror of what really happened... and isn't that what fiction is all about? Escaping into a world of pretend???

Rushing Water was lucky to find an old abandoned stage coach station about 30 miles from her tribe. She immediately started in cleaning and making it as cozy as she could, which was fortunate for she found a door in the floor! Obviously nobody had touched it since the clear attack on the building full of holes.
"She smiled for the first time she had left her people..." There was everything there that she would need to make it through the winter...

               

Her half-breed son was
given a half-breed name...

By the size of him she knew
that one day he would grow
to be a very huge man.
~~~

Soon after, Rushing Water gave birth to a boy papoose during the Indian summer of 1851. There were plenty of clothes that had been left behind and she converted many to prepare for her son...

The shabby building had now become her and her son's home...

She named her little boy Apache Mex since she knew that her child was not worthy enough to have a whole Apache name--he was not pureblood... Her half-breed son was given a half-breed name...

They had lived alone for eight winters when Apache Mex found a wolf pup wandering out of his den. He quickly took out a grass sack from his back pocket and covered the puppy, then quickly retreated before the mother returned.

He was happy and eager to show his new pet to Rushing Water, as he danced from side to side, Apache Mex heard a gunshot coming from the clearing in front of him where he and his mother lived. He started a fast trot and heard seven more shots as he approached the edge of woods where the clearing and his home was. There were eight horses but only three men on three horses were spotted by Apache Mex. He smelled trouble and ran as fast as he could toward the station, noticed five other men coming out of the station laughing with bottles of whiskey turned up to their mouths. Apache Mex was nearly out of breath and his fast pace had slowed to a sluggish walk. As the men climbed up on their horses, Rushing Water stepped out of the station and fired a slug into one of the men who fell over sideways off hiw horse. She fired a second slug into the leg of another rider who spun around and fired his pistol. Rushing Water fell back flat on the rotted out porch of the station.

When the riders saw apache Mex coming, the one which Rushing Water shot in the leg stopped and rode back to meet him, pulled his rifle from his scabbard and said, "Indian Boy, join your mother..." The man who sat on the horse looked like a ghost, had long white hair and a white beard that practically covered his whole face, he had fire red eyes and wore all white clothes.

~~~

Once again luck was with him. His wolf puppy woke him, licking the blood on his forehead... Apache Mex was able to talk to his mother before she died. She told him to find his way back to her tribe, that they would take him in... He buried his mother and returned home, tying the horse that had belonged to the only man who'd died.  When he went back inside he found a medallion with MALCHOX written on it. He swore to avenge his mother's death or die trying...

Apache Mex jumped in front of the
gun and grabbed the barrel while
pointing with his left hand to the
wolf and to himself, saying,
"Ruter, Ruter..."
~~~

He named his pup Ruter and he prepared for their future. Knowing what had happened when his mother left her tribe and would have been banned otherwise, he decided not to follow his mother's guidance and set off himself...especially with his wolf friend... He was on his own for nine years. Ruter was now huge and broad shouldered, who did most of the hard work in hunting for food... They had traveled all around the area but had always returned to the station. But his time out they headed toward the southwest part of Texas and saw a large farm house with an old man and boy on he porch... Meantime, Ruter had gone after a deer and the old man saw the large wolfe shaking the doe...and sent the boy for his gun...

Got to tell you--this is just the beginning! Apache Mex has one goal--to avenge his mother, but, along the way, he happens to meet a young Indian maiden called Midnight Gold...

And the action has barely begun...

But...as remarkable as this story is, there are many, many issues that needed to be edited. From that standpoint only, I cannot recommend it wholeheartedly, but I've talked with the author via email and I truly feel that this story is worth your consideration. I've already suggested that the author make an audio version--I've heard him read an excerpt and know that I would surely love to hear it coming from him with the emotion and love he feels coming through.  On this one, you decide, but please don't get it and then it poor ratings. The story itself does not deserve it... I'm going with a 3 for those who care about ranks, which I don't...LOL

GABixlerReviews

"Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly." --John f. Kennedy

About the Author
I'm a Native of Louisiana, who loves hunting, fishing, horseback riding, swimming in the Amite River [see pic], and Darlington Creek. My favorite childhood game was playing cowboys and indians, my favorite television shows were westerns, my favorite novels were westerns mostly written by Louis L'Amour. I love to write although it may be fiction, western fiction is a part of me. I grew up in a medium size family having one brother, and one sister, our father died when I was about one year old, therefore, I was only raised by my mother.