The Trail of a Rattler — Elizabeth A. Garcia

The time is September of 2008. The place is Ojinaga, Mexico. Observing the peaceful beauty and outward normalcy of the pueblo, you could not tell that bad things are happening. Capitán Benito Escalante is called home from a weekend visit in Texas because of two unusually brutal murders. One perpetrator, a gringo covered in his victim's blood, is behind bars. The other is, for now, still in the wind. As the capitán says, “Crime doesn't stop because the police captain is busy.” Who is the woman claiming to be the gringo prisoner's friend? What do a box containing a fifty-year-old mystery, a man with “eyes like a cat,” and a homeless boy with a sobering secret, have to do with the murders? What does the blind curandera know? Capitán Escalante invites you to ride, run, and walk along with him as he tries to figure it out. “Invite” might be the wrong word…his tale of intrigue and adventure will force you to turn pages until all questions are answered. When he rests, you can rest. Then everybody can take a breather on a bench in the shade on the plaza. But not for long.