Books
Crossing Clayborn
Clay Redmond, a Miami real estate broker living the good life, was all set for early retirement until his business partner “screws” him out of his interest in a choice piece of real estate. Clay’s golden years nest-egg issue goes to court but even his own attorney and the presiding judge side against him. Cheated again, he felt, by a corrupt justice system. Bitter and dispirited for a time, the broker—a former Marine—begins to plot a strategy of revenge.
His plan includes, in addition to murder and mayhem, seducing the crooked business partner’s young and ravishingly beautiful wife, Vanessa. His plan didn’t include falling in love with her, which happens along the broader road to satisfying his sense of justice.
Clay Redmond concocts an elaborate scheme that takes him to the heart of Fidel Castro’s Cuba. The intrigue expands further to Santo Domingo and, with the help of two Cuban friends, he conspires with a powerful Spaniard who maintains a thriving drug empire in the Andes Mountains of South America. Over the course of the story, Clay’s initial idea of just how he would “eliminate” his business partner and regain his retirement nest-egg undergoes many variations.
This story will appeal to those who love mystery, romance, adventure, Caribbean intrigue, and, of course, the bad guys getting their comeuppance.
The Horace Johns Matter
Grandmothers, Family Trees and Civil War Manhunts
A young man’s vow to his grandmother leads him on a journey to uncover the truth about her father’s mysterious death—137 years after the fact.
For years, Oliver Johns struggled to fulfill his grandmother’s dying wish: to learn the fate of her father, Horace Johns, a Civil War veteran whose life ended under suspicious circumstances. Determined to succeed, Oliver turns to modern research methods, which lead him to Montgomery’s History and Archive Department. There, he meets Maisie McDaniel, a dedicated and insightful researcher whose knowledge of Civil War history proves invaluable.
As Oliver and Maisie piece together the fragments of Horace’s past, they find themselves drawn into a complex mystery spanning generations. With the help of Maisie’s detective uncle, they uncover long-buried clues, revealing unexpected truths about Horace’s life and death. But amid the twists and turns of their investigation, another discovery takes shape—the deepening connection between Oliver and Maisie.
Blending historical intrigue, genealogy, and a touch of romance, The Horace Johns Matter is a captivating story of family secrets, historical revelations, and the power of love across time. Perfect for fans of historical mysteries, Civil War-era fiction, and heartwarming romance.
Great Point Clear
A fast-paced work of hardboiled fiction, Great Point Clear tells the troubled tale of Tyler Ganzy.
As a young field hand in Sweet Bend, Alabama, Tyler fell in love with Baltimore beauty Iry Tuttle during the summer of 1942. Everything was picture perfect—until the couple witnessed a murder that went unsolved.
Without evidence, and with his word weighing less in the community than the murderer’s, Tyler ran—right into the arms of the US Army. After surviving World War II, he returned to his country, but not to his home. Afraid of the still-unsuspected murderer, he enrolled in a northern university and ended up as a journalist in the Big Apple.
Fast-forward to 1959: Tyler is tired of living in fear, and he can’t shake his memories of sweet Iry. So when his editor hears of possible UFOs seen flying over the Gulf Coast of Alabama, Tyler sees his chance and snatches the story.
Written with noir-fiction flair, Great Point Clear is deeply layered with love, humor, and a search for justice. It is a novel rich with dialogue that immerses readers in the heart of the South, offering a fascinating glimpse of a past that seems so real, it just might have been.
Barlow and Other Stories
Barlow is a tale wherein native ingenuity trumps book learning. A friendly bet between the mayor of Farcey Springs and the county sheriff puts this countrified veteran face-to-face with certain restrictions that hinder the use of “blood-letting” weapons in defense of his homestead. Southern dialect of course adds 1930s realism to the flesh of this novella, including unique perspectives and phraseology that run through most of the remaining thirteen short stories in this collection.
All stripes and colors of folks interact in amusing ways. One story focuses on matters critical to three moonshiners of the Great Depression era. Another, to a hospitalized elderly woman who reminisces about her beloved as she surrenders full rein to a lively subconscious. Other stories range over a broad array of characters, settings, plots and themes and told in a rich style peppered with humor and feeling, reflecting some of the South’s lighter yet touching moments.
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