The Indian Queen would risk torture and worse to keep her secrets from these barbarians in suits of metal and their search for cities of gold. They never found the gold. Empires rose; empires fell, the centuries passed. Legend became fireside myths, but no treasure was ever found. Yet, among the grey-green drapes of wisteria and wild jasmine along the misty shrouded lowlands of bayous and marshes of the Westo River, the folktales persist.
In the lazed creep of a near-tropical dawn lit the pungent Turkish coffee permeates Moccasin Hollow. Beyond the kitchen door Lucky, Craige Ingram’s German shepherd gnaws a favorite bone. Looted burial mounds seem a world away until plundered mounds on Moccasin Hollow land brings amateur archaeologist PI Craige Ingram into the cross-hairs of kidnapping. Stealthy hideaways are concealed in old colonial brick-lined river grottoes beneath the big house of Ardochy plantation. Sex-tape underage blackmail and thrill killings on federal land spur a medical examiner’s preliminary postmortem to more than a hired cleaner’s quickie cover-up passed off as drug deals gone sour. Greed tangles a witch’s pigswill of illicit affairs and murder-to-hide-murder. Shady investigators and shadier politics stir an unexpected concoction that threatens the lives of those at Moccasin Hollow in a spiteful plot against ex-SEAL Craige Ingram and the woman he loves.
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My Review
I chose to read this e-book after receiving a free copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.
I had read Hidden Chamber of Death, the first book in the Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series, so I was looking forward to reading the second book, Westobou Gold. It is a murder mystery with multiple murders and multiple bad guys. When Craige Ingram is asked to look into a questionable murder-suicide, he ends up getting tangled up in much more. The question is can he keep himself and those he loves safe while he’s investigating?
I like Craige Ingram and Terri, the widow he saved in the last book. They have a good relationship and understand and support each other. The main villain in this book is a law enforcement officer who is not only psychotic but he thinks he can do whatever he wants because of his badge. But he’s not the only villain, there is a lot of corruption in this small town.
There are a lot of pieces in this puzzle and they finally all come together toward the end of the book. I had a little trouble getting into it but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. I do suggest better editing because the lack of editing was a distraction to my reading.
If you like a good murder mystery with twists, I recommend Westobou Gold.
About the Author
Internationally acclaimed author and public speaker, Hawk MacKinney began writing mysteries for his school newspapers. He served in the US Navy Reserve for over 20 years, and was a tenured faculty member at several state medical facilities, teaching postgraduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem, Israel. Since retiring Hawk has authored several novels that have received national and international recognition. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel, was nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award. The Cairns of Sainctuarie, his science fiction series, includes The Bleikovat Event and The Missing Planets, with a third book in the works. Hawk’s latest project focuses on The Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series. Book 1 in the series, Hidden Chamber of Death, was released early 2016.
Connect with the author: Website
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