It is March 1956 and private investigator Jack Laramie is in Dallas as Between Juarez And El Paso begins. It has been a long drive for Jack in his Desoto towing his horse trailer home as he came in to Dallas by way of Amarillo. All he wanted was a good drink when he wandered into “Rube’s” on Commerce and Field streets.
It was not long before a fight broke out as they often do in drives such as “Rube’s”. In the aftermath of the brawl he runs into a “Shel Eastman” who he first met on a forced march as prisoner of war back in January of 45. They both survived the prison camp known as Stalag Luft Three and more and came home with more than a few inner demons to deal with. While Jack has found the open road to be some solace, what has kept Shel going through still more grief in recent years is the love of his daughter, Karen.
These days Karen is far from her Dallas home as she is studying literature out at Texas Western University in El Paso. At least, she is supposed to be there. Shel has no idea where his daughter really is as both her and her college roommate seems to have vanished. Staff of the university claims that Karen was never studying there. Police in El Paso as well as local private investigator there were of zero help.
A while back there was a picture in the local paper in Dallas that showed two Cuban casino owners, a U.S. Senator, and three ladies. The ladies were young, beautiful women and one of them was Karen. Despite the picture in the paper, Shel has not been able to get anyone in El Paso interested in the situation or the plight of his daughter. Shel was politely warned off and the grief stricken father desperately needs Jack’s help.
Jack goes to El Paso and soon realizes something very strange is going on at the border city. It isn’t just the fact that the staff at Texas Western is being so uncaring and difficult. It isn’t just the fact that with a little help from a female contact he learns young female students are disappearing at an alarming rate. It isn’t just the fact that distinctive men in suits seem to be everywhere eyeballing certain folks all while the local cops take a hands off approach. It is all that and more and wants Jack Laramie sticks his nose in things his presence draws unwelcome attention in multiple ways.
This sixth book in The Drifter Detective series is another solidly good read. Written by Alec Cizak there is a darker tone in this installment than some of the earlier read in the series which began with The Drifter Detective by Garnett Elliott. Plenty of action and intrigue are at work in novel that quickly escalates the hard boiled tension as Jack Laramie confronts one and all in his latest search for the truth. While it would help to have read earlier books this enjoyable series, one could begin with Between Juarez And El Paso if one were so inclined. It is a mighty good read.
Between Juarez And El Paso (The Drifter Detective Series Book 6)
Alec Cizak
http://nomoralcenter.blogspot.com/
Beat To A Pulp
http://www.beattoapulp.com
July 2015
ISBN# 978-1-943035-08-3
Paperback (e-book available)
114 Pages
$6.25
Paperback version supplied by the publisher in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015