Sonora Crossing

Book excerpt: After the death of her former lover, Ed Jeski, Tucson investigator Del Shannon is hesitant to take on the case of a missing child. But six-year-old Aurea Lara is rumored to possess prophetic visions, and Del discovers she may know something about Jeski's death. Plunging across the Mexican border, Del joins forces with La Banda, a group fighting to infiltrate the compound of Aurea's violent drug-lord uncle. Desert shootouts and cruel betrayals make Del question whether Aurea's dark visions might just be coming true. Praise: "Del Shannon is a character you'd like to continue to follow. She's smart, sexy, tough and adventurous—a female P.I. who doesn't depend on men. And James has her engaged in situations with some interesting psychological implications."—Tucson Weekly "Darrell James demonstrates many skills in his well-crafted second novel, Sonora Crossing. The descriptive writing of place is good. The characters are well drawn, even if they aren't particularly complex. Most of all, James manages a fast plot well. This plot-driven book keeps the reader turning the pages to find out what happens next."—U-T San Diego "James surrounds the passionate and determined Del, who comfortably occupies center stage, with plenty of interesting characters and a plot to severely test her will and ingenuity."—Publishers Weekly "This is a truly exciting plot which makes for a great read. Del is a very strong and competent main character that lovers of suspense, western, and mystery books will absolutely enjoy!"—Suspense Magazine A finalist for The Rocky Award for best mystery novel set in the Left Coast Crime Geographical Region