A copper theft investigation puts Arizona and the Apache Tribal Police on the trail of a deadly conspiracy in this borderland mystery thriller. Sgt. Bren Allred has seen all manner of criminality in beautiful Graham County, Arizona. He has managed to keep the worst of it from his wife, Monica, who is having a troubled pregnancy. But it will be difficult to keep the devils at bay as a new kind of trouble erupts across the region . . . When deputies Sanchez and Haley go undercover to investigate a rash of copper theft, they unwittingly stumble across a shadowy spy network. Meanwhile, Apache Police Sgt. Al Victor is confronted by a murder case involving a diplomat as he grapples with the ever-present problem of alcohol on the reservation.
Author Biography:
Virgil Alexander was born in rural Gila County, Arizona, growing up in the area of Globe-Miami. An ardent Arizona history enthusiast he spent much of his boyhood reading about and experiencing historic sites and the natural environment. He spent most of his free time hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting. His family had horses and raised livestock, and he frequently rode on evenings and weekends. His uncles were deputy sheriffs, one was a long-time chief-deputy, and his dad was an active reserve officer and member of the search and rescue team. Other close relatives worked in law enforcement for Border Patrol, town police, highway patrol, and state narcotics division. Alexander continues to live in Arizona with his wife, where he is retired from mining. His work experience has taken him on extended business trips to most of the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, and Europe. He attended Eastern Arizona College, Arizona State University, and University of Phoenix. He holds a control engineering certification and a bachelor's degree in business management. He has taught academic and vocational classes for Eastern Arizona and Gila Pueblo College. He grew up with Latino and Apache friends. He taught college classes on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, as well as doing volunteer church work, helping with Scouting, and assisting to establish an Explorer Post there. His intimate knowledge of rural and small town culture and Arizona history is reflected in his writing, and his exposure to rural law enforcement adds realism to his stories. Curtis Michael Holland has craved performing and sharing what he knows ever since he first experienced the adrenaline rush of a connected audience. With a mixed background that is Canadian-Greek, African, and Indigenous (Blackfoot and Cherokee), you could say that he emerges from a rich mosaic of storytellers. Then, there's the fact that he has lived across three different continents-four, if you count the Middle East as its own. Nevertheless, the world is his home and he loves exploring new corners of it. Along this journey, he has developed basic proficiency yet refined pronunciation in: Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, French, and Italian. Curtis's worldly adventure began once he left his home in small-town Canada to teach students theater around the world as soon as he earned his honors degrees. This member of the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities is proud to share his spirited, textured, and entertaining voice. On one hand he loves bringing authenticity to queer romances and young adult fiction; on the other, he enjoys flirting with stories of horror, thrills, and high tension. Whatever the tale may be, it is his ultimate goal to educate and entertain.