Location: Tucson, Arizona

I have a deal for you… keep reading.

May is a time for Spring renewal. Speaking of new things, Tom K and I have completed a new book for you!

LETHAL TRAIL is our next Sam Travis Adventure, and is available for pre-order at a discount NOW. Keep reading for an early peek at this wild new yarn.

Before Kay and I move on to Southern California mañana, I wanted to offer you a sample of what is to come at the end of May.

But first, take a look at the Arizona desert exploding into Springtime color:

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Now, on to the business at hand.

This second Sam Travis Adventure will tear at your heartstrings and keep your pulse pounding. Why? Because Sam and his temporary FBI partner, behavioral analyst Agent Letty Mather, battle heinous villains as they come to the rescue of a vulnerable teenage girl.

You’ll marvel at how this could possibly be based on a true story from the case files of my writing partner, Lt. Tom Kasprzak (retired). But it is.

Most of the characters you met in LETHAL GAME are back. Some are deplorable as ever, some new ones are far worse, and some will win your loyalty all over again.

This is another fun but thought-provoking read that takes place in the picturesque Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts, and elsewhere.

A reminder that when a book is available for PRE-ORDER, that means you can order it now at a twenty percent discount, and it will automatically be delivered to all your smart devices at the end of our May countdown. On June 1, it just magically appears for your summertime reading enjoyment.

Keep pace with Sam Travis, his friends, and their enemies as they pursue or flee justice, respectively… and maybe lust for personal vindication… in LETHAL TRAIL – NO BODY IS SAFE, our next pulse-pounding Sam Travis Adventure.

Pre-order your Kindle edition HERE. Its paperback edition will be available in June.

One last thing. Check in on Sam right now out on “the A.T.” (the Appalachian Trail) as he gets down to business early on in the following excerpt from LETHAL TRAIL:

July 6, 1988

* * *

Sam’s boss, Lieutenant Paul O’Neill, asked the Massachusetts EPO Inland Enforcement Bureau dispatcher to patch him through to Travis’s radio in the field. “Sam, we got a missing through-hiker up on the AT. Missed a check-in with her husband two days ago.”

He was enjoying a peaceful ride up near the summit of October Mountain, keeping an eye out for post-holiday poachers. He had a plan to familiarize himself with a new trail cleared a few months ago under some recently erected power lines and towers. The shades of verdant green exploded around him on this brilliant summer day. Even so, a few leaves had dropped and swirled on the blacktop ahead of him. “Seriously, boss? Hikers go missing or are overdue all the time, especially on the AT.”

“Well, this gal’s husband says she’s as regular as the Naval Observatory’s Atomic Clock—his words. Plus, she’s some kind of heavyweight west coast doc. So’s her antsy husband.”

“Say, what? Why me?”

“Husband says she’s reliable, almost obsessive, and she’s never late. Says she’s really late. Coordinate with the Berkshire County State Trooper’s barracks. They’re the ones who asked for you.”

“Okay, yeah, that’d be Lieutenant Rick Smith. Helped him out a while back. Thinks I’m a tracker. On it.”

* * *

Regional EPO Office

Glenville, Massachusetts

Sam wondered how his desk could be so messy when he spent so little time here. Worked from home most of the time. Picked up the phone and dialed. “Lieutenant Smith, it’s Sam Travis. Got a ghost on the AT, I hear.” 

“Sam! Hey, thanks for callin’. Gettin’ some major heat here. Doctor Mary Bishop, a through-hiker, disappeared in our neck a the woods at least a couple a days, now. She was last reported buying provisions three days ago—Sunday, over the holiday weekend—and then, nothin’. Hell, I’m not sure where to even start on somethin’ like this. Me ’n my troopers run damn fine speed traps, and got an outstanding record of workin’ with our county animal control at findin’ lost pets, but this?”

“Okay, LT. Tell me what you’ve done so far, and we’ll go from there. Fair enough?”

“The husband, Dr. Grant Bishop, flew into Pittsfield last night on a private charter from Albuquerque. He’s in the middle of some sort of speaking tour. The guy’s a mess, Sam. Up on Greylock, well, you know.”

“LT, from the beginning, okay?”

“Sure thing. Well, I had a couple of troopers hit grocery stores, outdoor supply stores, and trail outfitters in Williamstown. Branched out four miles from the local AT access point. We felt that would be about the maximum hikers would go out of their way. Showed each outfitter a picture of Dr. Bishop. One in Williamstown identified her. Picked up supplies totaling $153.22. Nothing out of the ordinary. The clerk said she was nice, relaxed, a gracious lady. Said she was headed south to hit Mount Greylock and looked forward to the hike. Used the pay phone outside according to the clerk. We believe she called her husband. The timeline matches. That’s it. Nothing since.””

The MSP lieutenant sounded exhausted and worried. “That’s a good start, LT. Nice work. I’ll drive up from Tyringham in the morning. Gotta tuck my kid in tonight, delegate some other business, and muster a few supplies in the morning. Get some sleep tonight, and we’ll hit it tomorrow. Meet you at your office, first light?”

* * *

Sam hung up and pulled a few topographical maps from his files. Williamstown nestled in the Berkshire County’s Hoosic River Valley near the Vermont border, highlands surrounded this village of a few thousand souls. At the northern end of the Massachusetts section of the trail, Mount Greylock loomed to the south on the topo map. With its summit at almost thirty-five-hundred feet, Greylock was the highest elevation in the state, and covered a lot of rugged square miles. But every search starts at one point—where the missing party was last seen.

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If you enjoyed this excerpt from LETHAL TRAIL, grab your discounted pre-order price for its Kindle edition HERE. The book will then magically appear on your phone, tablet, or computer on June first. And another bonus is the excerpt of the third Sam Travis Adventure, LETHAL BOUNTY included at the end of your copy of LETHAL TRAIL.

Don’t wait! Pre-order now.

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That’s it! So, until next time, and wherever…

Let’s roll!

Gene

P.S.