Arizona

The ancient desert O'odham people's creation stories parallel the path a young Guy Thornton takes to emerge from the "maze" he has made of his life. The novel opens in the center of the narrative as Guy, a down-on-his-luck Arabian horse trainer fresh out of prison, is getting drunk at the Wander On Inn. He spends the next several months living in the central Arizona desert with an elderly O'odham woman who seeks to teach him "tribe spirit," while alternating chapters recount the past and his big break when the wealthy Frank Fielding hires him to tend to his champion Arabian mare. Unfortunately, Guy becomes entangled with Fielding's wife, Lily, and her teenaged, mentally unstable sister, Rose, derailing his dreams of success and belonging through deceit and callous betrayal.

Guy Thornton's dreams for his new ranch on the outskirts of the small, southern Arizona town of Sonoita have hit an impasse: his wife is away in Tucson caring for her ailing father; his Yaqui housekeeper is busy participating in her tribe's 40-day Lenten observances; and JC, the troubled teenager entrusted to him, has gone missing. When Guy's son, Trick, rides out to investigate, he encounters the unknowable worlds of the Surem, the ancient Yaqui spirits who trouble and assist lost travelers, and returns bloodied, confused, and empty-handed. So Jasmine, Trick's former classmate, tries to help Guy locate JC. Their search leads them into the dangerous world of drug traffickers along the Mexican border. Book Six of The Arizona Series-novels intertwining Native American mythologies with western/adventure/romances set in the modern American West.

Most of Guy Thornton's family is thriving on their ranch in southern Arizona, but Samson the mule has grown old and his caretaker, Jasmine, has been struggling with depression since her mother's recent death. Star insists Guy take them to a Mojave Ghost Doctor living on the Colorado River near Parker where Guy's son Trick is starting his career as a large animal vet. The old Mojave man's "cure" involves the family in a mind-bending journey along the Colorado River and a nearly-deadly encounter with his vengeful son and his friends.Book Seven of The Arizona Seriesnovels intertwining Native American mythologies with western / adventure / romances set in the modern American West.