Hallowed Ground
A lone man sits his horse atop a bluff near the southern Missouri border. There's a story in the country ahead of him. A dark tale of murdered girls and a killer not caught, of an old friend asking for help, and a letter from a frightened young mother that arrived too late.
Marshal Coble Bray isn't subtle. He's known as "The Deacon," and when local lawmen come across murderers and thieves too tough or ruthless for them to handle, he's the one they bring in. He hunts men like others hunt wolves. But none of this will help him with this new challenge.
Innocent young girls are being killed in a ritualistic fashion. What evidence there is has turned out to be useless, and every trail is a dead end. Between an ambitious judge, a useless sheriff, and a gang of bloodthirsty vigilantes the countryside is primed to explode. Dodging danger, hot lead, and the advances of two beautiful women, Coble pushes forward in his mission. He knows the murderer is near, but how do you find a killer who hides in plain sight?
About Darrel Sparkman (Springfield, Missouri Author)
Darrel Sparkman resides in Southwest Missouri with his wife. Their three children and grandchildren live nearby. His hobbies include gardening, golfing, and writing. In the past, Darrel served four years in the United States Navy, including seven months in Viet Nam as a combat search & rescue helicopter crewman. He also served nineteen years as a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician First Responder, worked as a professional photographer, computer repair tech, and was owner and operator of a greenhouse and flower shop. Darrel is currently retired and self-employed. He finally has that job that wakes you up every day with a smile.
From the Author-
I never studied much, school wasn’t a big interest for me. In retrospect, I wish I had. But, what I did was read. Didn’t have much of a childhood, so I read to escape I suppose. Four to five books a week—from middle school into adulthood. You name it—I read it. Changing schools over twenty times from kindergarten to twelfth grade gave me insight into people and circumstances—and the value of standing your ground. I loved science fiction, but when the genre morphed to fantasy, I dropped out. Being raised in rural America bent me toward adventure novels and westerns, and I’ve been writing since I was young. Reading one adventure novel and wanting to get on to the next gave me the style in my writing of picking a week or so in the protagonist’s life and riding hell-bent from problem to solution. My heroes are prone to suddenness of action and intent. Writing can exorcise your demons, give you the pleasure of a story well told, and drive you to distraction. But it is always a ride worth taking.
