Angel's Chair

In the early 1970's, three friends, two men and a woman, become involved in smuggling marijuana from rural Mexico into Texas. They befriend the family of a farmer, and one of the men, Blackie, becomes romantically involved with the farmer's daughter. Their venture turns deadly when a local cartel attempts to take over their enterprise. The three friends have no choice but to flee Mexico and never look back, burying their secret. Blackie and his friend Rose struggle with their wound and eventually marry in the hope a new life will erase the memory of the tragedy of Mexico. Their attempt at happiness is cut short by another tragedy that only deepens their schism. Blackie eventually finds a semblance of peace as an Episcopal priest, while Rose becomes a nurse but never quite fully achieves a balance in her life. Their friend Mateo for a time continues his career as a smuggler but later finds his way and becomes a respectable businessman in Oaxaca. Over time, the three of them become estranged until one day a Mexican woman, an investigative journalist fleeing from a corrupt Mexican Presidential candidate, reopens their wound in an unlikely way. Blackie, who is serving out his final days as a priest in Austin, is approached by the journalist, Vianey Chavarria, who in desperation enlists his help in evading her pursuer, a corrupt Mexican policeman turned hit man who has been tasked with recovering the damaging information she holds and eliminating her. Her only leverage with Blackie is her revelation that she is the daughter of the young Mexican woman Blackie deserted forty-five years ago. Blackie and Vianey are subsequently abducted by the minions of a competing Mexican politician seeking Vianey's expose on his opponent. They are taken and held captive on a remote ranch in New Mexico. Meanwhile, Mateo and Rose are notified of Blackie's disappearance and both return to Texas, he from Oaxaca, she from an assignment in a refugee camp in Turkey. As they attempt to locate Blackie and secure his release, they deal with the memories of not only the tragedy that befell them in Mexico, but their estrangement and tangled history. As they bargain with Blackie and Vianey's abductor for their release, they find themselves in a race against time to close the deal before the Mexican hit man is also able to locate Vianey. The climax takes place on the ranch in New Mexico as all the characters engage in a deadly set piece. At its heart, this is a story of the evolution of love and friendship in the face of remorse and redemption. The three main characters find themselves facing the winter of their lives, a time when one is forced to weigh one's past and how it has affected one's path. This story should have immense appeal to the 'baby boomer' generation as they deal with this same prospect. This is a book for readers that enjoy an original story line and complicated characters.