Walter Ramsay's Mystery Sizzles with Suspense and Mystic Revelation!

Image by JelleS via Flickr

"Tucker for the first time, had a clear view
of his great-great-uncle. His long hair
was raven black, his body tanned and
muscular. His face had sharp, distinctive
features. The high cheekbones, slim nose,
and wide, almond-shaped eyes gave him
a unique look. Tucker was astounded to
see his ancestor at such close range.
Osci sat cross-legged with the palms of
his hands resting on his knees. Tucker
was drawn to the opposite site of the fire...
'My nephew, Osci started, 'You are my
chosen one..." (p. 154)

Beneath the Dune


By Walter Ramsay






What a very cool book! I loved the concept, the merge of history and American Indian mysticism and the acquisition of justice, albeit after hundreds of years...



"Oh, there was a time when big things were planned for me. But wow, how things had changed. A budding star on the court and my extended future resting on bigger things to come later on in the newsroom. I had my sights set on being the guy to sign autographs and in my later years be the announcer who says, 'At the buzzer, what a shot to win it all! Your new NSA champions are...!' Damn, ESPN would have loved me." (p. 6)

Losing a planned career in the sports arena can follow you through the rest of your life. For Tucker Lee Anderson, it had resulted in his working sports for a local paper, which was even limited to just community and high school news! "This was my purgatory. High school and recreational sports, no coverage of college or pros. That was our policy." (p. 9)

So Tucker spent a lot of his time cruising, drinking and flirting...and ignoring calls from his ex for child support. It didn't matter that he was living in a trailer and she and the kids were now with their stepfather and living in a million-dollar home...

But readers will see a major change in him when he is asked to cover for another reporter and provide a news story when the remains of a baby were found in the dunes...

His boss and the police thought it was the body of the last victim of a serial killer. It seemed like old news to many of the news agencies, so his boss decided to have Tucker interview Ed Ventara, who was already scheduled for the death penalty. Not only did Ventara assure Tucker that the body was not that of his last victim, but he was found dead in his cell soon after, supposedly from suicide.

Besides by then Tucker knew how and when the baby had been killed...

He had been visited by his ancestor through a series of dreams that had taken him back to around the time of the civil war. His ancestor had fell in love with a white woman who had been married off by her father, thinking he would be providing protection and family for her during the war. The husband had been cruel before he too left for the war. Osci was gentle and wonderful and their love brought forth a child...

But the final ruling announced was that the child was Ventara's final victim and the cold case was officially closed...What Tucker and his connections had determined to be true--that the body was too old to have been Ventara's victim, for instance, was falsified by higher officials. Even his boss, who had been looking for a big story now told Tucker to back off. But Tucker now had a purpose to his life, one that was important to him and his family. All he had to do was figure out how to ensure this cover up not only was not permitted, but that he could fulfill his promise to his ancestors that justice was done!  

Walter Ramsay not only provides a remarkable main character who I hope will be seen in future books, but his addition of important strategic "honest" people in positions where they were able to assist in solving a crime that was being covered up by those high enough to ensure lies were told, provided a much-needed moral to the story that corruption cannot be carried on forever and justice will ultimately be served... Given some of the  stories in today's headlines, I found solace in Ramsay's main characters, knowing that, in the end, justice will indeed prevail... A great whodunit, but even more, a literary historical fiction novel worthy of consideration by all.

Book Received Via

Bostick Communications

GABixlerReviews