Title: The Reckoning
Author: Mike Torreano
Genre: Traditional western mystery
Book Blurb:
Ike McAlister returns home to Kansas after the Civil War, his soul bruised and empty. Worse, his parents have been killed by Quantrill’s raiders who are still on the loose. No stranger to death and destruction, he vows to run the killers down. A clue leads him to the high plains of Colorado, but when his sister, Sue, disappears there, his world quickly spins out of control. In the midst of this turmoil, a feisty lady sparks an attraction, the only good thing in his life.
Racing against time, he must make a deadly choice. If he pursues the killers, Sue will likely never be found. If he veers off to find her, the killers’ trail will likely go cold.
Which track to follow? Will the love of family triumph in his broken heart, or will it be the passionate hate of revenge?
Excerpt:
The cards were coming up aces for the scruffy cowboy across from him. The man was cheating, but Ike couldn’t see how. He’d been losing to the surly wrangler for more than an hour and still hadn’t figured out his tricks. From what he could see, the man’s shuffle looked okay. His deal, too. It had to be something else. The sooner he figured it out the better. The stash of money in front of him had dwindled to next to nothing.
One of the players asked Ike where he was from. “I’m from back east a ways. Came here lookin’ for somebody.”
“Sounds like you’re looking for someone in particular. Mind my asking who?”
The man was a proper-looking sort in a black suit and bolo tie, both out of place in a rundown saloon like the Wildfire. He resembled a banker. Ike decided he might as well answer since he’d already told the sheriff why he was here. “I’m lookin’ for my sister, Sue.”
The cowboy spun a card to Ike that flew off the table. “That one got away from me.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Barnes and Noble- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-reckoning-mike-torreano/1124273029?ean=9781509209293
What makes your featured book a must-read?
Here’s an official review by the prestigious Onlinebookclub.com-
Mike Torreano actually recreates the American life in the late nineteenth century. Featuring cowboys, horses, and Native American warriors, the narrative is a compelling page-turner. Revealing gunfights, knife fights, the use of a tomahawk, and an organized search, it's suspenseful and full of twists that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. You can't guess what will happen next or how the story will end. Honestly, right now, this narration tops my list of the amazing books I've read recently.
Giveaway –
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Runs April 19 – April 28, 2022.
Winner will be drawn on April 29, 2022.
Author Biography:
Mike Torreano has a military background and is a student of American history and the Old West.
His debut western mystery, The Reckoning, set in South Park, Colorado in 1868, was released in 2016 by The Wild Rose Press. The sequel, The Renewal, also in South Park, 1872, was released in 2018. His third western, A Score To Settle, was released October 2020, also from The Wild Rose Press. White Sands Gold is his latest western mystery, and will be released this summer by Wild Rose. He has a coming-of-age novel, Fireflies At Dusk, set during the Civil War, and his short story, The Trade, a tale of the Yukon Gold Rush, was his first published work in 2014.
Mike’s written for magazines and newspapers for many years. An experienced editor, he’s taught University-level English and Journalism. He’s a member of the Historical Novel Society, Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Western Writers of America and several other writing groups. He brings his readers back in time with him as he recreates life in mid-to-late nineteenth century America. He and his wife, Anne, live in Colorado Springs.
Social Media Links:
Twitter- https://twitter.com/miketorreano