Gary C. Stalcup

Where Shadows Loom

Now available: http://www.lulu.com/shop/gary-c-stalc...

Wendall Connor isn’t sure what to believe anymore. His mind has begun to play tricks on
him. After seven years in the NFL, he has suffered more concussions than he can count.
And what can he do about it anyway? A throbbing mass of mangled flesh and splintered
bone, his body is held together by little more than titanium steel, surgical glue, and the
sheer determination to put off the next surgery for as long as he can.

But he has to do something. Who else is there?

His friend and neighbor across the street, U.S. Senator Juanita Guajardo’s son, and the
loan officer at the bank are both missing. Wendall left them alone for only a few minutes
and now they’re gone. Are their stories true, as fantastic as they seem, or is this another
distortion created in Wendall’s addled mind?
Did his friend and business associate, Conrad Murphy, really kidnap Sergio Guajardo?
Would he really murder Lester Russell? Wendall Connor knows Conrad Murphy is selfish
and demanding. He’s well aware that Conrad’s business empire is struggling, and he once
witnessed Conrad’s violent temper firsthand. But is the man so desperate he would steal
public funds and then kill Lester Russell because the poor guy overheard the details of
that scheme?

In this rugged, desolate area of the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas, the oil boom has
gone bust, and where the gushers once flowed, now only drastic measures course through
the veins of those so perilously levered for success.

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Critique: With plot points that could be taken from contemporary newspaper headlines, "Wandering West" is a deftly scripted contemporary novel that documents author Gary C. Stalcup as a master wordsmith and a skilled novelist. A riveting and entertaining read from beginning to end, "Wandering West" is highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Fiction collections.

KIRKUS REVIEW
In Stalcup’s debut novel, an aging, disgraced New York trader (Jack Stiler) starts over as a ranch owner in rural Texas.

…Though at first reluctant about the dramatic change, 64-year-old Jack has settled into a new identity as a kindhearted employer and local luminary who uses his investing skills to help fund the ranch amid a landmark drought. But the recent dry spell is perhaps the least of Jack’s concerns …Jack’s misfortunes intensify, calcifying into a surprisingly enthralling, if at times overwhelming, account of one unlucky guy…But such a complaint is nearly inconsequential in light of the constant thrills that keep the pages turning. And that’s saying nothing of Stalcup’s deep-seated empathy, convincing dialogue and metered prose that evoke the work of Kent Haruf and Pete Dexter.

An ambitious, sincere novel that weighs the meaning of family and success.