What do you think?
Rate this book
Shooting Crows at Dawn
Jubal Dark has been the Sheriff of Francine County, Texas for 20 years, but Dark's enemy, Texas Ranger Buck Nevins, has convinced a Houston homicide detective to run against him. Dark's failure to solve a two-year-old rape and murder, coupled with his approaching 60th birthday, have led many voters to decide that Jubal should be replaced.
Four years earlier Dark had captured the wanted killer, Carl Alvin Spence, and shown him up for the back-stabbing coward he was. Spence vowed revenge. Now, two weeks before the election, Spence and two other murders have escaped from prison and are heading across Texas running for the Mexican border.
With these fugitives on the loose, Dark no longer has any time or energy to worry about losing the election, which is now only days away. Looking down at the bodies of his friends murdered by the escaped convicts, Dark resolves to trade his star, and even his life, if that's what it will take to bring these killers to Texas Justice.
Four years earlier Dark had captured the wanted killer, Carl Alvin Spence, and shown him up for the back-stabbing coward he was. Spence vowed revenge. Now, two weeks before the election, Spence and two other murders have escaped from prison and are heading across Texas running for the Mexican border.
With these fugitives on the loose, Dark no longer has any time or energy to worry about losing the election, which is now only days away. Looking down at the bodies of his friends murdered by the escaped convicts, Dark resolves to trade his star, and even his life, if that's what it will take to bring these killers to Texas Justice.
Audible Audio
Published November 23, 2022
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
David Grace
53 books9 followersDavid M. Alexander (writing as David Grace) Biography
David Grace is the pen name for David M. Alexander. David Alexander was born in Upstate New York in the mid-nineteen forties. His family moved to Northern California in the early nineteen sixties. He graduated from Stanford University in 1967 with a major in history and a minor in economics. He received a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of California Law School, Boalt Hall, in June 1970, graduating in the top ten percent of his class. He was licensed to practice law by the Supreme Court of the State of California in January 1971 and before the Supreme Court of the United States in November, 1977.
His first novel was "The Chocolate Spy," Coward, McCann & Geoghigan, 1978. His second novel was "Fane," Pocket Books/Timescape Books, 1981.
"My Real Name Is Lisa" was published in hardcover by Carroll & Graf 1996.
The author alone and with Hayford Peirce has published
10 pieces of short fiction in "Analog Magazine" and "Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine."
The complete list of David Grace novels available from Wildside Press (print) and as ebooks from Amazon, Smashwords and other ebook distributors are:
"The Accidental Magician"
"The Concrete Kiss"
"Daniel"(ebook only)
"A Death In Beverly Hills"
"Doll's Eyes"
"Easy Target"
"Etched In Bone"
"Fever Dreams"
"The Forbidden List"
"Shooting Crows At Dawn"
"Stolen Angel"
"The Traitor's Mistress"
"True Faith"
Mr. Grace's latest novel is "The Concrete Kiss."
David Alexander shared story credit with Dan Wright and Sam Egan for the Outer Limits TV series episode, "Joyride," starring Cliff Robertson and broadcast during the 2000 season.
David Grace is the pen name for David M. Alexander. David Alexander was born in Upstate New York in the mid-nineteen forties. His family moved to Northern California in the early nineteen sixties. He graduated from Stanford University in 1967 with a major in history and a minor in economics. He received a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of California Law School, Boalt Hall, in June 1970, graduating in the top ten percent of his class. He was licensed to practice law by the Supreme Court of the State of California in January 1971 and before the Supreme Court of the United States in November, 1977.
His first novel was "The Chocolate Spy," Coward, McCann & Geoghigan, 1978. His second novel was "Fane," Pocket Books/Timescape Books, 1981.
"My Real Name Is Lisa" was published in hardcover by Carroll & Graf 1996.
The author alone and with Hayford Peirce has published
10 pieces of short fiction in "Analog Magazine" and "Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine."
The complete list of David Grace novels available from Wildside Press (print) and as ebooks from Amazon, Smashwords and other ebook distributors are:
"The Accidental Magician"
"The Concrete Kiss"
"Daniel"(ebook only)
"A Death In Beverly Hills"
"Doll's Eyes"
"Easy Target"
"Etched In Bone"
"Fever Dreams"
"The Forbidden List"
"Shooting Crows At Dawn"
"Stolen Angel"
"The Traitor's Mistress"
"True Faith"
Mr. Grace's latest novel is "The Concrete Kiss."
David Alexander shared story credit with Dan Wright and Sam Egan for the Outer Limits TV series episode, "Joyride," starring Cliff Robertson and broadcast during the 2000 season.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 4, 2013
The author sent me a free copy of this book and requested a review.
This book starts out strong and never lets up. Jubal Dark, sheriff of Francine County, Texas, is one of the best characters I've read in some time, and Carl Alvin Spence, an escaped convict, and Buck Nevin, a Texas Ranger, are first-rate counterparts. Added to the great characters is the compelling landscape, as the chase for Spence takes the reader through the back roads of rural Texas. As I read the book, I felt like I was in familiar country with people I knew. I'd love to see more Jubal Dark stories.
Jubal Dark is a compelling but simple man. He misses his wife, Annabelle, who has been dead for four years. For two years, he has been haunted by his failure to find the killer of a local woman, Carol Railsback. He's getting old and fat. He's up for re-election and his nemesis, Buck Nevin, has convinced a Houston homicide detective to run against him. Jubal wants to keep his job as sheriff, but maybe there's something inside him that believes he doesn't deserve it because he hasn't found Carol Railback's killer. And then Spence inserts himself into the mix. Sheriff Dark was the man who originally brought Spence to justice, and four years later, escaped from prison, Spence is out for revenge before he heads off to Mexico. With his two accomplices, Spence breaks into Dark's house - and finds only his dog. And you know what happens in Texas when you kill a man's dog. Killing the dog is only the beginning of the bloody trail left behind by this trio. Spence and his fellow escapees move on, stopping at the home of a local man, his wife and two children, then killing them all before moving on. Spence makes sure the killing happens in Sheriff Dark's county, just in case Dark doesn't already know what Spence thinks of him.
Jubal Dark now has a burning passion for justice and he intends to get his man, in spite of Buck Nevin, jurisdictional issues, or his re-election against a candidate who says he's too fat, too old, and too old-fashioned to stay in office. Jubal doesn't have time to campaign; as far as he's concerned, catching Spence is his campaign. And if he can solve the case of Carol Railsback, he can retire satisfied that he did his job.
This is a fantastic story, and the author tells it well. Go grab this book and join Jubal Dark as he tears up Texas!
This book starts out strong and never lets up. Jubal Dark, sheriff of Francine County, Texas, is one of the best characters I've read in some time, and Carl Alvin Spence, an escaped convict, and Buck Nevin, a Texas Ranger, are first-rate counterparts. Added to the great characters is the compelling landscape, as the chase for Spence takes the reader through the back roads of rural Texas. As I read the book, I felt like I was in familiar country with people I knew. I'd love to see more Jubal Dark stories.
Jubal Dark is a compelling but simple man. He misses his wife, Annabelle, who has been dead for four years. For two years, he has been haunted by his failure to find the killer of a local woman, Carol Railsback. He's getting old and fat. He's up for re-election and his nemesis, Buck Nevin, has convinced a Houston homicide detective to run against him. Jubal wants to keep his job as sheriff, but maybe there's something inside him that believes he doesn't deserve it because he hasn't found Carol Railback's killer. And then Spence inserts himself into the mix. Sheriff Dark was the man who originally brought Spence to justice, and four years later, escaped from prison, Spence is out for revenge before he heads off to Mexico. With his two accomplices, Spence breaks into Dark's house - and finds only his dog. And you know what happens in Texas when you kill a man's dog. Killing the dog is only the beginning of the bloody trail left behind by this trio. Spence and his fellow escapees move on, stopping at the home of a local man, his wife and two children, then killing them all before moving on. Spence makes sure the killing happens in Sheriff Dark's county, just in case Dark doesn't already know what Spence thinks of him.
Jubal Dark now has a burning passion for justice and he intends to get his man, in spite of Buck Nevin, jurisdictional issues, or his re-election against a candidate who says he's too fat, too old, and too old-fashioned to stay in office. Jubal doesn't have time to campaign; as far as he's concerned, catching Spence is his campaign. And if he can solve the case of Carol Railsback, he can retire satisfied that he did his job.
This is a fantastic story, and the author tells it well. Go grab this book and join Jubal Dark as he tears up Texas!
May 5, 2012
Jubal Dark has been a tough common-sense sheriff for 20 years and is facing down a re-election that is not going well. In fact, he full expects to lose. Although Dark has caught his share of criminals, there is a hostile attitude in town concerning three escaped killers and an unsolved murder cold case of a young girl.
The characters are all believable. Dark is a very likeable character as a widower and father of an adult daughter. Holly Sharps is a crime scene tech working for Texas Ranger Buck Nevis. Buck allows her to make coffee, file, and pick up his dry cleaning. Holly offers to help Dark solve his cold case and work for free if he will just give her a chance.
This is a pretty gritty tale and although it had a little more violence than I like, I was impressed with the quality writing and suspenseful plot. This is a great crime drama!
The characters are all believable. Dark is a very likeable character as a widower and father of an adult daughter. Holly Sharps is a crime scene tech working for Texas Ranger Buck Nevis. Buck allows her to make coffee, file, and pick up his dry cleaning. Holly offers to help Dark solve his cold case and work for free if he will just give her a chance.
This is a pretty gritty tale and although it had a little more violence than I like, I was impressed with the quality writing and suspenseful plot. This is a great crime drama!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews