To March Into Hell

by Ron Parham

Jake Delgado—hard-drinking, maverick private investigator—is finally getting his life in order with his new partner, Amos Stillwater. He's cut down on his drinking and even falls for a local bartender in the Gas Lamp district of San Diego. But his comfortable life is turned upside down when he receives news that his older brother, Freddie, has been found living in Tijuana and is in trouble. Jake is lured down to Tijuana to find him, not knowing that Raza, also known as El Matador (the killer)—the main hit man for the Tijuana drug cartel and who just got out of prison—is waiting.
Two years earlier, Jake killed a terrorist, Angel Rojas, to save the life of three kidnapped teenage girls. Raza is Angel's brother and he will do anything to avenge Angel's death. Jake is drawn into the underbelly of Tijuana and, along with his partner and a few friends, fights for his life and the lives of his friends against Raza. It takes every last ounce of Jake's strength and courage to march into the hell of Baja California, knowing that he may never walk back out alive.

268 pages, Paperback

Published December 23, 2017

About the author

Ron's first novel, published in 2014, is entitled Molly's Moon, and won the prestigious Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for Best Thriller in the Spring of 2015. His second novel, Copperhead Cove, was published in January 2015. His third thriller, Festival of Fear, was released on September 25, 2016, and also won the Pinnacle Book Achievement award for best thriller of Fall 2016. His fourth thriller, To March Into Hell, came out in late December, 2017, and stars the maverick private investigator from his first two novels, Jake Delgado. You can find out about Ron and his thrillers on his website at www.ronparham.com, where you can also sign up for his monthly newsletter.

"Thrillers about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances."

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerfully gripping and utterly intoxicating, in “To March Into Hell” Ron Parham revives the tough, hard-nosed appeal of investigator Jake Delgado who’s being stalked by a ruthless cutthroat intent on avenging the death of his brother Angel Rojas who two years before had threatened to blow up Molly Paxton and two of her teenage friends at the Mexican border.

Never wanting to return to the filth and corruption of Tijuana, Jake has no choice when he’s lured back after Rasa (aka El Matador) a ruthless drug lord and killer kidnaps his estranged brother a hard, downtrodden old “gringo”; a local prostitute; Molly; and Angel’s former girlfriend who happens to be her birth mother. Under pressure to face-off with Rasa, knowing his insane brutality Jake, his partner, TJPD Jorge Morales and a few select men have no choice but to "march into hell" on a deadly rescue mission that could be fatal.

Set between the Gas Lamp Quarter in San Diego and the hellish underbelly of Tijuana in Baja California the atmosphere is tense, uncertain and deadly as past and present collide when heartless, cold-blooded Raza who’s just been released from prison plans his revenge against the man he thinks shot his brother. With a tracker planted on Amos’s stolen Lexus, an attack on Jake’s girlfriend Hannah, kidnappings and brutal murders, the action never stops as the intensity and suspense ratchets steadily higher. Well-structured and riveting this sequel to “Molly’s Moon” keeps you on the edge of your seat and doesn’t let go as it steadily flows towards a climax that’s heart-stopping and explosive.

Yet amid all the violence and death in this hard-hitting action thriller, Ron Parham often tickles your funny bone with lively banter about Bushmills, the naming of the agency, the usage of his cellphone and his need for a car. The plot even sparks with romantic chemistry between the unorthodox investigator and Hannah the bartender at the “Sports Page” that ignites in a passionate affair.

Gifted with creating unforgettable characters that infuse his novels with excitement, passion and high-energy, Ron Parham’s latest Jake Delgado thriller is no exception. A tough, strong-willed maverick, the Irish/Mexican investigator is clever, resourceful and wary in his chosen vocation but also very protective, loyal and considerate of those he cares for. In contrast his partner Amos Stillwater is mild-mannered, well-liked and highly respected while Jake’s brother Freddie is a lonely, bitter and defiant army veteran whose problems are swallowed up in drugs, alcohol and the ministrations of a caring prostitute. Yet among a host of good characters there are evil villains like the controlled, arrogant and callous Raza whose disregard for human life adds a horrifying chill to the story.

“To March Into Hell” is another amazing wild ride for those that love Ron Parham’s action -thrillers. Fast-paced, action-packed and filled with realistic characters good and bad, I expect nothing less from this talented writer than a story that will keep me totally captivated from beginning to end and I’m never disappointed.