Cicada: a western-crime novel

by Eric H. Heisner, Adeline Emmalei (Illustrator)

Returning home from college for the weekend, John Bratcher meets up with his old running pals at the local bar. Searching for his best buddy, Mike Connolly, who is in Police Cadet training, John stumbles into a drunken seduction. Discovered in the transgression by the local sheriff, John is assaulted, left for dead, and then disappears. Seventeen years later, Deputy Mike Connolly moves back to his hometown. Wanting to live up to the lawman ideal of his fantasies, he tries to reacquaint himself with a town now run by Sheriff Russling, his step-father. He begins to uncover the disturbing story of his friend John’s disappearance, which is covered up by a tangle of lies, murder and deceit. With complicated relationships strained under the brutish bully system of the sheriff, Mike finds that everyone has a secret but no one wants to stand up to the truth.

Genres: Ebooks, Amazon

154 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 25, 2020

About the author

Eric H. Heisner is an award-winning writer, actor, and filmmaker who has a special affinity for the Western genre. With his first novel, West to Bravo, he continues to broaden his skills as a teller of stories from the mythology of the American West. Heisner resides in Austin, Texas with a ranch in Llano, TX.

Reviews

[Patti Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaw dropping!

This book keeps you guessing! Don’t expect a ho hum, fairytale ending! This is the first review I have ever given and I went through this book in a few short hours! I got MUCH more than I expected from the description. WOW!

[Jack R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, solid story

Satisfying police procedural story with well-developed character back-stories. Although the ending is somewhat anticlimactic, it remains time well-spent to read. There are enough twists and turns to satisfy most readers and a satisfying climax.