56 Miles

by Steven Sullivan

It is the year 2000, before the "War on Terror" and 9/11, and newly graduated Border Patrol Agent Peter Murphy is assigned to the border area of South Texas, along the U.S. Mexico border to prevent the entry of illegal aliens and narcotics into the United States. Murphy is assigned to the last 56 miles of border along Texas where the Rio Grande River empties into the Gulf of Mexico.With limited experience and time as an agent, Murphy turns to Senior Patrol Agent Arnulfo Sabbatella to teach him the “old Patrol” ways of working the border. Sabbatella, a legend in the Patrol, initially wants nothing to do with the new trainee and simply wants to wait out his days till retirement doing the daily “Word Jumble” and be left alone. However, Murphy’s insistence and goading eventually compels Sabbatella to take Murphy under his wing and together, along with Agents Meza and Hogan, work the Rio Grande River area to prevent the flow of persons and illicit drugs and contraband.With the help of Sabbatella, Murphy ends up learning more than just how to be a Border Patrol Agent from his “old patrol” partner. Murphy learns that the world he now lives and works in along the border has an entirely different set of rules. Murphy, a kid from San Diego, California, has to navigate the unique South Texas culture, government bureaucracy, and the clash between “Old Patrol” and “New Patrol” all while trying to stay alive.The group of four agents begin to seize several loads of marijuana and cocaine, as well as alien smuggling groups along the river. Their success only ends up drawing the attention of the Mexican Cartel that controls the border area.Pelon and Fernando, who work for the cartel bosses in Matamoros, Mexico move drugs and aliens along the last fifty-six miles of border. Up against Murphy and the crew of Port Isabel Border Patrol Agents on the U.S. side of the river, Fernando and Pelon attempt to get their loads across the river and into safe houses without the Border Patrol Agents catching them. What ensues is a trail of sadness for all those involved in the Great Border Game.The cast of characters contained within this fictional work are complex, entertaining, and will be familiar to any reader with a background in law enforcement as well as those readers familiar with the genre.By the end of the novel, it is clear to the reader that there is much more to come from the characters working on each side of the river. Their stories are intertwined and will be unraveled in subsequent novels to come from the author.

330 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 11, 2022