Nancy
G. West Novels with Texas Settings: Aggie Mundeen Mysteries
As is true in
many parts of our beautiful country, various landscapes in Texas affect the
people who live there. I choose specific areas of Texas where Aggie Mundeen, a
Chicago columnist transplanted to Texas, can react to people in different
locales who have quirks and customs unique to the area. Her ability to solve
the mystery can depend on her understanding the idiosyncrasies and mannerisms
of people she meets.
For example,
in Fit to Be Dead, Aggie decides that
since she writes about strategies to stay young, she better get in shape before
people in San Antonio read her column. So she joins Fit and Firm Health Club,
but stumbles into murder. The suspects are fitness groupies who relate to each
other Texas style, even while they exercise.
In Dang Near Dead, Aggie and
friends vacation at a dude ranch near Bandera, Texas, dubbed the Cowboy Capital
of the World. Surrounded by dudes, wranglers, ex-cons, sharp-shooters and
critters, what could go wrong?
Chanticleer
Award Finalist-Mystery/Suspense. http://tinyurl.com/DangNearDead
In Smart, But Dead. Aggie,
approaching forty, is terrified of slip-sliding into middle age. She returns to
college to study the genetics of aging, learns
about the Human Genome Project and DNA, and discovers a dead body. The San
Antonio detective tells her to steer clear of the investigation. But
dangerously curious and programmed to prod, she races to solve the crime and
stirs up the academics. She winds up prime suspect and is on target to become
next campus corpse. 
Having helped solve crimes at a Texas health club, a dude ranch and a
university, what other Texas location could Aggie explore? The River Walk. The
winding river running beneath San Antonio’s streets with its unforgettable
sights, sounds and ambiance, is the perfect place for Aggie Mundeen and
Detective Sam to vacation. Away from crime, they might improve their dicey
relationship. But crime never sleeps, even in River City. In the midst of
Fiesta, Aggie and Sam face challenges in River
City Dead.
Winner: Raven Award for
Mystery/Suspense
Nominee: Killer Nashville Award http://tinyurl.com/RiverCityDead
Nominee: Killer Nashville Award http://tinyurl.com/RiverCityDead
Like every state, Texas has unpredictable weather and natural disasters. What if Aggie and Sam, despite their different approaches to crime solving, make progress toward improving their relationship only to be caught up in a natural disaster?
With over 5600 square miles of inland water, copious amounts of wind and rain can produce widespread calamity across Texas. The calmest river can be placid, with hints of Utopia then the sky can turn ominous.
In The Plunge,
gale force winds and massive rainfall turn the lazy meandering Guadalupe
River into a raging force. As darkness descends, lightning highlights two people
arguing on a dock across the river. When lightning flashes again, they are
gone. Do Aggie and Sam witness an accident? A drowning? A murder?
The river rises higher and higher, creeping across land and into
houses. Aggie and Sam are caught in disaster. They question their stamina,
their abilities, their significance, their priorities, and their fate.
The Plunge infects readers with the threat of looming tragedy and the
helplessness of plunging into a rampant river and being swept by an untamable
force. Do survivors really survive if disaster changes them forever?
Have you been swept up in a disaster in your state? How did the
experience change you?
I’m offering a print copy of THE PLUNGE-my new release and you can
be one of the first to get one right here! Just leave a form of contact to
enter.
James R. Callan Brings MORE
Big to Texas:
I was born in Texas. But living other places has given me a
chance to understand what people love about this state. My family spent several years in Oklahoma
while I was in a Ph.D. program. Oklahoma is an interesting state and despite
being one of the youngest states, has a very interesting history. Connecticut
was our home for twenty years. What a lovely place. The new England foliage in
the fall is truly inspiring. But in a good year, the east Texas foliage rivals
Connecticut's.
There was always the call to return to Texas. Why?
For one thing, it has just about everything. It is large and you can travel, take vacations,
study dinosaur tracks without ever leaving the state. Although many think of it as a lot of flat
land, Texas has the highest mountains east of the Rockies. 
If you like the beaches and the salt water, Texas has 367 miles of coast line with the Gulf of Mexico. It has the advantage of being warm water, thus ready for vacationers year round. There are dissolute dunes, and vibrant marshes, the untouched sands along Padre Island, and the quiet backwaters of Laguna Salada.
Big Bend is an immense and amazing national park. It has the largest protected area of
Chihuahuan desert topography in the United States. It ranges in altitude from
1,800 feet at the Rio Grande river to Emory Peak at 7,832. It is one of only ten sites in the world certified for dark-sky stargazing.
There are deep canyons, hiking and backpacking trails, and more than 450
species of birds.
The Palo Duro Canyon, located in the Texas Panhandle, is
second only to the Grand Canyon in size.
Then there are major metropolitan areas that provide all the
"city features" one might want.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has a population of about seven and a
half million. The Houston metropolitan
area is seven million. San Antonio metro
population is two and a half million.
We live in East Texas. Unlike the plains of Texas featured
in old western movies, East Texas gets rain, and is home to a large lumber
industry. Of course, oil and cattle are
still very important industries.
Texas has produced many great writers. Among them are Larry
McMurtry, James Michener, Molly Ivns, Cormac McCarthy, Elmeer Kelton, Joe
Lansdale, John Erickson, Rick Riordan, Wendy Davis, Janet Dailey, J. Frank
Dobie, Jodie Thomas, Caleb Pirtle III, and Willie Nelson (who wrote so many
great songs).
If you haven't been to Texas, it's worth a visit. Or maybe
several.
My books are generally set in Texas. Metro Dallas and rural
East Texas are close enough I can utilize both easily, thereby incorporating
the sophisticated big city people and the unpretentious rural folks. It works
well. In my latest novel, Political Dirty Trick, a highly
educated Dallas woman and a country sheriff join forces to solve not only the
fake news that is changing a gubernatorial election, but also a major art
theft, two murders and several attempted murders. Political Dirty Trick is available
in digital, paperback, hardcover, and audio formats.
I’m offering a copy of Political
Dirty Trick. Just leave contact
information for your chance to win this brand new release! My website: http://www.jamesrcallan.com
My Blog:
http://www.jamesrcallan.com/blog
My Author Page: http://amzn.to/1eeykvG
Author Bio
After a successful career in mathematics and computer
science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, and
being listed in Who’s Who in Computer
Science and Two Thousand Notable
Americans, James R. Callan turned to his first love—writing. He has had four non-fiction books
published. He now concentrates on his
favorite genres, mystery/suspense/thriller. His twelfth book released in May,
2018.
I enjoy reading novels about Texas and the trials and tribulations that occur. I have never had to experience a disaster where I am presently living as we are fortunate to be in NM., but when I lived in Montreal the winters were severe, treacherous and neverending. Ice storms, blizzards, no power and difficulties which we had to contend with. Survived and spent most of my life there and finally enough was enough. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading the posts, Petite. If you can stand hot summer weather, Texas temps are mild the rest of the year. We do have occasional flooding caused by hurricanes from the Gulf of Mexico.
DeleteWe just visited Canada and loved it. But I can't imagine living there during the winter.
Montreal sounds cold. I liked in Connecticut for twenty years, but it is not in the same cold league as Montreal. I have to say, people who live in Montreal are tough. They are survivors. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI enjoyed this informative and very interesting Texas post since I live next door to Texas. The photos are wonderful and the novels fascinating. I would enjoy these stories very much. Texas beaches are what I would travel to experience. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the post. As you can tell, I love Texas. But then, I have found most states to have some pretty good stuff.
DeleteI've always loved visiting Texas. The Lone Star State has a great deal to offer. Thanks so much for sharing your books and Texas info with us. Cheers! SJ Francis sjfrancis419@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThank you, S.J. for stopping by and commenting. And of course, I'm glad you enjoy visiting Texas.
DeleteMy parents were from Texas. I had lots of Aunts and Uncles and still have cousins living there. One thing I notice about this state is that when someone talks about it, they normally refer to the entire state rather than specifying a city. As large as the state is people will say, "I'm from Texas" rather than I'm from Dallas or even Dallas, Texas. Other places like Chicago and Pittsburg are referred to more often with the city name instead of the state.
ReplyDeleteGreat comment, Linda. Thanks. Perhaps people say "I'm from Texas" because no matter where you travel in the world, people know about Texas. We have visited 6 continents. When we say we are from Texas, people always have some comment - they know about Texas, have read about it, have met other people from Texas. It makes you feel welcome. Again, thanks for the comment.
DeleteGreat read thankk you
ReplyDelete