Yet Another Snippet from Caught in a Web
I like Caught in a Web a great deal. It has heart and it holds together in the face of a thriller-crime-mystery. Like all my books, there is a coming-of-age thread throughout, and this particular book introduces Brian. He appeared briefly at the end of the previous book, Splintered Lives, Book Three of the Lives Trilogy, but his character wasn’t fully developed until Caught in a Web. Since Web, Brian has become a readers’ favorite, and I have to admit, one of my favorites, too.
Throughout my years in education, I’ve met many kids like Brian, whether it was in the classroom, on the basketball court, or my counseling office. Sometimes, it was just striking up a conversation with a kid in a hallway or the cafeteria when I was a principal. Some kids shared their lives and their stories with me, while others tended to keep to themselves.
I’ve always believed that if a kid had at least one caring adult in the building, the kid would be a success. I preached this to my staff at my various schools, and I sought out and hired teachers with a heart. Kids need them.
Brian is one such kid. This snippet is just a glance into what Brian held in his heart, how he felt about his family, and what his life had become.
CHAPTER FORTY- TWO
“Dad, I think I’m going to play tomorrow night,” Brian said as he hopped into front seat of his dad’s black 4Runner. He shut the door to the dark and cold late afternoon.
He had skipped showering after practice, because his dad was already in
the parking lot waiting for him. Brett disapproved stating, “It’s unhealthy
leaving the locker room sweating and gross without showering.” Brian had
smiled and said, “I gotta go. Dad’s waiting,” and out the door he ran, slipping a little on some ice formed from snow melt during the day that refroze after the sun and temp went down. He caught himself before he fell using the door handle for support.
“That right?”
Brian beamed. He had a good practice. Coach Harrison said so. He wasn’t
a starter, but he and Randy were the first subs.
“Coach Harrison said he wants me to shoot.”
“That right?” his dad said again.
“Yeah. He said when I’m open I’m supposed to let it fly. That’s what he
said. He said he wants me to let it fly. Pretty cool, huh?”
“Okay, Bri.”
Brian glanced at his dad questioningly. He could tell from his dad’s voice
and from his expression that his dad wasn’t excited. Brian didn’t think he had heard a word he said.
“I think I bombed a math test this morning,” Brian said without passion,
almost in a monotone.
A lie. Maybe the first lie he had ever told his parents. He turned his head,
his breath frosting the inside of the window making it difficult to see
anything. Or maybe it was a tear or two. He wiped them away angrily.
“Sounds good, Brian.”
All the joy, all the life was sucked out of Brian in that one moment. It was
something he had thought about ever since the summer of death. It was
something he had suspected. But in that moment, he understood that he had stumbled unwilling onto the truth. No matter what he did, no matter what he said, his parents had only cared about Brad.
He didn’t matter anymore. Maybe he never did.
—
There will be quite a few more hurdles and curveballs coming Brian’s way in Caught in a Web. (Remember, my book titles have multiple meanings and you might have just uncovered one of them … kind of.)
But remember, first and foremost, Web is a thriller-crime-mystery with MS-13 running around terrorizing and murdering, maybe torturing, all who get in its way.
For your convenience, below, I gave you the short synopsis, a review or two, and the purchase link for Caught in a Web. I would love to hear what you think, so please use the comment section below. As always, thank you for following along on my writing journey. So until next time …
The bodies of high school and middle school kids are found dead from an overdose of heroin and fentanyl. The drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors and the Milwaukee Metro area is controlled by MS-13, a violent gang originating from El Salvador. Ricardo Fuentes is sent from Chicago to Waukesha to find out who is cutting in on their business, shut it down and teach them a lesson. But he has a dark and deadly ulterior motive.
Detectives Jamie Graff, Pat O’Connor and Paul Eiselmann race to find the source of the drugs, shut down the ring, and find Fuentes before he kills anyone else.
A PenCraft Literary Award Winner
“…probes the worlds of teens and gang members…precise, staccato details; …the right blend of tension and intrigue …” Midwest Book Review
“Important, nail-biting … one of the year’s best conspiracy thrillers” Best Thrillers
