As Texas Sicario by Harry Hunsicker begins, former Texas Ranger
Arlo Baines is back in Dallas and now working as head of security for Aztec Bazaar.
The bazaar is located in a predominately Hispanic area of the city where the narcotic
business is hard at work in seen and unseen ways. The murder of Alejandro
Sandoval behind the bar located next to the Bazaar draws the interest of many
including Arlo Baines.
Still grief stricken over the loss of his family and now a
surrogate parent to a young street kid by the name of Miguel, he doesn’t really
want to be involved in the case. He wants to drink, makes a few bucks, and be
left alone and in peace as much as his mind and grief will allow. But, he knew
Alejandro a little bit from the neighborhood and is bothered by what happened.
Then there is the fact that the murder might mean a problem for another friend
who is not only his boss but a fellow sufferer as that man’s family was killed back
home in Nuevo Laredo. Then there is the fact that stranger who appears to be
some sort of high level cartel enforcer has been making sure that Arlo Baines
knows he is around.
If
that was not enough, everyone knows that the Dallas Police Department has been woefully
understaffed for years. A homicide in the area will be written off as some sort
drug deal gone wrong regardless of the truth of that. The fact that Texas
Ranger Aloysius Throckmorton is on the case is a sign that there is something
fairly big going on. Not only is he a public racist and does not care who he
offends, he is also the Ranger who pretty much did everything he could to see
Arlo quit even after he was cleared of murdering his family.
Arlo’s being involved, even on the edges, has gotten Throckmorton
interested. Throckmorton is acting as
some sort of go between for the Department of Public Safety and the DEA and he
wants Arlo’s help. The murder could be the first indication of a power play
with the drug cartels for North Texas. That and the fact that Miguel could be
involved in some way drags Arlo Baines into an often violent mess.
Texas Sicario by Harry Hunsicker is another fast paced and often violent read
that rips along through the underbelly of Dallas again exposing the rot beneath
the city’s façade. Author Harry Hunsicker has a long history of exposing
the less glamorous aspects of Dallas in his fiction starting with his very good
Lee
Henry Oswald Mysteries. While the chamber of commerce types may not
appreciate his insights, we locals who have been around for decades certainly
do.
While it is not necessary to read the previous book in the series,
The
Devil’s Country, before reading this one, you really should. You
should read Texas Sicario as well. Both books are really good.
Texas Sicario
Harry
Hunsicker
Thomas
& Mercer
January
2019
ISBN#
978-1503905412
Paperback
(also available in audio and eBook formats)
264
Pages
$15.95
Material supplied by the good folks of
the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
No comments:
Post a Comment