Ricky Delgado longs for the same things every American citizen wants: A steady job, a nice home, a decent place to raise a family. The problem is, he's in the United States illegally, so these things might be out of reach. But, for now, he has a good start. For eight months, he's been working at a poultry plant in South Texas. It's filthy, miserable work, but the pay is steady, and Ricky is trying to save enough money to buy a used truck. Unfortunately, a man named Herschel Gandy is about to make Ricky's life more difficult. The Gandy family owns a ranch on the banks of the Rio Grande, and Herschel is fed up with the constant flow of illegal aliens crossing his land. They cut fences and kill his livestock. They leave a trail of garbage. They steal things. Herschel has decided to do something about it. Ricky is at work when he gets the news. His brother, Tomás, was shot as he attempted to enter the country. Tomás is alive, but seriously injured. Ricky is angry, of course, but to step forward and report the crime could jeopardize his chance for the American dream. But he decides it's the right thing to do. Because now he wants something even more important than a home or a job. He wants justice
Author
Ben Rehder wanted to become a writer ever since he was dropped on his head as a toddler. As he grew into a young adult and the vertigo gradually dissipated, his passion for literature grew. Ben longed to craft the type of soul-stirring prose that would touch people’s lives and help them explore new emotional horizons. But he went to work at an ad agency instead. Throughout his rewarding and fruitful career in the ad business, Ben has been known to write such imaginative and compelling phrases as “Act now!,” “Limited-time offer,” and “Compatible with today’s rapidly changing network environment.” However, there eventually came a time when, as unbelievable as it sounds, writing brochures and spec sheets simply wasn’t enough to satisfy Ben’s creative urges. Ben knew: It was time to write a novel. “But what kind of novel?” Ben asked himself, drawing stares from passersby. A mystery? A thriller? A work of suspense? Ben had read hundreds of books in these genres and loved them all. But nothing had sparked his creative juices enough to try it himself. Fate played a hand one day when Ben’s father-in-law tossed him a copy of a Carl Hiaasen novel. And then it hit him. It literally hit him, right in the forehead. When the swelling went down and Ben had a chance to read the book, he discovered a type of fiction he had never experienced before—the comic crime novel! He loved the wacky characters, the zany plots, the interesting writing that threw a good deal of humor into the mix. So Ben set out to write his own novel. After many grueling minutes in front of a computer, Ben was proud to present Buck Fever. Like many best-selling classics, Buck Fever has lots and lots of verbs, prepositions, adjectives, and the occasional gerund. It was even nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel! Next came Bone Dry, Flat Crazy, Guilt Trip, Gun Shy, and Holy Moly. Best of all, Ben is now releasing the earlier novels in ebook format at the low low price of just $2.99. What a deal!
