"Some people just need killing."
-Ned Parker, The Rock Hole
Burrows, the second Red River Mystery by Reavis Z. Wortham, will be released by Poisoned Pen Press in July.
Lyndon B. Johnson is President, Beatlemania is in overdrive and gasoline costs 30 cents a gallon when Ned Parker retires as constable in Center Springs, Texas. But his plan to live a quiet life as a cotton farmer will soon change. A phone call leads Ned to a body in the Red River and the discovery rips him out of retirement to help his nephew, the newly elected constable Cody Parker. Together they work to head off a multi-state killing spree that sets northeast Texas on fire.
"With atmosphere so thick you can breathe it, and characters so real you can touch them, Reavis Z. Wortham's Burrows is a book worth putting all others aside to read. Clear a space on your bookshelves, folks, because the real deal has arrived."
—John Gilstrap, author of Threat Warning and Damage Control
"Wortham's outstanding sequel to The Rock Hole (2011)... combines the gonzo sensibility of Joe R. Lansdale and the elegiac mood of To Kill a Mockingbird to strike just the right balance between childhood innocence and adult horror."
—Starred Review, Publishers Weekly
"In Burrows, Reavis Wortham juxtaposes gruesome crimes with a bucolic sixties landscape. It's a surprisingly intense combination that kept me awake nights after not being able to put the book down. Wortham's writing makes scenes and characters come to life."
—Charlotte Rains Dixon, author of Emma Jean's Bad Behavior and Director Emeritus of the Writer's Loft
"A ripping good tale."
—Jan Reid, author of Comanche Sundown
"An excellent read filled with tension-filled action scenes."
—Mysteries Etc.
The Rock Hole, the first Red River Mystery, was chosen as one of the 12 best novels of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews: "Written to the hilt, harrowing in its unpredictability... Not just scary but funny too, as Wortham nails time and place in a sure-handed, captivating way. There's a lot of good stuff in this unpretentious gem. Don't miss it."
"Solid characters and a vivid depiction of a vanishing period make this a series to watch."
—Publishers Weekly
"What a gem of a book! Poisoned Pen Press has discovered a new author whose writing is a delight... fully captivating."
—Mysteries Etc.
"A sensitive, suspenseful debut crime novel. Full of twists, wry and earthy humor... The novel proceeds at a racing pace through event after event as suspicion grows and plot twist after twist keeps readers off-balance until the stunning climax is reached."
—Marilyn Meredith, author of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree and the Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery series
As a boy, award-winning writer Reavis Z. Wortham hunted and fished the river bottoms near Chicota, Texas, the inspiration for Center Springs. He is the author of Doreen's 24 HR Eat Gas Now Café. Humor editor and frequent contributor for Texas Fish and Game Magazine, he writes on everything from fishing to deer hunting. In addition to several other magazines, his work has appeared in American Cowboy and Texas Sporting Journal. A retired educator of 35 years, he and wife Shana live in Frisco, Texas. More about Reavis