Synopsis (from
the publisher):
In the fall of 1917, Harrison James arrives in New Mexico to
investigate the mysterious death of his brother. There he meets the
beautiful Maria Washington, notorious gunrunner and revolutionary.
Their romance sizzles while his list of suspects grows. James is
engulfed in subterfuge and quickly drawn into a seamy underworld of
gunrunning and sedition. To unravel the mystery of his brother’s
death, he must outshoot bandits and outwit the Army. Traveling deep
into Mexico to arm the popular revolutionary and folk hero Pancho
Villa, James and Washington are betrayed by enemy agents and must fight
their way back to the Rio Grande. Finally, armed with new information
on his brother’s death, James risks all to unmask his killer.
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Chasing Pancho Villa
Non-series
R.
L. Tecklenburg
PublishAmerica (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-60474-710-2 (1604747102)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60474-710-2 (9781604747102)
Publication Date: March 2008
List Price: $21.95
— ◊ —
Review: Chasing Pancho Villa, R. L.
Tecklenburg's second novel, is subtitled "a story of mystery, romance,
and adventure" and it is indeed each of these. It is a fictional
account of an actual event, the raid by Mexican revolutionary general
Francisco "Pancho" Villa into the new state of New Mexico and the
unsuccessful attempt by US General John Pershing to capture him.
Europe is at war and the US, though officially neutral, is facing an
armed conflict of its own with its neighbor to the south. The trade in
arms and ammunition is extensive and ruthless. When Mexican General
Villa accepts an arms shipment that he believes is worthless (or nearly
so), he plans an attack inside the United States. US General Pershing's
army vastly outnumbers their Mexican counterparts, yet he cannot seem
to defeat them. Pershing orders Captain Bartlett R. James to find out
who in the Army may be a spy for the enemy, and to recommend who might
be recruited in the Mexican Army to spy for the US. Before he could
complete his assignment, he was killed. Following an inquest by the
Army, his death is ruled a suicide. His brother, Harrison James, a
businessman from Chicago, doesn't believe it and makes the journey to
New Mexico to do his own investigation. Harrison discovers that the
desk clerk at his hotel, Maria Washington, had helped his brother and
she is now willing to help him as well. With her help, and that of her
brother, Harrison begins a dangerous journey that ultimately includes a
brush with a German national who supports Mexico and a surprising link
to his company in Chicago that may be involved with stolen arms.
Chasing Pancho Villa is
a fast reading, truly interesting story. The combination of history
with the fictional story is done very well and is reminiscent of movies
from the 1930s through the 1960s featuring this very colorful character.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Chasing Pancho Villa and to R. L. Tecklenburg for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Chasing Pancho Villa? How would you rate it?
Novels by this author …
Chasing Pancho Villa
PublishAmerica (Trade Paperback), March 2008
ISBN-10: 1-60474-710-2 (1604747102)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60474-710-2 (9781604747102)
Omnimystery keywords for Chasing Pancho Villa ...
Location(s) referenced: New Mexico, Mexico.
