Author Bud Bradshaw |
About
Bud Bradshaw
Bud
Bradshaw’s fictional work, “RIVERWALKER,” is his second work,
the first being “BRANDISHING,” the true-crime story of the California Highway
Patrol’s worst tragedy. His previous
formal writing experience consisted of med-legal report writing - chiefly as a
Qualified Medical Evaluator and Disability Evaluator – and Intelligence report
writing while he served as a Special Agent with the Army’s 109th MI
Group from 1969-71.
As an
artist, Bradshaw’s work focuses on military history and the American West. Many of his paintings, prints, and Giclees
appear in private collections and museums in the U.S., Canada, England, Europe,
Hong Kong, and Australia. He is a member of the Western Artists of
America.
Along the
way, Bradshaw worked as a professional musician while earning his B.S. and D.C.
degrees. You may view his web site and
blog at www.budbradshaw.com/blog
About RIVERWALKER
RIVERWALKER
features the character debut of San Antonio PD veteran detective Gifford
Holloway, a former Special Agent with Army Intelligence. Holloway is in pursuit of the most despicable
of criminals, a savage murderer who victimizes children and dumps their remains
in the water and along the banks of San Antonio’s beautiful and world-renowned
Riverwalk attraction.
Frustrated at the lack of progress on the case and
spurred on by an encounter with the mysterious Madame Candelaria, a local
psychic, Holloway contemplates calling upon his special gift of “seeing”,
though officially off-limits within the SAPD, to help solve the case and bring
an end to the terror. Along the way,
Holloway finds an ally in the capable and sensuous newspaper reporter, Salma
Veramendi, who carries her own history of abuse
On the bend
of the river looms Adler’s Antiques, a historical landmark owned and operated
by Wolff Adler, a drug-pumping psychopath descended from a familial line of
predators dating back to post-World War I Germany. Himself a victim of horrendous child abuse,
Adler is the offspring of a Nazi father and a Mexican bruja, a witch who practiced the “old” religion. Operating from deep within his secret lair beneath
the Alamo, San Antonio’s most recognizable and sacred shrine, Adler assumes the
guise of Tlaloc, Aztec god of storm,
thunder, and … child sacrifice. Adler’s
demonic reign of terror, acting upon a distorted internal belief system - a
synthesis of Norse mythology and ancient Aztec practices – has a stranglehold
on the residents of San Antonio. Wolff
Adler has become the RiverWalker.
When his own daughter is suddenly abducted, Holloway
pulls out all the stops and, with Salma by his side, closes in on the killer in
a gripping climax.
Read
the Excerpt
“…..Holloway squinted, eyes
straining through the shimmering candlelight.
What he saw perplexed him. A
series of bizarre symbols and figures had been incorporated into the design of
this board, some around the perimeter, some more centrally located. ‘No,
Lieutenant, it's not a Ouija board,’ Madam Candelaria croaked, her voice
suddenly deeper. ‘This is called la Tabletta que hable. The Tablet that speaks. This Tablet,
Lieutenant, is far more powerful than any Ouija board. In fact, this one can be
quite deadly." (RIVERWALKER, Ch. 3:
“Madam Candelaria”).
“…..Suddenly, with a gasp, she
stopped. Her eyes flew fully open,
whites above the irises. "Retribution!" she rasped. Holloway's eyes were riveted to hers. The old woman seemed genuinely afraid. The lips on her contorted face trembled,
sending a thin river of spittle dribbling downward from the corner of her
mouth. Again she spoke. "The Beast has awakened. The River Beast of San Antonio.” (RIVERWALKER, Ch. 3: “Madam Candelaria”)
“…There, in
the stillness of inner earth he paused, darkness within darkness, coiled evil,
the only sounds the pulse in his ears, his own breathing, and the soft hiss of
the San Antonio river, fifteen feet away.” (RIVERWALKER, Ch. 20: “Lair”)
“…For a
long moment, she was still. Then she
felt her own heart beat, felt the breeze, sweet and warm, rush into her lungs,
felt her lashes flutter as the river’s cool caress brushed her cheek. Slowly, Salma pulled her sunglasses down over
her tear-brimmed eyes, picked up her thermos and attaché, and quietly walked
away, knowing she was loved but not knowing why she cried.” (RIVERWALKER, Ch.5: “Salma”)
“…Otto stood in his kitchen and read how all
three victims had been mutilated in the same way, with symbols carved into
their skin. ‘Animal figures,’ the
article said. ‘Possibly Aztec in
design.’” (RIVERWALKER, Ch. 12:
“Heinrich”)
Bud Bradshaw will be on book tour September and
October. If you would like to be a part of the book tour with a guest post at
your blog or a book review contact Rebecca at her email, Rebecca.camarena@yahoo.com
1 comment:
awesome post, Rebecca.
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