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Felipe Adan Lerma
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One Night in the Hill Country: A Samantha Lacroix Thriller (Adan's Thriller Mystery Suspense Books) Kindle Edition

by Felipe Adan Lerma (Author), Sheila Mae Lerma (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
Thriller-Suspense Novella.

Approx 30,000 words.

Approx 120 pages.

Blurb
In “One Night in the Hill Country,” a suspense thriller, Sam (Samantha) takes four young cousins to the Texas Hill Country to search for a kitten, visit some vineyards, and enjoy a Saturday afternoon. They encounter a mis-guided effort by brother and sister, Rolf and Tara, to use illegal immigrant children as bait to catch men who would abuse those children. Cultures clash and mesh among the children, while the adults play for life and death.

*

Story Overview
In short swift moving chapters, Sam (Samantha) takes four young cousins out to the Texas Hill Country. The two boys are looking for a lost kitten. The two tween girls are looking. And Sam is, well, isn't sure what she's looking for. But she's going to find it.

Dark, humorous, touching.

Sam is featured in numerous short stories, including the crime mystery, "Dirty Sixth Street, Austin." Four of the young cousins from that story are in this novella.

Sam also narrates some of her own early years to the children in several short stories set in Vermont, including the mystery, "Hello, Darling."

In this story, a novella, Sam encounters her first true challenge in Texas. Probably more than she wanted. (smiles)

*

Structure
This work also introduces a structure of much shorter chapters that I've been attracted to for quite awhile now, as a reader and now as a writer. A recent post on my site, I’m Experimenting Again : Lunch with Grandma and Grandpa - Short Chapter Shifts, goes into a little background about that process, plus provides links to more posts.
Shorter chapters, I've realized, simply mirrors a preference I've had most of my life. And actually, doesn't mean the finished piece itself has to be short, simply that the components within the story mirror a more cinematic or TV format. Being also an artist most of my life, probably has enhanced that tendency.

*

Themes
Though important, even controversial social subjects are in this work, including issues of illegal immigration, child abuse, police force, and mental illness, my goal has been to embed the “discussion” within the story itself. Multiple viewpoint expressions can do exist in society, and I've tried to do some of that here in this story.
Final conclusions are, as best as I've been able, left for each reader to make.
What I've hoped to achieve was to present counter-flowing nuances.

*

With all that said, this book has been great fun to write, and exciting for me to see how it developed.
With all the best wishes, in all your reading and creative efforts -
Sincerely -

Adan
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  1. Print length
    165 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    October 19, 2014
  5. File size
    3.8 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00MXGMN68
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Felipe Adan Lerma eBooks
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 19, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.8 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 165 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

About the author

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Felipe Adan Lerma

Felipe Adan Lerma

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NEW: Titles in Kindle Unlimited.

Author of the Samantha Lacroix thrillers: short stories, novels, serial novel.

Fiction, photography, poetry. Family, mystery, and thriller fiction.

Set in Austin Texas, Paris, and beautiful Vermont.

Images and poetry from all three locations.

**

As the oldest of six, a father of three, and a grandfather of five, and married over thirty years, I believe, in writing stories and poems, I've found a perfect outlet for my years of living.

I have been writing and creating pictures since high school in the sixties, and began writing more seriously in the late 70s and early 80s.

Slowly I developed a community of characters from tweens to parents to grandparents.

Added a character originally from Vermont, Samantha Lacroix, and begun a more tightly focused set of stories best described as suspense thrillers.

But if I had to give one word about most of my fiction and poetry, and even my images, it's relationships.

The interactions of people, especially couples and among family, seem to have the strongest hold on me. That would also help explain why even in my poetry about teachers and nurses and others, it is the relationship aspect that usually is my focus.

Sincerely,

Felipe Adan Lerma

*

Formal bio:

Born and raised in Texas, having also lived a short period in Vermont, his wife Sheila's home state, Adan brings a gentle infusion of yoga and fitness to bear on life long interests in writing, painting, dance, photography, and the arts in general.

Determined to learn about the ideas of Western Culture that have informed our civilization, Adan put himself through college with the help of his GI Bill benefits. More recently, he has added certifications in fitness and yoga.

His self stated mission on his website, reads, "a Beginner's View : Integrating Yoga Fitness and the Arts."

*

M.A. Humanities, University of Houston Clear Lake

M.A. English Lit, University of Houston Clear Lake

B.A. Theatre Arts, University of Houston Clear Lake

AFAA - Group Fitness Certification

CPR/AED - American Heart Association

SilverSneakers - MSROM (Muscular Strength & Range of Motion); Cardio Circuit; Yoga Stretch - Stress Reduction

Yoga 200 Hr CYT - Lex Gillan, The Yoga Institute

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • booklover
    5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Wonderful
    Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This book felt really special to me, and I cannot even explain why. It kept demanding my attention, pulling my sleeve, and asking me to skip a couple of thing I was supposed to do (read and write) and just go ahead and start reading it. I admit I was a little uncertain about it, because I didn't want to be disappointed, but let me tell you - it blew me away. I loved the characters and the story, but if there was one thing I'd have to emphasize, it would most certainly be structure and style. The short chapters create a special, intense pace, and the well-written, to-the-point language with beautiful metaphors and similes was precisely what I like in a book. It provides the reader with an immense reading pleasure of admiring words, enjoying the way they sound and the way they function together as an image created by the author.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Robert
    5.0 out of 5 stars CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC - great resolution
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Short and to the point sentences. Touchy story line, much like Hemmingway when he was a reporter.Keeps you guessing. Keeps you intrigued. A LOT GOING ON FOR A SHORT BOOK. Don't know if it needed to be double spaced but creative writing is creative writing. Take a read on the dangerous side. Mr. Lerma has his own distinctive style. I like and enjoy it. A mystery to the end.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Tom
    3.0 out of 5 stars A good story, told in a unique style
    Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2015
    I will say right away that I was looking forward to this tale, and as usual I skimmed through other reviews, not wishing to be told too much before reading.
    Writing style is an art form, and just like a painting, drawing, illustration, or piece of architecture the style will have a direct effect on how the piece is received and perceived by the viewer or reader. Perhaps I am too finely tuned to what I enjoy. I willingly read a wide variety of genre, but for my sins I prefer conventional writing and art.
    This was without doubt a great story, with believable characters and locations, but the staccato structure did nothing for me, except detract from my enjoyment of the tale. I was similarly thrown by the short chapters, and I congratulate the author on achieving his aim, with both the syntax and the chapter length. I realise it was his intention, and the unique style will be appreciated by many, but sadly I am not one of them.
    For those who prefer brevity and a rapid pace with no frills, this is the book for you. You will find a good story, all the intrigue, suspense and action you could wish for, but without an extra syllable.
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  • Andrew Updegrove
    4.0 out of 5 stars Innocents Meet Innocence Lost
    Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    One of the significant advantages of self-publishing is that the author has the freedom to write the book that he or she wishes, rather than conforming to a formula that a publisher (rightly or wrongly) has decided the marketplace will buy. Felipe Adan Lerma has taken advantage of this freedom to craft a fast-paced novella that explores current social issues and juxtaposes the vulnerability of innocents to those who have suffered the consequences of innocence lost.

    The setting is the Hill Country of central Texas, and the cast includes four related children escorted for the day by their favorite aunt, Samantha (Sam), a twenty-something former police woman. They are the innocents, and it's not long before they encounter the brother (Rolf) and sister (Tara) who are the owners of a down-at-heels farm cum vineyard who are the victims of a now-dead abusive father. Whether the father met his end at the hands of the son is one of several morally ambiguous questions that hover over the plot and remain unanswered at the story's close.

    Another is whether the ends can ever justify the means (or at least entitle the actor to a measure of the reader's sympathy), especially when the abused adopts the role of the abuser to pursue the ends. This dilemma arises when it is revealed that Tara trolls the Mexican border seeking children who have been sent North by parents desperate enough to find a better life for their children to entrust them to the dubious care of coyotes willing to take them to the Promised Land for an outrageous fee. The motivation of Rolf and Tara is ostensibly to enlist the children to fight those who take advantage of minors (again, the specifics of how this is to be accomplished are not explained).

    Along the way, Sam meets an "Aw shucks, Ma'am" rural law man, and it is he who leads the charge that rescues Sam and her charges - but only after the innocents have gone a long way towards saving themselves.

    The tale is a fast read, less due to its length than for the smooth, effortless style in which it is written. And whether it is deliberate (to avoid dwelling on unpleasant topics and emotions) or simply the author's style, the dark undertones of the plot are not pulled into the presentation: in tense and uncertain situations, the characters are more likely to find humor than terror, though the latter reaction would be more expected. When ugly events do occur, the effect is therefore all the more startling.

    While the predominantly light approach that Lerma takes may seem paradoxical, it reflects the context within which he has chosen to write. Here's how he explained it in an interview at my blog not long ago:

    All my stories have to do with family.

    Nuclear family, extended family, generational family.

    That's why even "One Night in the Hill Country" has adults and lots of kids, ages 9-12.

    And the children are important. In this new thriller, there are illegal immigrant children, and their are Texas born and raised children. They interact, butt heads, mingle, merge, and learn surprising things about each other. They are integral to the story.

    Yet they would not be able to, without the actions of the adults around them.

    There's humor, anguish, fear, anger, and danger.

    I hope you'll take a look at it.

    If this piques your interest, you can download One Night in the Hill Country for $2.99 at Amazon. Links to Lerma's other works (novels, stories and more) can be found at the author's Web site: http://felipeadanlerma.com/
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Top reviews from other countries

  • RuddersReviews
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fast paced and engaging short thriller...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 12, 2015
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    At thirty thousand words this is a short story just a tad short of novella length, but one that punches well above it weight, holding its own against the depth and intricacy of longer works. It tackles the controversial issue of child trafficking and abuse as the vessel for the main story, namely that of the misguided but presumably well-meaning efforts of a brother and sister, Rolf and Tara, in using illegal immigrant children they have abducted in order to lure the same sort of men who once hurt they themselves in order to exact some sort of revenge. There are subtle references as to what may have happened to Rolf and Tara in the past and led them to the circumstances of the story, but the author deliberately doesn't go into detail here, instead leaving it to the reader's imagination. As in all good thrillers though, things don't go to plan, cue the arrival of former policewoman, Samantha, along with four young children in her care as they happen to stop by where Rolf and Tara are holding several other children. What follows is a desperate struggle for survival by children and adults alike whilst the outside authorities also seek to discover the truth of what's happened.

    The writing is crisp and to the point, avoiding unnecessary description and elaboration, employing an economy of words much in the style of the likes of Hemmingway. Just as the story is divided into nearly eighty short chapters, so too are the sentences and paragraphs short and sharp, giving the feeling of a fast paced thriller, constantly driving the story forward; likewise with the dialogue, crisp and sharp, and well interspaced into the narrative.

    This isn't a book with the same depth and characterisation of say a John Grisham or Jon Kellerman thriller, but at thirty thousand words it isn't intended to be. What it is though is a fast paced story, with enough length and substance to it to still engage the reader throughout. Anyone who enjoys the short story genre might well enjoy this novella too; although longer than the traditional short story, the structure and style of writing makes it read as such, while still packing in way more content than the word count would suggest. It's also worth noting that some of the characters also appear in other stories by the author thus providing a sense of familiarity and continuity should the reader read further stories in this genre by the same author. Overall, an engaging and enjoyable book easily read in one or at most, two sittings...
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  • Maria
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intense and fascinating.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    A highly original book I would recommend to lovers of suspense, other writers and anyone interested in the structure of language and how it can be manipulated.
    Despite being a novella of 30,000 words the book has a vast array of distinct characters, a building tension and a complex plot. Sam takes 4 young cousins on a day trip to visit vineyards during a wine festival. They encounter the local sheriff, with an interesting past, on their arrival. Their last planned stop of the day is at a vineyard owned by Rolf and Tara, two disturbed siblings who may have killed their abusive father and have been "collecting" stray children to use in their rather twisted plan to lure "the real bad guys." Then it gets really interesting!
    What fascinated me was the style of writing. The author has removed all unnecessary words and writes in deceptively short, simple sentences, making it a very tight and intense read. Although not directly comparable, the style reminded me of Virginia Woolf, especially her later novels. Although short, using this method of writing I felt the story was as developed as in a full length novel.
    I should make it clear, the author has not removed descriptions. Some of the book is very visual and poetic, but all with minimal words.
    "The leaves, like skirts, turned and swayed to the rhythm passing by."
    "Tiny paws rustled fallen leaves. A twig creaked, snapped. An owl called. But there was no answer this time. Only silence."
    I loved this perceptive description of Rolf,
    "...a dejected determined little boy. Bursting in a man's body. Chaining his childhood to himself with those children."
    and this one of Lupita, one of the children, captured by Rolf and his sister,
    "Lupita laughed, lightly, like a faint star struggling to shine through thick atmosphere."
    If I have a criticism of the book, it is merely that my attention was often drawn from the story to the writing.
    A fascinating read.
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  • Tom
    3.0 out of 5 stars A good story, told in a unique style
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I will say right away that I was looking forward to this tale, and as usual I skimmed through other reviews, not wishing to be told too much before reading.
    Writing style is an art form, and just like a painting, drawing, illustration, or piece of architecture the style will have a direct effect on how the piece is received and perceived by the viewer or reader. Perhaps I am too finely tuned to what I enjoy. I willingly read a wide variety of genre, but for my sins I prefer conventional writing and art.
    This was without doubt a great story, with believable characters and locations, but the staccato structure did nothing for me, except detract from my enjoyment of the tale. I was similarly thrown by the short chapters, and I congratulate the author on achieving his aim, with both the syntax and the chapter length. I realise it was his intention, and the unique style will be appreciated by many, but sadly I am not one of them.
    For those who prefer brevity and a rapid pace with no frills, this is the book for you. You will find a good story, all the intrigue, suspense and action you could wish for, but without an extra syllable.
    Report
  • carl
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tense, dark and well paced
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    What do you get if you mix a bit of Deliverance with a sprinkling of Wrong Turn and then lightly season with the short sharp staccato style sentence structure of Ellroy circa LA Confidential. You get One Night in the Hill Country, that's what you get.
    It is almost always difficult to write a review of the suspense genre, or certainly an exhaustive or extensive one, without referring to the plot and subsequently inserting spoilers left, right and centre.
    I find with the thriller genre it is quite often hard to maintain the tension as it is very rare for certain types of character to get killed or written out (how many Dr who fans don't collapse in disappointment with the children in peril focus as they know the writers aren't in the habit of killing children on tea time TV).
    So it is with this book, the author is faced with the unenviable task of taking children and putting them in the line of fire whilst challenging the readers preconceptions of the likely outcome. Thankfully it's a task the author manages with aplomb and manages to crank up enough tension to keep the reader guessing until the end.
    The short sentencing structure helps with this task as it keeps hitting into the reader not allowing them to settle into a safe reading rhythm and subsequently denying the reader that piece of subliminal security. By accomplishing this task the reader is kept engaged and kept wondering where the story will be taking them.
    The book is quite dark and disconcerting in places which also contributes to a growing sense of unease which at times is necessary for a suspense thriller. That sense of unease forces the reader to turn the page to discover what will happen next rather than think of putting the book down and coming back in a few days time.
    Overall I would say its worth the money and worth a look as it avoids many of the potential pitfalls of the genre. It is an enjoyable read despite the dark nature of the story line and well worth the time that any reader would invest in it.
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  • Penny
    5.0 out of 5 stars A story well told.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This is a quick read as it is a novella and yet it covers some important social issues, such as child abuse and discrimination against immigrants.
    Sam, a recently ex-police officer, is called by Katarina because her son Zilker has lost a kitten. Although Sam knows there's little chance of finding the kitten, she offers to take Zilker and his brother to Central Texas to search for it, and she ends up taking their two cousins as well.
    It is a pleasant day out and the party bump into Sheriff Mike Sullivan, who is relevant later on in the story. Continuing with their search for the kitten, Sam and the children visit Rolf and Tara's vineyard, but all is not what it should be and they are in great danger.
    This story is well told and the author has a confident `voice'. The characters and places are clearly drawn and some of the events make you hold your breath.
    One Night in the Hill Country is an excellent book and I recommend it as a 'must read'.
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