Ghost Ocean: A Novel - Softcover

Benke, Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0826331955 ISBN 13: 9780826331953

Publisher: University of New Mexico Press, 2004

Synopsis

Set in the border area between southwestern New Mexico and northern Mexico, The Ghost Ocean is a story of modern-day crime and violence. While tracking a wolf killer, Bureau of Land Management ranger Will Mann is startled by gunfire and then he finds the body of a twelve-year-old girl. In the remote Gila Wilderness, violence is a way of life. The area is home to conflicting groups, including ranchers and environmentalists; drug runners, people smugglers, and law enforcement officials. During the investigation of the young girl's death, every group is suspect.

About this title

Review

"Reading ["The Ghost Ocean] gave me the same sense of excitement and recognition that Michael McGarrity's "Tulsarosa did years back. . . . Benke obviously has a long, heartfelt relationship with the land of Southern New Mexico, and if this finely crafted debut is any indication he's at the threshold of a long, successful career."

." . .well researched and precisely written."

"This is a gripping story that you can't put down until you finish."

"Southwest author Tony Hillerman comes to mind when reading Benke's book."

"This is the best novel about this part of the West and its border with Mexico since Corman McCarthy's 'All the Pretty Horses.'"

""The Ghost Ocean," by Richard Benke, is a dark, complex mystery about the war between environmentalists and ranchers, drug runners and people-smugglers and the law."

""The Ghost Ocean" is, above all, a good and rewarding mystery. The plot is so rich in potential culprits that deducing the murderer provides a challenge for even the keenest mind."

"There are enough powerful scenes, enough vivid atmosphere, in "The Ghost Ocean" to make southern New Mexico boil to life. This is a high-minded novel in which many parts. . are exquisite."

"A well-told story with so many plot twists that I was actually suprised at the end as to who had really done it. It's an excellent story, made all the more impressive by the fact that it is Benke's first novel."

." . . Evocative debut mystery novel. . . . unobstrusive but vivid description and convincing dialogue, both of which complement the severity of the land and the people who have learned the hard lessons in toughing it out there."

About the Author

Richard Benke is a correspondent for the Associated Press in Albuquerque, where he resides. The Ghost Ocean is his first novel.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0826331955
• ISBN 13: 9780826331953
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 280