Layover

by Max Martinez

Overview

Author Max Martinez once again finds murder and mayhem in the central Texas farm country featured in his tour-de-force White Leg. Here, a young, educated and hip Priscilla Arrabal had unwittingly become embroiled in a life threatening game of hide-and-seek with the police and an amoral killer. Her gradual awakening to her increasingly dangerous predicament makes for a suspenseful and surprise-filled read, one that regales readers with colorful characters, unexpected turns of plot and an unforgettable sampling of Texas back-country culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781518502859
Publisher:	Arte Publico Press
Publication date:	04/12/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

MAX MARTINEZ is the author of two other novels, White Leg (Arte Publico Press, 1996) and Schoolland (Arte Publico Press, 1988), and two collections of stories, The Adventures of the Chicano Kid (Arte Publico Press, 1982) and a Red Bikini Dream (Arte Publico Press, 1989). Following his discharge from the U.S. Navy, he enrolled at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, where he received a bachelor of arts in English.

Editorial Reviews

The sexual gambles, muddled thought processes and penchant for trouble that distinguish Martinez's impetuous, beguiling Chicano heroine, Priscilla Arrabal, contribute to the liveliness and suspense of this flawed but entertaining crime novel. Ralph Mason, an ornery, womanizing petty thief, was killed by a shot fired through a motel window in a small Texas townthe same town in which Priscilla winds up after fleeing a failed relationship in San Antonio. Priscilla, it turns out, had picked up Mason in a local bar and was awaiting his arrival in her bed when she witnessed the crime. In one of her many bad decisions, she hightails it out of town in the dead man's truck. Deputy Joe Blue and his sidekick, Hank Solis, lead the search for Priscilla, with Sheriff Jim Woodrow making the occasional appearance as the stereotypical big-shot Texas law man. Priscilla, however, has found refuge at the home of Paco Rangel, a mysterious, hunky vegetable farmer with an ill-tempered pit bull for a pet. Though Mason had plenty of enemies, the identity of the killer is no surprise. Fans of Martinez's well-received novel, White Leg, will find this story less gripping and the characters one-dimensional by comparison. Yet Martinez keeps readers engaged and amused by his quirky portrait of the insular world of crime and justice in small-town Texas. (June)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly