Ancient ruins, haunted memories, and a ruthless criminal combine with a touch of mystic presence in this taut mystery about a crime we all must address.
THE CASTLE
Anne Montgomery
Contemporary Women’s Fiction/Suspense
TouchPoint Press
September 13, 2021
Maggie, a National Park Ranger of Native American descent, is back at The Castle—a six-hundred-year-old pueblo carved into a limestone cliff in Arizona’s Verde Valley. Maggie, who suffers from depression, has been through several traumas: the gang rape she suffered while in the Coast Guard, the sudden death of her ten-year-old son, and a suicide attempt.
One evening, she chases a young Native American boy through the park and gasps as he climbs the face of The Castle cliff and disappears into the pueblo. When searchers find no child, Maggie’s friends believe she’s suffering from depression-induced hallucinations.
Maggie has several men in her life. The baker, newcomer Jim Casey, who always greets her with a warm smile and pink boxes filled with sweet delicacies. Brett Collins, a scuba diver who is doing scientific studies in Montezuma Well, a dangerous cylindrical depression that houses strange creatures found nowhere else on Earth. Dave, an amiable waiter with whom she’s had a one-night stand, and her new boss Glen.
One of these men is a serial rapist and Maggie is his next target.
In a thrilling and terrifying denouement, Maggie faces her rapist and conquers her worst fears once and for all.
REVIEW COPIES OF THE CASTLE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
Review/interview requests: Contact Chelsea Pieper media@touchpointpress.com
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Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Liaison: A Next Chapter Imprint
Kindle, Paperback, Large Print, and Audio Editions
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Rebecca Quinn escapes her controlling husband and, with nowhere else to go, hops the red-eye to Arizona. There, Gaby Strand – her aunt’s college roommate – gives her shelter at the Salt River Inn, a 1930’s guesthouse located in the wildly beautiful Tonto National Forest. Becca struggles with post-traumatic stress, but is enthralled by the splendor and fragility of the Sonoran Desert. The once aspiring artist meets Noah Tanner, a cattle rancher and beekeeper, Oscar Billingsley, a retired psychiatrist and avid birder, and a blacksmith named Walt. Thanks to her new friends and a small band of wild horses, Becca adjusts to life in the desert and rekindles her love of art. Then, Becca’s husband tracks her down, forcing her to summon all her strength. But can she finally stop running away?
Reviews for Wild horses on the Salt
Midwest Book Review
“Wild Horses On The Salt showcases author Anne Montgomery’s genuine flair for originality and the kind of narrative driven and dramatic storytelling that is the hallmark of an award-worthy novel.”
Margaret Millmore
Author
“Ms. Montgomery weaves an intricate parallel tale, portraying the struggles of one woman, and that of a lost wild stallion—both fighting to rise above the cruelty of an unkind world. Her unique writing style, incredible knowledge of her subject matter, combined with her ability to create vivid scenes of the East Valley, and particularly the Tonto National Forest and Salt River area in Arizona, takes the reader on a fascinating (and educational) journey.”
Erin Kosio
Amazon
“A beautiful yet tragic story of healing.”
Sharon Grow
Goodreads
“The story of the wild horses of the Salt is expertly interwoven into this exciting and thoughtful story of a wounded soul determined to regain her life and find genuine love.”
Anne R. Marshall
Amazon
“It is a romance, not just between men and woman, but between people and a place. Montgomery captured it and accurately, too. This was an engrossing read, despite the abuse. I recommend it.”
Rose Aurburn-Writing and Reviews
“A beautifully considered, sumptuous novel from a skilled storyteller-highly recommended.”
Anu Menon
Thought is Free Book Blog
“Fantastic page-turner. Fast-paced, adventurous, and thoughtful story of the survival of Becca’s wounded soul. Her struggles, experiences, passions, fears, healing, and the truth of her chilly silence are wonderfully portrayed.”
Mystery/Suspense
Blank Slate Press/Amphorae Publishing Group
Paperback and E-book Editions
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A Light in the Desert traces the story of a lonely pregnant teenager, a Vietnam veteran and former Special Forces sniper who, as he descends into the throes of mental illness, latches onto the girl, and a group of Pentecostal zealots – the Children of Light – who have been waiting over thirty years in the Arizona desert for Armageddon. The Amtrak Sunset Limited, a passenger train en route to Los Angeles, is derailed in their midst’s, a deadly act of sabotage. Their lives are thrown into turmoil when local and state police, FBI investigators, and a horde of reporters make camp by the twisted wreckage of the Sunset Limited. As the search for the saboteurs continues, the authorities find more questions than answers. The girl mysteriously vanishes, the assassin struggles to maintain his sanity, and a child is about to be born in the wilderness.
Reviews for A Light in the Desert
2018 Independent Publisher Book Awards
Bronze Medal Winner for Fiction: West-Mountain Region
YA/Contemporary
Treehouse Publishing/Amphorae Publishing Group
Paperback and E-book Editions
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Rose Madsen dreams of becoming a science teacher and will do anything to keep from being married off to one of the men in her Fundamentalist Mormon (FLDS) community, including enduring her mother’s brutal beatings. Adan Reyes dreams of better days with his mother when he escapes the foster care system in Phoenix. When their fates become intertwined, Rose and Adan escape into the mountains, only to be hunted like animals. After they are discovered, they must decide if everyone they meet is determined to keep them locked in lives of abuse, or if some adults are worthy of their trust?
Reviews for The Scent of Rain
Midwest Book Review
“A deftly crafted and compelling read from cover to cover.”
Childishly Passionate Reviews
“Essential reading for both young adults and adults alike. There is literally nothing else I can say, except buy this book.”
The Haunted Reading Room
“A heartrending, heart-wrenching fictional narrative … Even in the midst of tribulations, The Scent of Rain celebrates the resilience and persistence of the human spirit.”
YABOOKSCENTRAL
“The characters in ‘The Scent of Rain’ added to an already amazing storyline.”
The Book Return
“I loved ‘The Scent of Rain’. It is very apparent that Montgomery did extensive amounts of research … I absolutely think everyone should read it.”
Hasty Book List
“Whew. What a whirlwind. The story had been building and building and it all came to a tumbling end. “
