Gary J. George Presents the Thrilling Fourth Book in the Smoke Tree Series: “Death on a Desert Hillside”

Gary J. George, author captivating Smoke Tree Series, is thrilled to announce the release of his latest novel, “Death on a Desert Hillside: A Smoke Tree Series Novel (Smoke Tree Mystery Book 4).” Returning to the heart of Smoke Tree, Gary continues the enthralling narratives of Lieutenant Carlos Caballo and Chemehuevi Joe, characters who have left an indelible mark in the previous novels in the series.

In “Death on a Desert Hillside,” readers are plunged into an unfathomable mystery - the brutal murder of two people living a life of bare subsistence in the desolate foothills of the desert mountains. Lieutenant Carlos Caballo of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is tasked with finding the killer. Assisted by the enigmatic Native American Chemehuevi Joe and war-scarred veteran Willy Gibson, Caballo must navigate a labyrinth of small-town dynamics, prejudice, and simmering anger to restore peace within their community.

While exploring themes of love, justice, and the intricacies of the human experience, Gary’s latest work serves as a testament to the profound influence of the love shared by Lieutenant Caballo and his wife, Esperanza, in shaping a meaningful life amidst tumultuous circumstances. “The essence of this book lies in the profound impact of their love,” says Gary. “Their connection can build bridges, mend rifts, and foster harmony, even in the harshest landscapes.”

“Death on a Desert Hillside” surpasses the boundaries of a typical crime thriller, delving into our shared humanity, shedding light on societal disparities and biases, and highlighting the human spirit’s strength in the pursuit of justice and understanding.

Immerse yourself in the world of “Death on a Desert Hillside: A Smoke Tree Series Novel (Smoke Tree Mystery Book 4),” available on Amazon.com. Experience the captivating saga of Carlos Caballo and Chemehuevi Joe as they peel back the layers of mystery to expose a relentless killer and restore tranquility

Death on a Desert Hillside: A Smoke Tree Series Novel (Smoke Tree Mystery Book 4)
Author: Gary George
Publisher : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Date Published: (April 11, 2015)
Language : English
Paperback : 254 pages
ISBN-10 : 1532930003
ISBN-13 : 978-1532930003

About the Author

Gary J. George lived in Needles, California for eleven years as a young man. All of his novels play out against the backdrop of the Mojave Desert in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Gary was blessed with a long and happy marriage with his beloved, Ginny Boyd, the author of the children’s book “Birdy Bird.” Ginny died in January 2018, and at first, Gary could not write. But a backpacking trip in May from the Colorado River to the middle of the Mojave National Preserve allowed him to begin to come to terms with her death. When he returned to his Cherry Valley home, he discovered that hiking the foothills below Mt. San Gorgonio and then writing held his grief, depression, and abiding sorrow in abeyance for a few hours each day, and he began his sixth novel, “The Carnival, The Cross, and the Burning Desert.” It was published in December 2018.

Book seven of the Smoke Tree Series, “Walks Always Beside You,” followed in May 2020, and book eight, “A Desert Drowning,” was published in March 2021. Book nine, “Woman of the Desert Moon,” was published in the spring of 2022, and book ten, “Smoke Tree Burning,” in December of 2022. Gary is working on book eleven in the series, “One of Ours.”

If you are curious about Gary’s thoughts on each of his books, read on.

THE HOUSE OF THREE MURDERS The first Smoke Tree mystery, this book traverses parts of the beautiful but demanding Mojave Desert. It introduces some of the fascinating people who live there, including and especially the Mojave Indians. The main characters, Charlie Merriman, Aeden Snow, and Johnny Quentin are drawn from my own experiences.

HORSE HUNTS Originally a part of THE HOUSE OF THREE MURDERS, my wonderful Ginny pointed out to me that the material was a distraction from the story told in that novel and should be a novella of its own. She was absolutely right.

MOJAVE DESERT SANCTUARY In the 1950s and 1960s, it was common knowledge that the Mafia ran Las Vegas, the closest city of any size to Needles. I was always intrigued by adults who said the mob saw to it that there was very little crime in Las Vegas. They were right about petty crime, but they managed to ignore the major crime underway there. (Cognitive dissonance is an amazing phenomenon.) The novel moves back and forth between the simplicity of life on an isolated desert ranch and the banal evil of mob-run Las Vegas. Kiko Yoshida, a Keno runner who incurs the wrath of the mob, is the catalyst that ignites the conflict between those disparate worlds that explodes into violence.

DEATH ON A DESERT HILLSIDE This is one of my favorite books in the series. It delves deeply into the joys and failings of small-town life and develops the relationship between Carlos and Esperanza Caballo, a wonderful couple. The last scene in this novel is one of my favorites, along with what happens at John Stonebridge’s ranch on Pinto Mountain in MOJAVE DESERT SANCTUARY.

DEEP DESERT DECEPTION This book was an absolute joy to write. It flowed effortlessly and gave me great satisfaction as the story progressed and then changed and rearranged itself. It also broke my heart. I always start a novel by creating characters, but I’m never sure what they are going to do. Burke Henry developed in ways I had not anticipated and did things that surprised me but were logical extensions of his self-sufficient values.

THE CARNIVAL, THE CROSS, AND THE BURNING DESERT. This book was painful to write, but it was also a life saver. Haunted by the death of my wonderful wife, I spent countless hours hiking the Mojave Desert and the foothills of Mount San Gorgonio to the north of our Cherry Valley home. In late May, I completed a backpacking trip from the Colorado River through Piute Gorge and on to the center of the Mojave National Preserve. My son Sam hiked with me. I don’t think I would have made it without him. By the time I returned home, the sixth book in the series had been born.

WALKS ALWAYS BESIDE YOU. This novel is about Johnny Quentin, a character from the first book in the Smoke Tree Series. It deals with Johnny’s troubled life when he returns to Smoke Tree after eight years in the Army. Many years ago, I read a newspaper column in which the writer referred to a different kind of MIA (Missing in Action), as Missing in America. It seemed such an apt description, as many of those men were unable to reintegrate into civilian life, and make up, to this day, a disproportionate number of the homeless. I wanted to pay homage to those misunderstood men.

A DESERT DROWNING. Unlike all my other books which start with a character, this one started with an image. An image of a man drowned in a tiny bit of water in the middle of vast, arid open space. The Leftovers, the teenagers who find the body, appeared next. After that, the story pretty much wrote itself. Great fun!

WOMAN OF THE DESERT MOON. The title character came to me in a dream. In the dream, I was on a desert hillside at night. When I looked up the hill, I saw a woman walking toward me, but her face was in shadow. The dream ended, and I forgot about it. But a week or so later, the woman was back. This time, I could see her face by moonlight. There was something wrong with it, but I couldn’t tell what. That started me thinking…and woman of the desert moon was born.

SMOKE TREE BURNING. Smoke Tree begins to change when Interstate 40 replaces Highway 66. 66 ran through the center of town, but Smoke Tree is only an off-ramp on the Interstate. Also, the Santa Fe railroad has always been the lifeblood of Smoke Tree, but now the number of crew members on each train is decreasing, and that will have an adverse effect on the economy of the isolated desert town. If that weren’t enough, a motorcycle gang operating in the river bottom further complicates life for Horse and his deputies.

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