Set 100 years ago in Fort Smith, Arkansas, a raucous western town with a history of outlaws, marshals, hangings, and prostitution, Bordertown Gypsy unfolds as a tale of tragedy, blackmail, and bravery.
When a boating accident claims the lives of Dr. Franco Cordero, his wife Catrin and six of their children, his oldest son, Franco, an eighteen-year-old with wits and resourcefulness, is forced to take on the responsibility of raising his younger sister, Daniella. With no one but the two children standing in his way, their Uncle Konrad, a shrewd gambler and bitter alcoholic who’s heavily in debt, transforms the late Dr. Cordero’s large Colonial Revival house into a brothel. Further, he forces the beautiful and naïve Daniella to work in the bawdy house as a cigar seller. Despite her young age, the brothel’s patrons take notice of the beautiful young girl. Desperate to ensure her safety, Franco makes a deal with his uncle, one which, if he’s not cautious, could disrupt his future plans of becoming a pharmacist and get him locked away for many years. To complicate matters, Mr. Ulric, the city’s District Attorney, has caught wind of Konrad and Franco’s crimes and has threatened to prosecute them both. As if that weren’t enough, the United States is calling all young men- including Franco- to join in the Great War.
Can Franco salvage what remains of Daniella’s innocence after what she’s witnessed in her uncle’s brothel? And can Franco rescue her from succumbing to a life as a woman of the night? Or will he be forced to serve his country or, worse, serve time for his crimes?
Bordertown Gypsy is the first novel in The River Series. Look for Lynchtown Wolf, scheduled to release March 2018.