Books by Tom Whatley

Bud Haddock's senses had a shell in the chamber with the hammer back. Somebody was back there. He could tell from the itch in his neck. This warning about trouble had never let him down. Having to be a man before his time on a ranch in 1850s Texas, Bud was traveling west to see the country his rambling father had described so often. He was now in Arizona and the going was tough. But not too tough for a young fellow whose instincts for avoiding trouble were tuned to perfection. Meanwhile, it doesn't take long to find out who is trailing him, and why. Bud Haddock is quickly forced into discoveries about himself that reveal depths of courage he never knew existed. Everything in his being now comes into play. He makes a new friend who helps him eliminate a ruthless man intent on becoming a land baron, falls in love for the first time with a beautiful rancher's daughter, and becomes part of a breathtaking scenario that reveals a startling fact about his father. Before long he becomes known as a man who avoids trouble at all costs but who cuts no slack if pressed to the wall. Which is often. * * * * * Tom Whatley is a minister, a former Infantry Officer with the U.S. Army, and an avid outdoorsman. He has traveled extensively throughout the United States and has a keen interest in the west and northwest. He lives in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. This is his first novel. He is also the author of "He Ain't Dead," "Ghost Runner," "Twice as Good," "The Gatekeeper," and "Fears No Man," all from Sunstone Press.

Reed Haddok was unconscious. Strong hands lifted him and took him to safety. Haddok owed his life to the owner of those hands. Time taught him that they belonged to a mysterious Indian, but Haddok didn't have a name, a face, or a voice to use in identifying him. But he owed him. If a man was owed a whipping or a thank-you by Reed Haddok, you could count on him to pay his debt. He soon gets his chance when he finds that the man who saved his life-Tall Tree-is now the wounded captive of an Apache war party. Haddock immediately sets out to save his new Indian friend and has a little fun at the expense of the Apaches as well. The heart pounding actions that make up the rescue, escape, and trek back to Tall Tree's hidden village take a series of riveting, fast paced turns that will make the reader grab the saddle horn and hang on for dear life.

A friendly town is caught by surprise when a relatively unknown woman is murdered in northwest Alabama. Nothing adds up as detective Lane Cole jumps on the case with bulldog tenacity only to find himself at repeated dead ends. The nonexistent trail to the killer is a puzzle. Good police work finds him quizzing the neighboring law enforcement agencies about their unsolved murders. He soon discovers five other killings over an eight-year period with the same M.O. Lane Cole discovers he has a multiple murderer on his hands. What follows is a twisting road leading all the way to Chicago. It travels through the land of deep mental illness, severely abused children, and police work dangerously close to the edge. The surprise ending becomes the beginning of serious soul searching for any reader.