Forrest, MS: Sartoris Literary Group (pub: November 15, 2019)

Just days after their dramatic courtroom victory in the “Case of the Century,” Mississippi lawyers, John Brooks and Jackson Bradley find themselves embroiled in an even bigger case. The respected patriarch of a Choctaw family is murdered in a drive-by shooting during a family gathering on their farm. His grandson pursues the murderers. Three “rednecks” suspected in the drive-by shooting are found on the farm, dead. The grandson is charged with their murder.

The sensational news that the victims were scalped grips the attention and imagination of the media. Expecting a resumption of the Wild West range wars, the world press descends upon Philadelphia, Mississippi. Will John Brooks live long enough to find the love of his life? Will Bradley live long enough to find his true treasure? The fate of nations, tribes and people will be decided in battles fought simultaneously in a Central American jungle, in a courtroom in Mississippi and in the hearts of the people in this briskly-paced epic adventure.

In addition to defending the criminal charges, John and Jackson must protect the farm from efforts to take it from the family. Rumors that a vast treasure is hidden on the family farm place Brooks and Bradley in the center of a deadly power struggle that spans centuries and continents. Just when John needs them the most, Jackson leaves to chase rumors of treasure and Karen leaves to pursue a man who “appreciates” her. The only person left to help John is a mole planted in his office by his opponents.

A homicidal maniac obsessed with a desire to murder Brooks, Bradley and Karen stalks them. Mystery, romance, murders, and courtroom drama consume Brooks, while Bradley pursues a trail of clues from Mississippi to a sunken Caribbean wreck, to a hidden jungle valley in Chiapas. Bradley isn’t the only one on the trail of Maximilian’s Treasure. Three ruffians, a wealthy adventurer with a private army, an exotic beauty, and the homicidal maniac are only a few of those in pursuit.

JAMES D. BELL is a retired judge who received the highest bar association approval ratings ever given to a Mississippi Circuit or County Judge. He is the author of the suspense novel Vampire Defense , and he has a short story titled “The Adventures of Sherlock Hound” in Mardi Allen’s collection, Dog Stories for the Soul, along with notables such as John Steinbeck and Willie Morris. He lives near Jackson, Mississippi, with his wife, Joanne.