Book One in a New Trilogy
by
CLARK HAYS AND KATHLEEN McFALL
Genre: Alternative Historical Fiction / Thriller
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In an alternate timeline, legendary lovers Bonnie and Clyde are given one last shot at redemption.
The story begins in 1984 when a reporter gets a tip to meet an old woman at a Texas cemetery. Cradling an antique rifle and standing over a freshly dug grave, the old woman claims to be Bonnie Parker. Turns out, she says, it wasn’t Bonnie and Clyde who were ambushed fifty years earlier. Instead, the outlaws were kidnapped, forced into a covert life and given a deadly mission—save President Roosevelt from an assassination plot financed by industrialists determined to sink the New Deal.
Thrust into a fight against greed they didn’t ask for, but now must win in order to save themselves and their families, will the notorious duo overcome their criminal pasts and put their “skills” to use fighting for justice for the working class?
Cutting back and forth between the modern era where the shocked reporter investigates the potential scoop-of-the-century, and the desperate undercover exploits of Bonnie and Clyde in 1934, Resurrection Road is a page-turning sleep-wrecker.
Bonnie and Clyde. Saving democracy, one bank robbery at a time.
PRAISE FOR BONNIE AND CLYDE: RESURRECTION ROAD:
“Sex, danger and intrigue, coupled with just the right dose of cheeky humor,” -- East Oregonian
“A Depression-era tale timely with reflections on fat cats and a rigged economic system that still ring true. More than that, the story is an exciting ride, with tight corners, narrow escapes, and real romantic heat between Bonnie and Clyde. Outlaws become patriots in this imaginative, suspenseful what-if story,” -- Kirkus Reviews
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After hair cuts, dye jobs, new clothes and new identities, in this scene in 1934, Bonnie and Clyde learn about their first undercover assignment.
The room was dark save for a single light bulb hanging down over the table by a cord. Sal dropped a thick folder on the table for dramatic effect. “It’s showtime,” she said. She flipped it open and pulled out a black and white photo. It was a shot of Bonnie—a cigar between her teeth—leaning against the car with a pistol in her hand.
Clyde whistled. “I always loved that photo.”
“I hate it,” Bonnie said. “I look ridiculous, and it made half of America think I’m some sort of cigar-smoking, gun-toting she-devil.”
Sal dropped more photos onto the table: Clyde sitting on the front bumper of a car holding a rifle; Clyde picking Bonnie up with one arm, a white fedora in his free hand; Bonnie aiming a gun at Clyde.
They exchanged a quick glance, remembering that day and a rare moment of peace and happiness when they had some kicks goofing with the camera. All of that ended abruptly when the law caught up, and they bolted in a hail of gunfire, leaving the camera behind, loaded up with the exposed film. Within days, the photos were wired to newspapers around the nation, and the couple became instant celebrities.
“Call it what you want, but folks around this country sure thought they were seeing something special in those photos,” Clyde said.
“What they thought they were seeing was two not horribly unattractive youngsters having illicit sex, robbing banks, and breaking all the rules,” Sal said. “Every man wished he was Clyde, and every woman wanted to be Bonnie.”
Sal tossed a copy of a newspaper clipping on top of the pictures. “And then it all went to dirt because you started shooting cops and innocent people.”
More clippings about the exploits of the outlaw couple followed—car chases, shootouts, murders. The stories chronicling their descent from folk heroes to cold-blooded killers soon blotted out all traces of the smiling photographs from happier days.
“That’s the problem with public opinion,” Sal said. “It’s fickle. By the end, they were clamoring for your heads.”
Clyde shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the unforgiving metal hard against his thighs. “I ain’t lost a minute of sleep over what we done,” he said. “You starve and kick a dog long enough, someday that dog’s going to rise up and bite you.”
“Or at least give you fleas,” Sal said. She pulled up a chair to face them, a pistol on her lap.
“This moment is when you get one last chance to rise above your past, rise above the killing, rise above your roots and your mistakes,” she said. “Because when I look at all this murdering and thieving and daring escapes by the skin of your teeth, I see two people with the unique talents to do a job we need done.”
“You want us to rob and kill for you?” Bonnie asked.
“We want you to save President Roosevelt from an assassin.”
“What are you on about?” Clyde said.
Bonnie held her tongue, waiting for what was coming next.
Before Sal could continue, there was a knock from outside. She opened the door and took a paper bag and drink carrier from Carl, and then he closed the door and locked the bolt back into place. They watched as Sal unpacked two turkey sandwiches wrapped in wax paper and three cups of coffee. She put a sandwich and coffee on the table in front of Bonnie and Clyde and then took a coffee for herself.
“Eat. You’ll need your strength, and we have a lot to go over.”
Clyde tore into his sandwich with his free hand and started wolfing it down, but Bonnie—even though she was ravenous—ignored the food and watched Sal coolly.
“May I have a smoke?” Bonnie asked.
Sal pulled a pack from the bag and tossed it on the table, waiting until Bonnie shook a cigarette free and then struck a match. Bonnie contemplated catching her by the wrist and holding her while Clyde took her pistol, and she felt Clyde tense in mid-bite, anticipating her play.
Sal waited until the cigarette caught and then leaned back. “Don’t bother. He has orders to kill us all if need be,” she said.
Bonnie inhaled deeply and then puffed out a thin cloud of smoke.
“You think of almost everything, don’t you, honey,” Bonnie said, slowing down her words, stretching them out in a sugary drawl. “Except the right kind of cigarettes. I don’t care much for menthols.”
A native of Texas, Clark Hays spent his early childhood there and then moved for a decade with his family around the world following the job of his father, a legendary wildcat petroleum drilling engineer, before finally landing on a Montana ranch. Kathleen McFall was born and raised in Washington, D.C.
Between the two of them, the authors have worked in writing jobs ranging from cowboy-poet to energy journalist to restaurant reviewer to university press officer. After they met in the early 1990s, their writing career took center stage when they wrote the first book in The Cowboy and the Vampire Collection as a test for marriage. They passed. Their debut novel was picked up by Llewellyn (St. Paul, MN) with a first edition published in 1999, making it among the earliest stories in the resurgence and reimagining of the undead myth for modern audiences.
Since then, Clark and Kathleen have published five novels together—the latest reimagines the life of the legendary outlaws Bonnie and Clyde.
Clark and Kathleen have won several writing awards, including a Pushcart Prize nomination (Clark) and a fiction fellowship from Oregon Literary Arts (Kathleen). Their books have been honored with a Best Books of 2014 by Kirkus Reviews, Best Books of 2016 by IndieReader, and a 2017 Silver IPPY Medalist.
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ReplyDeleteSo glad you stopped by to read my post! <3 XOXO
DeleteThanks for sharing info about our book! Seems like it might resonate with your readers ^^ (thanks Darque Dreamer!).
ReplyDeleteThis excerpt has one of our favorite lines in the whole book: "You starve and kick a dog long enough, someday that dog’s going to rise up and bite you.” / “Or at least give you fleas,” Sal said.
Of course, there are many other great lines ... and action, and romance ... and we are COMPLETELY objective about that.
You're so very welcome! It was an honor sharing it with my readers!
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