Deadly Vintage

 
by Michael McLean, Sabine Berlin
Book Cover: Deadly Vintage
Editions:ebook, Paperback

The Desert Keeps What Man Was Never Meant to Find

In the high desert of New Mexico, something unnatural has taken root beneath the vines.

Geologist Mark Grayson’s newest contract should’ve been routine—evaluate mineral deposits near a family-owned vineyard. But nothing about Cat’s Claw feels routine. The land is guarded. The records are sealed. And Grayson’s instincts, honed from years of high-risk geological work in conflict zones, are screaming that something’s wrong.

When a local college student is found mutilated in the desert, Deputy Medical Examiner Shannon Hall lands the case. Days later, a second body surfaces on the property, and her investigation crosses paths with Grayson’s survey. What begins as a strange coincidence turns into a shared pursuit of the truth, one that leads them into a cave system behind the vineyard… and something far more dangerous than a simple murder.

Cat’s Claw is clean on paper, its wine exported overseas and its family name protected by deep pockets. But under the surface, something is being grown, tested, trafficked. And it’s not meant for public consumption.

As pressure mounts from law enforcement, foreign buyers, and hired muscle, Grayson and Hall must navigate a web of silence, corruption, and scientific horror buried in the bedrock… before the desert claims them as its own.

Published:
Publisher: Hat Creek
Genres:
Action & Adventure, Detective, Historical, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
Tags:
action and adventure, crime fiction, historical fiction, sci-fi, science fiction books, science fiction thriller, thriller books

About the Authors

Michael McLean

A native of western Colorado's high country, Michael McLean has packed on horseback in Montana's high-country wilderness, mined gold and silver thousands of feet below the earth's surface, fly-fished Yellowstone Park's blue-ribbon waters, and explored the deserts of the West.

Through personal and professional experiences, he has collected a wealth of information to develop story settings, plots, and characters. His work has been published in Saddlebag Dispatches, New Mexico Magazine, Rope and Wire and The Penmen Review. His story, “Backroads” was the winner of the 2012 Tony Hillerman Mystery Short Story Contest. McLean believes the less traveled and often lonely back roads of the West offer intimate access to the land, its people, and their stories.

Sabine Berlin

Sabine Berlin is an author and editor who crafts contemporary fiction infused with a touch of the extraordinary. Fueled by her love of storytelling, she seeks to share the magic of imagination and connection through her work. A dedicated lifelong learner, Sabine holds degrees in higher education leadership, history, and editing and document design. When she’s not writing or exploring the beauty of the written word, she treasures time with her amazing husband, her children, and their beloved chocolate Lab—who, without question, is the best in the world.

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