South of Nowhere: A Mystery

Read South of Nowhere: A Mystery Storyline:

Reformed criminal Julia Kalas travels from small-town Texas to Mexico on the trail of a missing persons case in the second installment in this atmospheric, critically-acclaimed series
Julia Kalas has found a place for herself in small-town Texas. After being forced to relocate by the Aryan Brotherhood and witness protection, she's working on getting her budding construction business off the ground. But her newfound status as a sometimes-problem solver doesn't stop local cops from giving her the hairy eyeball when a dead body is found stuffed in the upstairs closet of her latest remodeling project.
Not up for another game of pin-the-tail-on-the-murder-suspect, Julia takes private detective John Maines up on an offer of employment working a missing persons case at the Texas-Mexico border. The fat check he dangles in front of her as payment will be enough to set her up in comfortable retirement far away from the tiny Texas backwater, which suits Julia just fine.
However, fate, as usual, has other plans for her. In South Texas, Julia learns that the dead man in her closet has been identified and that a warrant has been issued for her arrest. As she tangles with Mexican drug lords, shady surgeons, and a gang of Native American women with an axe to grind, she can't ignore the sinking feeling that things are about to get a hell of a lot worse before they get better.
South of Nowhere is the action-packed follow up to Minerva Koenig's original and thrilling debut, featuring an intriguing mystery and a gutsy heroine mystery fans will love.
**Review
“Small-town Texas is vividly brought to life in this atmospheric and entertaining debut that also introduces a memorable and unusual protagonist. It's bound to delight fans of Tricia Fields, Lori G. Armstrong, or James Lee Burke's 'Hackberry Holland' books.” ―Library Journal (starred review and Mystery Debut of the Month)
“Texas architect Koenig's complex and intriguing suspense debut introduces 'Julia Kalas'--the name the WITSEC program assigned her after neo-Nazis made her a widow....Fans of distinctive female characters like Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon and Becky Masterman's Brigid Quinn will be thrilled to add Koenig to their ranks.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Julia Kalas, the star of this entertaining first novel, is a five-foot Sherman tank of criminal intentions. She's the real draw of the book.…This self-described ‘tough broad' is still a woman, though, fascinated by relationships, and women are likely to be her most appreciative audience.” ―Booklist
“A satisfyingly flawed female lead, a deep sense of place, and dead-on descriptions combine to create a Coen Brothers movie in print.” ―Anne Frasier, USA Today bestselling author of Play Dead
“Seventeen years experience running guns and washing dirty money has given narrator Julia Kalas a well-earned confidence, a rough-and-tumble way of talking you know will cause her trouble--and provide us with thrills--throughout this blue-ribbon debut novel. When her husband's killers chase Julia into a Texas-based witness protection program, and her new overseer pulls the wrong switches in Julia's worried mind, look out law enforcement, a murderous Aryan Brotherhood, and anybody else who might be trying to pin murder on Julia's new friend and employer, Hector. A shocking, rousing finish stretches the muscle and sinew of Julia's swagger, then twists us magically--a perfect setup for Julia and Hector's next legendary tale.” ―Jack Getze, Fiction Editor, Spinetingler Magazine
“Enthralling from the first page, Nine Days is a blistering and unforgettable debut from a tremendous new voice in crime fiction. Minerva Koenig is a name to watch for.” ―Ed Kurtz, author of A Wind of Knives and The Forty-Two
“Minerva Koenig has crafted a smart, twisty debut with the perfect noir scenario: A government witness who fears that her remote new address is only a trap. Julia Kalas can diagnose the structural ills of an old building in minutes but can't rebuild her life without demolishing the rotten, corrupt infrastructure of a whole town. Trouble in small town Texas? Brother, I've been there, and the only way I'm going back there again is with Kalas. Neither Barbie doll nor Phyllis Marlowe, she is sexy and appealing and, by the way, can probably kick your ass.” ―Jesse Sublett, author of Grave Digger Blues
About the Author
MINERVA KOENIG is a licensed architect running her own one-woman practice. When not architecting or writing, she likes to sew, read, play chess, do yoga, dance, wrangle cats, and fight the patriarchy. Koenig lives in Austin, Texas.