Johnny Shaw is an author whose work is deeply rooted in the vibrant and often gritty atmosphere of the Calexico/Mexicali border, a setting that profoundly shapes his narratives. His writing delves into the complexities of life on the frontier, exploring themes of identity, survival, and the blurred lines between right and wrong with a distinctive voice. Shaw's storytelling is characterized by its raw energy and unflinching look at human nature, drawing readers into worlds that are both familiar and unsettling. His background in screenwriting further informs his ability to craft taut, compelling plots and memorable characters, making his fiction a potent blend of literary depth and pulpy excitement.
"THE SOUTHLAND tells the story of three unauthorized Mexican immigrants living in Los Angeles: Luz works multiple jobs to provide for herself and her teenage son Eliseo. Nadia, a former journalist with PTSD, fled Mexico and tries to stay hidden from the dangerous men that she exposed in Sinaloa. Ostelinda works as a laborer in a garment factory, having been deceived by coyotes and imprisoned in the same building since her arrival. Their lives intersect through terrifying circumstance that clarify and contrast the horrors of existence"-- Amazon.com
From one of America's most gifted photographers comes this field-tested handbook. Stunning color photographs and a well-written text cover everything photographers need to know.
In this easy-to-read guide, the author goes back to the basics of the Queen's
Gambit Declined, studying the key principles of its many variations. This book
is part of the Starting Out series, which also includes: The Sicilian, The
Nimzo Indian, The French, The King's Indian, and The Caro-Kann.
"Jimmy Veeder and Bobby Maves are back at it, two years after the events of Dove Season--they're not exactly the luckiest guys in the Imperial Valley, but, hey, they win more fights than they lose. Settled on his own farmland and living like a true family man after years of irresponsible fun, Jimmy's got a straight life cut out for him. But he's knocking years off that life thanks to fun-yet-dangerous Bobby's booze-addled antics--especially now that Bobby is single, volatile, profane as ever, and bored as hell. When Bobby's teenage daughter goes missing, he and Jimmy take off on a misadventure that starts out as merely unfortunate and escalates to downright calamitous. Bobby won't hesitate to kick a hornets' nest to get the girl to safety, but when the rescue mission goes riotously sideways, the duo's grit--and loyalty to each other--is put to the test"--Publisher's website.
There’s gold in them thar hills—or more precisely, in Arizona’s Chocolate Mountains, where one hundred years ago a miner stashed a king’s ransom of the stuff. But times have changed. The world has changed. And now the Chocolate Mountains are the home of the largest military artillery range in the world. Harry’s living on disability and getting liquored up and beaten down. Frank’s a feisty old-timer battling cancer and a domineering daughter. And Ricky’s a good kid in a bad spot, doing everything for family. Together they’re staking what little they have left on a dangerous quest to the Big Maria Mine—and the gold that can offer them a new beginning. Unfortunately a meth-dealing biker wants a piece, a trigger-happy AWOL soldier wants to play chicken in a live minefield, two stubborn burros want to go home, a starving mountain lion wants his dinner, and the US Army wants to rain on our heroes’ parade with real bombs. When you’re all out of crazy ideas, you’ve got to try the stupid ones.
Jack Veeder is dying. Soon. And that impending event brings his son Jimmy back to the Imperial Valley of southern California just north of the Calexico/Mexicali border. Jimmy hopes he can spend what time his father has left laughing and reminiscing. But Jack's got one dying request. He needs Jimmy to find a Mexican prostitute named Yolanda. Enlisting the help of his boyhood friend Bobby Maves, the pair stumbles through the violent, the exploited, and the corrupted of Mexicali. It doesn't take long before they're in over their heads. And as Jimmy tries to survive the dangers of the Mexicali underworld, he unwittingly uncovers truths about his father he never imagined, forcing Jimmy to come to terms with the man he thought he knew, and to decide just what sort of man he wants to become. " Johnny Shaw] is excellent at creating a sense of place with a few deft strokes... he moves effortlessly between dark comedy and moments that pack a real emotional punch, and he's got a knack for off-kilter characters who are completely at home in their own personal corners of oddballdom." - Tana French, author of In the Woods, Faithful Place
From Johnny Shaw, the Anthony Award-winning author of Big Maria, comes a wild tale about the wonderful things that bring a family together--larceny, deception, and revenge. Fifteen years ago, Axel, Gretchen, and Kurt Ucker lost their father. At the same time, they learned that he had secretly been a thief their whole lives--and left a fortune unaccounted for. Since then, the Uckers have lived a precarious existence. Their small town shunned and shamed them. Their mother, Bertha, retreated into her religion and her favorite televangelist, Brother Tobin Floom. Axel got a dead-end job. Gretchen turned to petty crime. And Kurt stayed with his mom and his garage band. When Bertha dies, she leaves everything she has to Floom and his gold-plated revival. The Uckers are at a loss for words. And an inheritance, a house, and a future. Until their long-lost aunt shows up with a secret: Floom is their grandfather; some new relatives: a family of liars, cheats, and thieves; and best of all, a plan: infiltrate Floom's multimillion-dollar ministry and pull off the grandest heist in Ucker family history. When you've got nothing left to lose, you might as well risk it all.
Andy Destra is a mostly honest cop in the most notoriously corrupt and crime-ridden city in America: Auction City. After discovering explosive information that reveals corruption within the highest levels of the police department, Andy is kicked off the force, framed, and disgraced, left to wage a lonely one-man crusade against conspiracies he can't prove. Andy's investigation plunges him into a blackly comic maelstrom of one-armed gang members, slick pickpockets, criminal syndicates, hired mercenaries, escaped convicts, sewer dwellers, and one sinister ice cream truck. At the same time, he must contend with a mystery closer to home: the true identity of his parents, his most unshakeable obsession. Understanding their past may be the key to Auction City's future as it teeters on the brink of chaos. If Andy can't solve this case, the Floodgate will fail...and his city will burn.
When I decided to make a chess puzzle book I had many ideas in mind: The puzzles should be challenging but not so difficult that a chessboard is needed they can be solved on the train, plane or wherever you happen to be when you have a few minutes to spare. The positions should be educational with some instructive point to the solution. I have generally stuck to that, but I also selected many puzzles just because they were fun. The positions are all from fairly recent games, so that the reader will not have seen them before in older puzzle books. John Shaw is a chess grandmaster who has been Scottish Chess Champion three times.
A monumental new history reveals how the transition of power from Eisenhower to Kennedy marked more than a succession of presidents—it was the culmination of a generational shift in American politics, policy and culture. After winning the presidency by a razor-thin victory on November 8, 1960 over Richard Nixon, Dwight D. Eisenhower’s former vice president, John F. Kennedy became the thirty-fifth president of the United States. But beneath the stately veneers of both Ike and JFK, there was a complex and consequential rivalry. In Rising Star, Setting Sun, John T. Shaw focuses on the intense ten-week transition between JFK’s electoral victory and his inauguration on January 20, 1961. In just over two months, America would transition into a new age, and nowhere was it more marked that in the generational and personal difference between these two men and their dueling visions for the country they led. The former general espoused frugality, prudence, and stewardship. The young political wünderkid embodied dramatic themes and sweeping social change. Extensively researched and eloquently written, Shaw paints a vivid picture of what Time called a “turning point in the twentieth century” as Americans today find themselves poised on the cusp of another watershed moment in our nation’s history.
