Halloween Horror weaves together several threads of recent American history. The story features the problems of the undocumented aliens, especially from Mexico, the desire to seek revenge against the "gringos" by a radical group of students at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, the problem of keeping faith with constitutional and human values brought on by the 911 tragedy in New York, and the relationship between federal and local authorities. The deadly anthrax powder, the masked celebrations of Halloween, and the lingering American concern about communism played out in a threat designed to kill more than 500 Americans on this joyous holiday of fun and merriment. An excessive governmental effort to deport Dr. Alejandro Alvarez, the highly respected head of three generations of the Alejandro Alvarez and his wife, undocumented immigrants, who had lived in the United States for fifty years served to radicalize students at the University of Nebraska. The threat to deport the senior Alvarez's accompanied by a vicious and humiliating physical attack on Dr. Alvarez by officers of Homeland Security Department contributed directly to the planned attack on Americans, old and young. Grandpa Niall was a visiting professor at the University of Nebraska for that year. Through a stroke of fate, he found himself involved in the case when Brooks, the oldest of the B.E.A.Wares, who was attending the University and a close friend of Juan Alvarez, grandson of Alejandro, sought his advice on how to avoid the disaster which threatened to kill so many people.
About the Author: Niall Magill has written ten non-fiction books and more than 100 poems. He continues to write blogs and short articles about the issues of the day and reads mystery stories avidly. His travel and residence in several regions of the States and in a host of countries abroad provide the background for these exciting stories, honed by his journeys to more than 80 countries of the world. His mystery-relevant experience ranges from on-site evaluation of Peace Corps programs in Niger and Chad, to serving as the World Affairs expert in 7 Peace Corps Training programs, to training faculty in the International University of Kyrgyzstan, to teaching at the University of Istanbul, to serving in the Air Corps in China in World War II, to conducting educational tours, and to lecturing in the main countries of Western Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. These experiences serve to enliven his stories and lend a sense of reality and cultural insight. He is a former college Professor of International Relations, Department Chair, Dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and Deputy President. He also served as Vice-President of the local chapter of the American Federation of Teachers and the Vice President of the California Educational Computer Consortium. A member of Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa chapter, he has experienced the unusual honor of being asked to give the Members In Course address three times at his university in the past twenty-five years. An avid sports fan and former all-state player in football and basketball and a college varsity letter winner in basketball, he maintains a lively interest in most major sports which is often reflected in his stories. He has two children and three grandchildren. His son heads a theatre arts company in Shanghai and his daughter serves as a Pandemic Coordinator for the State of Wisconsin. In addition to a life-long attraction to mysteries, his current interests include the legitimate stage, musical comedy, jazz, pop, and classical music, domestic and international politics and a continuing desire to explore the "highways and byways" of the world. "Our times are so interesting and so challenging, I would not wish to live at any other time," he contends.