How far is too far when it comes to revenge? In Gary Wayne Walker's debut thriller, "Vengence Is Mine," the answer slowly unravels as families are torn apart and alliances are made. The year is 1949, and Los Angeles is the playground on which Mickey Cohen and his mob have chosen to play. Prominent divorce attorney Everett Taylor takes on his first murder trial despite his wife's impassioned pleas to the contrary and is immediately plunged into an underworld from which there is no escape. The case, in which a woman shot and killed her husband upon discovering him in bed with his lover, quickly throws Taylor's life into turmoil, bringing him toe to toe with Cohen's mob while drudging up his own dark past in St. Louis with his first wife. Crippled by polio as a small child, Taylor is now faced with other health issues, mental and physical, along with an increasing tumultuous relationship with his family, including a daughter left behind in St. Louis. This is a story where loyalty is tested and no one is as they seem. Most importantly, it reveals how the desire for vengeance can ruin the vengeful while inflicting unimaginable collateral damage on innocent bustanders. "If you're searching for mystery and intrigue and enjoy fast-paced thrill rides, then buckle up and enter Gary Wayne Walker's world of Vengeance. His storytelling prowess will captivate your imagination and have you sweating bullets right along with his fascinating cast of characters."--Armen Bacon, author of "Griefland-- An Intimate Portrait of Love, Loss and Unlikely Friendship." "Gary Wayne Walker weaves his characters with intricate precision through a meticulously crafted plot. This suspenseful page-turner will leave readerw eager for a sequel."-- Janice Stevens, Writing Professor and author of nine California history books.
About the Author: Gary Wayne Walker, the son of a prominent Hollywood attorney, was born in Los Angeles in 1941. Educated in public schools through the eighth grade, Gary won a four year scholarship to Black-Foxe Military Institute following his father's death in 1955, graduating with honors in 1959. In 1963, he graduated from Occidental College with a BA in Political Science. Entering the insurance business in 1964, Gary spent the next forty five years as a home office marketing manager, a branch office sales manager and, since 1979, an insurance agent in Fresno, California. He holds the CLU, ChFC and CPCU professional insurance designations awarded by the American College. While pursuing an insurance career and raising two sons, Gary never stopped reading. A lover of both fiction and nonfiction, Gary particularly enjoys Raymond Chandler and James Elroy stories about LA crime, and the works of P.D. James, Scott Turow and Nelson DeMille. In addition to writing crime fiction, Gary is a contributor/columnist to the Fresno Bee, where his thoughts on a wide variety of topics have appeared on the op-ed page since 2007. Gary and his wife, Lonna, a retired English teacher and vice-principal, have four grandchildren.