Although I write for Hale as Ross Morton, some of you might be interested in my latest release from Crooked Cat Publishing. It highlights aspects about illegal trade in products from endangered species and people smuggling - modern-day slavery.
BLOOD OF THE
DRAGON TREES
Nik Morton
Tigers slaughtered to cure
pimples!
Laura
Reid likes her new job on Tenerife, teaching the Spanish twins Maria and
Ricardo Chávez. She certainly doesn’t want to get involved with Andrew Kirby
and his pal, Jalbala Emcheta, who work for CITES, tracking down illegal traders
in endangered species. Yet she’s undeniably drawn to Andrew, which is
complicated, as she’s also attracted to Felipe, the brother of her widower
host, Don Alonso.
Felipe’s
girlfriend Lola is jealous and Laura is forced to take sides – risking her own
life – as she and Andrew uncover the criminal network that not only deals in
the products from endangered species, but also thrives on people trafficking.
The pair are aided by two Spanish lawmen, Lieutenant Vargas of the Guardia
Civil and Ruben Salazar, Inspector Jefe del Grupo de Homicidios de las
Canarias.
Very
soon betrayal and mortal danger lurk in the shadows, along with the dark deeds
of kidnapping and clandestine scuba diving…
This
topical thriller is Nik Morton’s 18th published book. It should
appeal to anyone interested in Spain, crime thrillers, or romantic adventure!
Topicality
Last year, over 25,000 elephants were
illegally killed for their ivory. – National Geographic, October 2012.
A British woman was arrested in Tenerife
for stealing rhino horn from the Offenberg museum. A single horn can fetch
£200,000 on the black market. This year 455 white rhinos have already been
killed illegally. – The Courier, October 26, 2012.
CITES urges transit and destination
countries to take urgent measures to implement their plans by July 2014: http://www.cites.org/eng/news/pr/2013/20130516_elephant_action_plan.php