dAN pEREZ, author
Out on Amazon now: GUM!
GUM is already getting five-star reviews!
In the vast deserts of New Mexico and Arizona, divorced ex-cop David Parker seeks a fresh start on vacation with his kids. Chemistry with a captivating woman sparks hope, but when three people are brutally murdered at a motel he stayed in along the way, Dave realizes he's been framed.
Now, he must go on the run to clear his name and expose the real killer. Will the police catch him, or will the razor-wielding murderer find him first? In the high desert, survival becomes a deadly race against both the law and a merciless predator. GUM is a pulse-pounding thriller set along the dusty desert stretches of Interstate 40. And among the predators that prowl the desert, the deadliest is the one that walks on two legs.
This was a fun one to write. I drew on memories of trips I had taken through the desert southwest. Click on the image at left to find GUM on Amazon.
My one real regret with GUM was not being able to include the famed tourist trap The Thing? as part of the narrative. Most of the action in GUM takes place along I-40, and The Thing? is located on I-10.
The Thing? is known to most people who drive on Interstate 10 between Texas and California. It is advertised with dozens of yellow and blue billboards stretching for miles. How could you not stop once you see the actual building? The actual "mystery of the desert" is a bit of a letdown after all the hype, but I grew to love the place anyway.
When you are reading GUM and I mention the billboard for RATTLER PIT (500 Deadly Rattlers), that is my homage to The Thing? billboard. Click on the image of the billboard above to read more about The Thing?
praise from bestselling author chase hughes!
“Nongard and Perez have masterfully crafted a gripping psychological thriller that will etch itself into the depths of your mind, resonating with, perhaps, the same intensity as your own memories of the torturous road trips you took as a child.”
- Chase Hughes
Author of Six-Minute X-Ray and the bestselling novel Phrase Seven