A House in the Bosque

Dr. Stefan Kershoff is an economics professor at the University of New Mexico with a passion for the study of racism, eugenics, and genocide...all of mankind's ugly past. He's understandably surprised when - during a casual conversation with one of his favorite students he learns that she and her husband are involved in the furtive business of smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States from Mexico. Their amicable conversations regarding the potential for danger - more notably the history of anti-immigrant and Hispanic hate groups - quickly become urgent discourse when an anonymous killer begins targeting Latino laborers in their south valley neighborhood. The intricate smuggling plan has been hatched and orchestrated by a likeable young rogue named Harold "Mickey" McAllister. Mickey's interest is purely mercenary; he is burdened neither by conscience, nor concern for the law, nor compassion for his impoverished clientele. But all of that changes when he falls in love with a beautiful young immigrant girl brought to the U. S. by an aunt trying to escape an oppressive life in the brothels of Acapulco. The hostility flaring up within his community causes him to re-examine his priorities. When he begins to fear that she is directly in the line of fire, his values come into focus, and he springs into action. The story takes place in late summer of 1986 as the escalating problem of illegal immigration is approaching crisis level. Congress is debating the Mazzoli-Simpson Immigration Reform Act which will grant amnesty to an estimated three million illegals while opposition "hate groups" are beginning to appear in frightening numbers. It's in this turbulent social climate that Mickey and his friends embark on their perilous enterprise. The explosive climax is a virtual sub-plot to the emotional and moral roller-coaster of simple people grappling with bigger-than-life issues.
About the Author: During the six years that I lived in Mexico, I associated frequently with "coyotes" (mercenaries involved in smuggling Mexicans and Central Americans into the U. S.), and with countless veterans of such a journey. I was touched by their perseverance and humbled by the many stories that inspired them to risk everything, often their very lives, in pursuit of a better life. The diversity of origins and motives, ranging from base greed to dire poverty and political strife, became a topic of great interest to me. While sympathetic to their plight, I nonetheless understood the stigma that attaches itself to a poacher. Having been raised in the Rio Grande Valley south of Albuquerque, I witnessed first-hand the influx of illegal immigrants and the resultant conflict. Later, while studying at the University of New Mexico, my interest in politics and history led me away from my liberal arts major, and into a life of social voyeurism, obsessed with wanting to understand. "A House in the Bosque" is my second novel. "The Unauthorized Autobiography of Richard Burns," an embellished account of my adventurous journey through Mexico, was self-published and is still in print.