Drugs, sex and violence in 1971
John Evan's first novel, Saguaro Express, is an easy read and a good adventure novel. Set in 1971 amid the drama of marijuana smuggling, an 'ordinary' guy gets caught up in a dangerous decision in order to help his friends and protect his longtime friend and love, Kelly. The characters are charming, colorful, and fairly well developed, and the surprise ending had me guessing (until I read the sequel). It's a good story - believable, with realistic aviation sequences and describes the AZ/Sierra Madre area very well. It is a period piece and not for everyone. I recently found a sequel titled Busqueda Peligrosa, meaning dangerous search in Spanish. It might as well have been titled Sex, Violence and Aviation in 1971. A later novel by the same writer, Petals of Canna. is more mainstream.
