THE VALLES CALDERA

The Valles Caldera in New Mexico is the setting for Book Two of the Angus series of novels. More than a million years ago,  ,a volcanic eruption created a 13-mile wide enclosed caldera filled with water. High mountain peaks formed from ring fractures dominate the caldera. It became a life sustaining place for generations of Indians, Hispanics, and Anglos.This novel is about the epic battle between U.S. Marshal, Angus Esparazza, and a bad hombre named Mendoza-Mendoza, on the rim of the Valles Caldera. Mendoza and his men were tracking Angus up the Rio Grande to the confluence of the Rio Chama looking for a kill shot. Earlier, Angus had insulted Mendoza&rsquo,s chest-pumping sons in the little village of Bernalillo. That insult came from the muzzle of Angus&rsquo,s custom-made, .45 caliber, Colt single-action pistol. Angus was not after Mendoza or his boys, he was investigating one of New Mexico&rsquo,s most famous legal cases&mdash,the hanging of Albuquerque Town Marshal Milton J. Yarberry in 1885. Yarberry, one of the state&rsquo,s most colorful historical characters, was hung by the &ldquo,jerk method&rdquo, in downtown Albuquerque. After witnessing that grim event, Angus meets Jill Garrison, a fictional character, who changes him in ways he could never have imagined. She was New Mexico&rsquo,s first female gunsmith and its first high-end shooting instructor. In the end, Angus and a seven-man mounted posse cross the Rio Grande at Santa Fe to arrest Mendoza and his men. They ride all the way across the M/ ranch to the upper rim of the Valles Caldera. There, all hell breaks out. ,_,