April 1881, Fort Union, New Mexico Territory. A drought-filled spring. The soldiers are restless and bored. Garrison buildings deteriorate, and the ever-present winds wear down the mind. There's talk of "Prairie Madness", a condition leading to depression and violence.Then a soldier is brutally murdered, and another.

When the body of Sergeant Seán Flannery is found—strangled, stripped of his uniform and weapons, lying in the mud of Los Alamitos Lake—Mary Margaret O'Keenan, an immigrant Army laundress and beloved of Seán, sets out to solve the murder. She searches for clues and motives, questions her "superiors," and follows a trail of evidence that leads to additional murders, fraud, and conspiracy.

Prairie Madness, Conspiracy at Fort Union, is based on historical events.


EDWINA ROMERO

Born in East Boston, MA, Edwina Portelle Romero, aka Patti, started "writing" by telling stories to entertain her three younger siblings. A graduate of the 1960s, she hit the road, making homes and taking college courses in CA, VA, and NM.

In the 80's, she, her daughter, and her former husband shared life with family, horses, dogs, and cats in Las Vegas, NM. Ultimately, Patti earned a Ph.D. in Language and Rhetoric from the University of New Mexico. Currently, she splits her time between NM & CA--writing in and about both places.

Copyright© 2024 Bruce Junior West.
All rights reserved.

Published by Top Duck Productions, a subsidiary of Imbrie Press.