Böcker av Murray Pura

The combined paperback edition of the first two adventures of Wednesday McIntyre, U. S. Marshall. Clara RavenMerck McIntyre had survived the Great War and dodged the Spanish Flu. Now he was back in the United States and had signed on with the U.S. Marshal. His plans were for a good career in law enforcement in his home state of Massachusetts. It was The Roaring Twenties. America was recovering from a world war and wanted to party. But 1920 was the start of Prohibition. It became the law of the land. The men slated to enforce it were the U.S. Marshals, something Merck hadn't counted on. Overnight, he was on a train headed for the far-flung state of Idaho. It would be his job to stop the illegal sale of liquor in what, so far as he was concerned, was still the wild west. Merck, like President Woodrow Wilson, didn't think it was a good law, and he didn't think it would work, no matter what law enforcement did. But he set out to do his best to maintain peace and order in northern Idaho. It even looked like he might achieve it. Until the bootleggers showed up with their guns and their greed. They moved in fast to take over stills and make a fortune shipping booze to whoever could pay top dollar. When rival gangs appeared, they shot them down. The bullets flew and soon Merck had a regular war on his hands. There were a handful of sheriffs and sheriff's deputies he could call on. But too many were dirty and he didn't trust them. Then there were the special deputies - a Basque-American named Nayara Zubiri, and another woman from Boise who went by Samantha McCain. Maybe they'd help, maybe they'd hinder, maybe they'd make all the difference. Only time and courage would tell. Under the StonesThe 20s are roaring. Prohibition makes them roar even louder. After a month in the wilds enforcing Prohibition, Marshal Merck (Wednesday) McIntyre returns to Winston, Idaho to find a striking woman named Jenny Roades waiting for him. She demands McIntyre put an end to the gang that is forcing her father to surrender the medicinal whiskey in his pharmacy. At the same time, Father Brynn of St. Rafael's has been ordered to deliver up his shipments of sacramental wine to the same gang or see his church put to the torch. McIntyre knows this gang well. He has tangled with them before. Their calling card is the Jack of Diamonds. But the problem of dealing with the gang becomes far greater when Jenny's father is gunned down and she heads out to seek revenge. McIntyre and his posse can either ride with her or stay behind. But for Jenny Roades, a private detective badge in her pocket and a Colt pistol on her hip, there is no stopping until justice is done. "I'm not turning back. Everyone else can do as they please. I'm not done till that killer is my prisoner or under the stones."

"A Gathering of Suns" is Murray Pura's passionate oracle of poetry focused on the Ukraine-Russia War of 2022. His writing is spare, elegiac, and emotive. These poems are personal, and were inspired by real life, front line, firsthand accounts and photos. From his immersion in these stories came this book. About the Author: Murray Andrew Pura was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, of Ukrainian descent. He has previously published several novels set in Ukraine dealing with their history under Stalin and Hitler. His book of poetry, "Petals," was also Ukraine inspired. Mr. Pura is a First-Place winner of the 2021 Hemingway War Time Fiction Award for his novel "Far on the Ringing Plains." He was also a finalist for The Paraclete Fiction Award, The Dartmouth Book Award, and The John Spencer Hill Literary Award, and has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2010 Kobzar Literary Award of Canada. Mr. Pura has over 140 titles to his credit. "A Gathering of Suns" further adds to the luster of his catalogue.

There are five prominent encounters with water in scripture. The Red Sea and the waters of challengeThe Rivers of Babylon and the waters of tragedy and sufferingThe Negev and the waters of rejuvenationThe Jordan River and the waters of new beginningsThe Sea of Galilee and the waters of Immanuel, God With Us All of these are waters God gives us. They are waters we walk through, and walk by, and waters whose shores and banks we stand on. They are waters that cover us. They are waters we drink from and which keep us alive. We can go to these waters and learn from them. *previously published under the title Streams

There are five prominent gardens in scripture. Eden, the garden of birth and lossEn Gedi, the garden of loveGethsemane, the garden of suffering and sacrificeThe Garden Tomb, the garden of resurrectionSecond Eden, the garden of new life and a new world All of these are gardens God plants within us. They are gardens we walk through and experience and they are gardens we see more than once. They are also gardens that are still to come. We can go to these gardens and learn from them. *Previously published under the title Rooted.