Jawbone
HollEr
Perry Adams has hit rock bottom, fed by the demons of too much alcohol and not enough patience. One day, he pulls a flask of rum from his hip pocket, raises it to his lips, and sucks down a swig of simple truth: hard knocks are driving his decision to skedaddle. Perry is the bane of his Indiana hometown and his only choice is to pack a saddlebag. The great-great-grandson of a pirate, Perry desires a fresh start far from the clutches of his abusive father. He steals his father’s mule and trades his bottle of rum for adventure and freedom along a soulful trek of exploration and growth that takes him to the promised land of Kansas Territory. While his quest for self, serenity, and redemption is inspiring, his perils and adventures do not cease after reaching the region known as Bleeding Kansas.
Arriving in the new land as an unprepared squatter during a ruthless winter, Perry discovers life in the unfamiliar territory is cruel. Even before the war, beatings, pillage, lynchings, and murder stalk the region as brutal lines are drawn between those supporting and opposing slavery. Perry’s dream of establishing a farm, finding love, and starting a family is beset by dramatic hurdles and soul-wrenching decisions at every turn.
Perry becomes a celebrity among the folks who live in the nearby abolitionist stronghold, but they also cower from him. As he struggles to carve a successful farm out of the wilderness, he grows through relationships with the local constable, a pair of freed slaves, a bartending couple, a shopkeeper and a gentleman “genie.” He meets the love of his life, an angelic but mysterious young schoolteacher who, solely for the love of music, plays piano at the bar. Winning her heart becomes his obsession as he confronts challenges around every corner.
West Bottoms
Mace Thornton teams up with Rogers Brazier to co-author a thrilling story about the Kansas Bond Scandal. Buy Now
In the 1930s, Kansas City’s bustling West Bottoms district is the hub of railroads, industry and crime. But as the Great Depression tightens its grip, the district is left gasping for air. Beneath the economic collapse, a scandal erupts that shakes the region to its core. Over $1 million in forged bonds is uncovered, exposing a labyrinth of corruption that stretches from Kansas City to Chicago. State officials and brokers are entangled in a conspiracy too explosive to contain.
At the center of this whirlwind is a young woman from Dust-bowl Kansas, swept up by a reckless love affair with a dashing man who turns his back on comfort for the rush of adrenaline-fueled danger. Their treacherous journey, intertwined with the scandal, takes them both down an unforeseen path of heartbreak, misfortune and death.
Meanwhile, a group of detectives—each haunted by their own demons—digs into the chaos of the conspiracy, unraveling not just the crimes at hand but the dark truths buried within themselves and their colleagues. As they inch closer to the truth, aided by bartenders, prostitutes, and hustlers, the lines between justice and corruption is crossed. Chicago gangsters, hungry for a slice of the action, close in. From smoky speakeasies thriving in the wake of Prohibition’s end to the perilous back alleys, the fight for power, survival, and profit ignites a deadly, high-stakes struggle.
Years later, an aging survivor recounts the scandal to a curious granddaughter, revealing long-buried secrets. Against the backdrop of greed and ambition, lives collide and unravel in the rough-hewn streets of the West Bottoms. The question is not just who will survive—but whether anyone can escape unscathed from the storm of calculated betrayal that left its mark on them all.
About Mace Thornton
Mace Thornton is a recovering journalist, an author, and strategic communications specialist. A native of Troy, Kansas, he grew up on a small farm in the Missouri River Hills of northeast Kansas. With a degree in journalism from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., among his passions are writing, sports, and the people of agriculture. His award-winning journalism and commentaries have been published across the nation. His career took him far away from his home state for more than three decades, but he now lives a little closer, in the St. Louis area with his wife, Denise, and their spirited rescue pup, Anna Mae. In addition to writing, he is a partner at Stratovation Group, a research, marketing, and communications firm headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The soul of his first novel, Jawbone Holler, is drawn from the hills where he was raised and the stories that echo through the people who embrace them. The Thorntons have three adult children scattered to the corners of our great nation: Trace (and Amy) in Virginia, Troy (and Katrina) in Washington state, and Taylor (and Shawn) in Georgia. They also have one granddaughter, Grace.
