The Bones of Wolfe: A Border Noir

James Carlos Blake

Jul 2020 · Grove Press

About this ebook

Two outlaw brothers search for hijackers, stolen goods, and an adult film star in this action-packed noir tale by the author of The Ways of Wolfe.

In the newest Wolfe-family adventure, Rudy and Frank Wolfe are engaging in routine miscellaneous business—some legitimate and some less so—for their family when they stumble upon a stash of high-quality pornographic films in a raid. After their Aunt Catalina, the family matriarch aged 115, recognizes a resemblance to her long-lost sister in one of the young performers, she tasks the boys with tracking the girl down, however improbable a connection may be.

This proves to be no simple task. Soon, Rudy and Frank find themselves moving away from world of porn and towards the upper echelons of the Sinaloa drug cartel, where the mysterious woman has become a particular favorite of the head narco. For their aunt, the woman, and themselves, Frank and Rudy must find a way to extract her from the cartel. A tropical storm threatens their plan but their widespread and steadfast family stands ready to assist them every deadly mile of the way.

Ever daring and innovative, and assisted by the family’s ready resources, the Wolfe brothers must run the highest risks in order to achieve the mission assigned them by the Grande Dame.

Praise for The Bones of Wolfe

“Hold on to your hats. The Wolfe family saga continues in Blake’s newest Border Noir. . . . An action-packed story of family loyalties with some surprisingly sentimental undertones.” —Kirkus Reviews

“In the vein of a Thomas Perry caper novel, with plenty of blood. As such, it is never less than thoroughly entertaining.” —Booklist

Ratings and reviews

I received a free electronic copy of the ARC of this novel from Netgalley, James Carlos Blake, and Mysterious Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. A Border Noir, with internal problems in Mexico as well as cartel involvement in daily life, The Bones of the Wolfe, of course, contains violence, some sexual content, and more violence. It is handled very well. If you can't watch the evening news you might want to give this a miss. That said, I live my life on the border. You will recognize those folks in this fictional border tale who are the good guys. They may come as a surprise to some of us. The Bones of Wolfe is a family saga, modern-day, taking place in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico. There is a deal of time spent in Baja California and the Sea of Cortez, but for the most part, we are in northern Mexico. The Wolfe family spreads far and wide on both sides of the international border between the US and Mexico. Many families do, in our neck of the woods. Mexico is a political system in turmoil and Washington D.C. isn't far behind. I read this novel with a sense of foreboding. You probably will, as well. It is a lesson I hope we don't need to learn...

About the author

James Carlos Blake is the author of thirteen previous novels, including The Ways of Wolfe, The House of Wolfe, The Rules of Wolfe, which was shortlisted for the CWA Goldsboro Gold Dagger Award and named one of Booklist's Best 101 Crime Novels of the Past Decade, and Country of the Bad Wolfes. He is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and a recipient of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for In the Rogue Blood. He was born in Mexico, raised in Texas, and has recently resumed residence in southern Arizona.