The Strap: A full-throttle journey inside the sights and sounds of Ecuador and a chilling chronicle of the ever-present dangers.
About this ebook
His confidence at an all-time low, he decides a trip to Ecuador, the most bio-diverse country on the planet, is exactly what he needs to take his mind off his problems. Before departing, he connects with Adriana Enrique on an internet dating site, promising to meet her on his arrival. He also helps his best friend Derrick Richmond evict some biker tenants involved in a marijuana grow-operation in one of Derrick's rental properties. During the eviction, one of the bikers, Stuart Treblecoch, The Strap, threatens to kill Gray for tossing biker belongings into a blazing backyard inferno.
Arriving in Ecuador, he soon discovers his idyllic vacation has turned into a life-and-death struggle. The Strap is hunting him down, Adriana's behavior casts a black shadow of doubt over his optimistic expectations, and he meets a Canadian woman, Abby Taylor, who wants his help evicting violent squatters who have overrun a hotel she purchased in the beach town of Atacames.
As the nail-biting tension and violence ratchet up, Gray believes a visit with a shaman and an experience with the mind-altering and spiritually enlightening drug ayuahuasca is his only hope for salvation.
The Strap ushers you full-throttle deep inside the exotic sights and sounds of Ecuador while also exposing the very real dangers that exist. Through Gray's harrowing journey for redemption, survival and sanity, we discover the frailties and insecurities of the human condition and the ever-present need for companionship at the root of human nature.
About the author
Canadian dark fiction author William Blackwell studied journalism at Calgary's Mount Royal University and English literature at Vancouver's University of British Columbia. He worked as a journalist and a newspaper editor for many years before pursuing his passion for storytelling.
He's written many highly acclaimed books including Brainstorm, Nightmare's Edge, Phantom Rage, Poison Rage, Infected Rage, Assaulted Souls, Assaulted Souls II, Assaulted Souls III, Orgon Conclusion, Rule 14, Resurrection Point, Black Dawn, The End is Nigh, The Strap, Blood Curse, A Head for an Eye, Freaky Franky, The Witch's Tombstone, and The Dark Menace.
His work has been characterized as graphic, edgy, and at times terrifying. Currently living on a secluded acreage on Prince Edward Island, Blackwell finds much of his inspiration from Mother Nature, odd people, and wandering aimlessly around the globe.
To read the musings of a meandering mind, visit Blackwell’s website: https://www.wblackwell.com/
Not unlike some of my other novels, I wrote The Strap while traveling through Ecuador. Many of the scenes in the novel parallel very closely my experiences. Reflected in human nature, I saw the good, the bad, and the ugly and documented it. Of course, the names have been changed to protect the innocent, but much of the contents of the book are drawn from real-life experiences. I think the result offers a rare glimpse into the sights, sounds, and people of Ecuador, good and bad. It also paints a portrait of a troubled man's harrowing journey for redemption, survival, and sanity, and serves up an in-depth analysis of the frailties and insecurities of the human condition and the ever-present need for companionship and love that lies at the root of human nature.
