Jicho
by
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Her instincts told her to run, but she stood there locked in position, barely breathing, feeling the pulse throbbing in her neck. She stepped back. A twig snapped under her foot; she froze and glanced around the tall grass. The grass rustled; the tall blades moved swiftly in a path directly toward her and then stopped. She held her breath; her eyes darted around, searching the grass. Slowly the grass parted. Her eyes widened. A long, flat reptilian head rose up out of the grass at her feet. She gasped; her hand flew to her mouth as if to protest the sound. Then, rising higher, the thick, gray body swayed back and forth; and the head, still turned away from her, swiveled around slowly like a hand puppet on a long arm. The woman stared up at the head and felt a wave of dizziness. She thought, Oh, God, please don't let me faint. With her heart hammering and legs feeling mushy, she spun around and bolted down the path, scrambling over limbs and rocks. Was the scattered debris enough to discourage this thing? She glanced back. No. A gray blur followed swiftly behind her; she ran faster.
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About the Book
How far would you go to save your child’s life? Would you compromise your morals? Would you be willing to sacrifice the lives of innocent people – strangers, loved ones . . . the president? Doctor Michelle Bouchard was faced with such a dilemma when her son was diagnosed with a rare neurological disease and she was told he would not live past his early teens – he was two at the time. From that moment on, Doctor Bouchard’s passion became a quest to find a cure for her son. Now, ten years later, she is a renowned toxicologist, vice president and head of research at a biotech firm – MOLEURON DyNA TECH – in Southern California. Still seeking a cure for her son, her research is focused on the proteins found in the neurotoxic venom of snakes. When a medical examiner asks her assistance in determining the cause of death in an apparent snakebite victim, she expects to find enzymes typical to that of the only venomous snake found in California – the rattlesnake. But what she finds sets off a hunt with a journey that begins in South Africa, threads its way through the White House, and ends on a ranch in Sacramento, California.
About the Author
Robert McCallum is a retired teacher. He resides in Lincoln Hills, California with his wife and their peregrine falcons. Jicho is his first novel.