Trail Of Terror

A phantom serial killer with a twisted mind - a smoldering powder keg of evil - is on the loose. He stalks his victims on the Appalachian Trail as it winds through portions of Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Unbeknownst to two young women who are hiking, they are being shadowed by this murderer who is so heinous, cruel and clever, he is off the charts. Their leisurely vacation trek in the mountains of North Carolina is quickly transformed into a harrowing journey of wilderness survival. Enter Joe Bird, National Park Service Ranger and federal law enforcement officer in the Investigative Services Branch, or ISB. He is tasked to find the killer and will need every break he can get to find him before the serial killer savages the two women. Only Joe, who is a Native American Cherokee Indian and knows the forests, and the elite team from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, will be able to connect the dots and find the phantom before he strikes again. In the end, Joe will risk his badge, his life and his pride to save the woman he has fallen in love with.

Two young women who have been friends since childhood decide to reconnect and restore their friendship in a stress-free environment, by taking a six-week vacation: Hiking a portion of the famous Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to the Great Smoky Mountains. Both are successful professionals - Rachel Robinson is a physician, and Marcy Thomas is a real estate broker. Halfway through their trek, horribly mutilated dead bodies begin turning up in Nantahala Forest of North Carolina. A phantom serial killer with a twisted mind - a smoldering powder keg of evil - is on the loose. He stalks his victims on the Appalachian Trail as it winds through portions of Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Unbeknownst to Rachel and Marcy, they are being shadowed by this murderer who is so heinous, cruel and clever, he is off the charts. Rachel and Marcy's leisurely vacation trek is quickly transformed into a harrowing journey of wilderness survival. Enter Joe Bird, National Park Service Ranger and federal law enforcement officer in the Investigative Services Branch, or ISB. He is tasked to find the killer and will need every break he can get to find him before the serial killer savages the two women. Only Joe, who is a Native American Cherokee Indian and knows the forests, and the elite team from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, will be able to connect the dots and find the phantom before he strikes again. In the end, Joe will risk his badge, his life and his pride to save the woman he has fallen in love with.

John West is a pseudonym for the real author who served over thirty years in the federal government, which included four years in the military as a Russian translator for the Department of Defense and National Security Agency. He also spent several years holding various state and local positions in the areas of Public Health and Emergency Preparedness. TRAIL OF TERROR is his sixth novel. The real author lives in the Southwest region of the U.S.