Claws

"A master of intrigue, suspense, emotion, and wit. Sojka evokes laughter, despair, fear, suspense, and thrills." -Sublime Book Review Teeny Voix lies burritoed in her blanket, girded by Lego landmines, protected by her plushy opossum when the bedroom door creaks, and her lecherous stepfather enters . . . again, while her momma ignores. Weeks earlier, the mute girl penned a mysterious letter, unwittingly hailing a goliath who mauls then kills Teeny's stepfather. The bizarre death forces Teeny to use wit, fortitude, and an eclectic collection of combatants to brave life and death battles with the wicked White Van People, an organized and well-financed child trafficking operation. Set in the summer of 1976, in the dark Piney Woods along Interstate 10, Claws embraces the soaring pines, dark chocolate waters, oppressive heat, and eccentrics of southeast Texas. Pedro "Paunch" Perez, a portly, suspended detective, pursues Teeny, selecting himself as the mute girl's protector, and tracks her via the geographically impossible deaths that follow in her wake, each mystery laying the groundwork for a case that will remain unsolved and unexplained for over fifty years. Using classic folklore to create new legend, Sojka hones his talent for plot twists while daring readers to solve the mysteries behind Claws.