The Emerald Cross
WHEN A PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY INJURED EX-GREEN BERET BREAKS A PROMISE . . .
Green Beret hero Jamie Morales returns to Southern California from the Middle East missing an eye and burdened by the horrors of war. After a difficult transition to civilian life with his wife, Brooklyn, he learns his mother is secretly harboring a fascinating antiquity once owned by Mexico’s most notorious drug lord, Marco Delgado—the same man who murdered Jamie’s father thirty years earlier. Quickly assessing the risks of his mother owning something a brutal cartel boss once cherished and wants back, Jamie acts to protect those he loves from a worst-case scenario. When his sister-in-law selfishly tries to sell The Emerald Cross to Delgado, her plan backfires in terrifying ways.
After the DEA, FBI, and two countries’ special forces fail to hold Delgado accountable for horrific deeds, the physically and emotionally injured ex-Green Beret does something he promised Brooklyn he would never do again—pick up a weapon. Jamie Morales isn’t sure if his pursuit is about justice or vengeance, and he quietly accepts he probably won’t survive the personal crusade stirring in his head.
Delgado’s compound in the Sinaloa Mountains of Mexico is about to be breached by a grieving warrior who has lost all he holds dear. Sylvia Sokolov, his ex-Army comrade and Black Hawk pilot, stubbornly inserts herself into her friend’s pursuit. Together, they aim to achieve the impossible while reconciling their uniquely painful pasts. Amid the quest, Jamie discovers astonishing truths that rewrite his family’s past and permanently alter his future. Then Sylvia risks everything for an unknown Mexican woman whose life lies in the balance, and Jamie’s mission evolves in extraordinary ways.
Advance Praise for The Emerald Cross
Cruickshank leads the reader through a gauntlet of deadly firefights, vicious wild animals, and unexpected allies. [His] narrative is as much about the conflict between integrity and corruption as it is a revenge story. Cruickshank [follows] a tight plot thread. Those details coalesce in an exciting climax and heartfelt denouement that features a twist that establishes another potential volume. The result is a viscerally and emotionally satisfying action thriller that feels connected to real-world happenings. [A story] with strong action and moral weight.
BookLife Review
Spiced with DEA encounters, military skills put to unexpected use in civilian life, and underlying motives that affect not just the ownership of the Emerald Cross but the lives of those involved in its management, Ken Cruickshank crafts a series of encounters that are vivid in their complexity and possibilities. Cruickshank tempers action with psychological entanglements and revelations, leading thriller readers to more closely examine their own concepts of justice, vengeance, survival and exploitation. Circumstances drive an ex-hero to take up the reins of battle as a civilian and tackle extraordinary opponents and circumstances that buffet both his life and his potential for healing.
Midwest Book Review
Ken Cruickshank’s THE EMERALD CROSS is a great, action-packed thriller about revenge and second chances. The former Green Beret is a compelling character in his first literary outing: equal parts tragic and comedic, just as willing to cover his destroyed eye with a comical eyepatch as he is to defy orders to avenge his family. Sylvia, ace pilot and Jamie’s partner in his trip to take out Delgado, also shows promise; hopefully she and the latest in her string of fiancés will be fleshed out more in later novels. The eponymous [Emerald Cross] isn’t truly the focal point of the novel, just as it isn’t truly the focal point of Delgado and Jamie’s deadly rivalry. Rather, this is a novel about revenge, envy, and second chances. It’s a strong start for a fascinating character who will hopefully star in many more sequels.
Indie Reader
Author Ken Cruickshank has crafted a compelling narrative filled with vivid characters, intense action sequences, and twists that keep you on the edge of your seat from cover to cover. Jamie Morales is the deeply flawed yet incredibly compelling protagonist at the center of it all, and his journey of redemption and self-discovery resonates thanks to the author’s close-up narrative skill and excellent speech and thought presentation. The intricate plot sets Jamie’s personal narrative against a tapestry of other small stories and interactions to offer an emotional arc that is as thought-provoking as it is exhilarating. Overall, The Emerald Cross is a captivating start to what promises to be an unforgettable series, leaving readers eagerly anticipating the next installment, and I would not hesitate to recommend it.
Readers’ Favorite
A dark and startling psychological thriller.
DARK MYSTERIES STIR
Generations of Westbrookes are venerated for transforming the sleepy coastal hamlet of Eagle Bay into a thriving city. So when Thomas Westbrooke’s wife, Skye, alleges to friends and authorities that her admired husband is psychotic and threatening, it seems impossible. That is not the humanitarian and respected civic leader they think they know. The renowned prodigy could never be guilty of depraved vengeance – especially murder.
Thomas lives conflicted, the product of a twisted upbringing. He understands that no one can simultaneously serve good and evil and that a life of deception will lead to guilt and regret, yet his wicked acts push him deeper into a chasm of darkness. He struggles to reconcile his intense yearning to deceive and his failure to live faithfully with a woman he loves deeply, Skye. A mistress no one could ever imagine mesmerizes Thomas and drives him to the brink of insanity.
People that Skye trusts are hiding remarkable truths. Pandora’s box – the history behind the Westbrooke dynasty – is forced open, putting many in harm’s way, including Skye and their children. But she is more than a worthy adversary and will fight like hell to protect her family from a man she no longer recognizes.
Nothing is as it appears in Eagle Bay.
Eagle Bay Reviews
Cruickshank sets this multi-generational thriller in a small Oregon town where the Westbrooke family has long wielded power over its neighbors. Despite his cold and tyrannical father’s rep as a ruthless businessman, Thomas Westbrooke, single and focused on his career in the family firm, is lucky to call the solidly middle-class John McCloud his best friend. One day, John, a happy father and husband, shows Thomas an old newspaper clipping that features an image of their grandfathers together. Unbeknownst to John, the unearthing of that connection will destroy everything that he holds dear. The story is good and fast-moving, with welcome moral weight offsetting some dark material. The swings of sanity and madness in Thomas are scary, and Cruickshank’s portrait of the insulating—and possibly deadening—effects of wealth and power often chill, and not just when Thomas performs dark acts. “Love, integrity, and goodness are relative qualities for people like me,” he declares to a priest, seeming truly to believe it.
Booklife Reviews
Eagle Bay by Ken Cruickshank is a psychological murder thriller with infinite twists and turns. [The story] is an intriguing and deep dive into seriously troubled and warped minds. I particularly enjoyed delving into the twisted minds of Thomas and his father. Thomas’ mercurial personality and rapid mood changes added tension and excitement to the narrative. Skye was a wonderful character who dealt with tragedy with poise and grace, never losing sight of her vision of the future and her family. Her and [her son’s] rationality and decisive actions invariably saved the day. The novel’s overarching theme can best be summed up with the idea that “Wealth and power corrupt, but absolute wealth and power corrupt absolutely.” This was a satisfying and enjoyable read and one I can highly recommend.
Reader’s Favorite 5-Star
Eagle Bay can compare to a spider’s web. Its attractiveness lures its reader into a tightly woven trap, and they find they cannot walk away from the danger in their pathway. Ken Cruickshank has proven that he is a master of suspense and intrigue. How he combines all the elements this book showcases is brilliant. The plot of this story cries out to become the next Movie.
Midwest Book Review
Ken Cruickshank’s EAGLE BAY is a roller-coaster of a read–a strong story that plunges deep into the psyche of villains and heroes in the making. With unexpected twists and turns in each chapter, it will leave readers guessing right up until the end. Overall the story is enticing, growing even more so as it turns from a series of events to an examination of Thomas’s downfall. There’s something very classical about Thomas’s story: his corruption at the hands of his father, eventually leading him down a path where he orchestrates and perpetuates his own downfall. This is the most intriguing aspect of the story, overshadowing even the mystery of the Westbrooke family’s “assets.”
Indie Reader
Ken Cruickshank makes himself known with this chilling thriller. He weaves a story like no other as the story develops, providing the reader with something well worth their while. A family secret that does not align with anything citizens of Eagle Bay can comprehend is at the heart of the story. Still, there is something there and as the narrative progresses, Cruickshank leads the reader into a dark and intensely complex place to reveal it all, but could it be too late? Cruickshank offers up this eerie story that will have readers turning pages well into the night.
Discovery
Stand Up: a memoir of disease, family, faith & hope
Friends and family expected Ken Cruickshank to continue playing sports, traveling, engaging in mischief, and raising an active brood after marrying his soulmate, Karen. Indeed, all proceeded to plan until an invisible enemy strengthened its grip on his body and mind. Goals, abilities, and many dreams grew forever affected by progressive disease. After an accident crumpled his weakened body, the author dug deep to rediscover the optimism and hope he’d once considered his essence. Ken realized that the illness he blamed for stealing his identity was also the path to wisdom and a life of fulfillment. Stand Up is not a story of the science and medicine of chronic illness; instead, it is a poignant, tear-inducing, humorous, and engaging revelation of how families can overcome trials set before them. But more than anything, it is an entertaining story that will make you smile.
Stand Up Reviews
…reflective passages…ring with an unpolished authenticity that marks the best memoirs. (Cruickshank) writes about losing control of his body with a brutal sincerity. His sense of personal triumph is contagious. An affecting account of chronic illness.
Kirkus Reviews
A candidly compelling and ultimately inspiring memoir, “Stand Up” is a simply riveting read from start to finish and a very highly recommended addition to community library Contemporary American Biography collections.
Midwest Book Review
Ken Cruickshank wrote this memoir using speech-to-text software, yet he writes with the ease and grace of a master wordsmith. His stories are captivating, emotional, gut-honest, and above all inspiring, not just because of what he writes about, but the example he sets.
David Aretha, award-winning biographer and editor