In the Land of Dead Horses


Young Adult - Horror
264 Pages
Reviewed on 10/04/2021
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Author Biography

Bruce McCandless III grew up in the shadow of Houston’s Johnson Space Center during the Apollo and Skylab eras. He graduated from the Plan II Honors Program of the University of Texas in 1983 and went on to earn degrees from the University of Reading in England and the University of Texas School of Law. After teaching at Saint David’s School in New York City, he returned to Austin to practice law and retired as general counsel of Superior HealthPlan in 2019. He is the author of Sour Lake (2011), Beatrice and the Basilisk (2014), and, with his daughter Carson, Carson Clare’s Trail Guide to Avoiding Death (And Other Unpleasant Consequences) (2017). Bruce serves on the board of directors of the Worthy Garden Club, an Oregon-based environmental organization, and the Austin Public Library Foundation. He and his wife, Pati Fuller McCandless, live in Austin.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite

Mayan descendants seeking to restore their nation awaken one of their ancient gods to avenge them in the chilling horror novel, In the Land of Dead Horses by Bruce McCandless III. A fortune seeker and his hired laborers open the sealed doorway of an ancient Mayan tomb located in Texas near the Mexican border. Soon after, murders begin taking place in the surrounding area. The remains of a farmer and his family are found, their farm burned to the ground, and a man's body drained of blood is recovered floating in a creek. Texas Ranger Jewel Lightfoot joins forces with an old Mexican miner and his grandson to find and stop the killer. However, Jewel Lightfoot and his friends are facing something more deadly than a psychotic killer. A supernatural being with a thirst for blood is roaming the land. Is there a way they can stop the bloodthirsty demon? Or are they already too late to save humankind?

Intense and eerie, In the Land of Dead Horses by Bruce McCandless III is a spine-tingling horror novel. Reminiscent of a James Rollins or a Michael Crichton novel, the story contains action, drama, suspense, and a supernatural element. It is a thrilling and nightmare-inducing tale that held me breathless from the first page until the last. Set in Texas at the beginning of the twentieth century, the plot contains some fascinating aspects. They include Germany's schemes leading to world domination, similar to the movie Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. It is a bloodcurdling, exciting novel that promises to thrill those who enjoy adventures containing violence, blood, a smidgen of history, and a supernatural monster.