Crystal encounters a woman held a slave in Dallas, not by chains but by threats to kill her daughters in Mexico. She tries to forget it. But her conscience won't let her. She goes to the jungles of Mexico to rescue the girls from a ruthless drug lord.
Young, bright, unadventurous Crystal Moore comes face-to-face with slavery in today’s Dallas, Texas. A woman is held, not by chains, but by threats to her two small children left behind in Mexico. Should she escape, or even tell anybody of her situation, her children will be killed.
Crystal would like to walk away and forget she ever heard this. But her conscience won’t let her. Her parents were killed when she was just seven. She knows the heartache these children suffer. And she can’t sleep without hearing the cries of the two young girls and their mother.
Crystal knows the woman will never try to escape as long as her children are held hostage. Crystal realizes the only way to free her is to go to Mexico and rescue the girls first, for only if they are safe will the mother ever be free.
Crystal goes to Mexico and secures the help of the mysterious Juan Grande. If they succeed, the girls and their mother will be free, but two powerful and ruthless men, one in Mexico and one in Texas, will want Crystal dead.
She will need all the help she can get from a former bull rider, Crystal’s streetwise housemate Brandi, and Crystal's seventy-six year-old, feisty grandmother.
Excerpt
The opposite wall also contained a door. And as she tried to decide whether to stay or leave, the door opened and Juan Grande strode into the room. He pointed at two chairs standing in the middle. “Sit, sit.” He took one of the chairs and Crystal sat in the other.
Before she could say anything, he leaned forward, and began, “I carry bad news.”
“You haven’t found the girls? But you’ve only looked a short while.”
“No. I find children. They are held by José Rodriquez de Allende. He is very bad man. He do many bad things. Steal. Kill people. Bad man.”
“Can’t you get the police to arrest him?”
Juan smiled. “He also is very powerful man. Has many men. Some police take money from him. I think we no get police to arrest him.”
Crystal’s shoulders sagged. “How can we get the girls away from him? We can’t give up, just leave them there.” Her hands twisted around her small purse.
“No, no. We no quit. First, I make plan. We bring children away in few days.”
“Great. When do we go after them?”
Juan shook his head. “I and my men get them. You can not come.”
Crystal sat up straighter. “I certainly am going to go with you and help. Remember, I asked for your help. I didn’t ask you to do it all by yourself.”
He pursed his lips behind the bushy mustache. “No. Much danger.”
“Juan, I know it will be dangerous. But I have to go. I came down here to get the children. Because it is dangerous, I cannot ask you to do it and not be willing to take any risks myself. I will go with you.”
“You no understand. José very bad. I can do many things to help you. I can protect you here in Vallarta. But, if José capture you, I can do nothing. If he get you, you disappear. Before I can get help, you will be gone. Where?” He raised his shoulders. "No se. No one ever see you again. You become slave. Toy for drug buyers. Not here. We no find you.” He raised his eyebrows.
"The American embassy—"
“Can do nothing.”
She cocked her head. “Surely the American Embassy—”
"American Embassy try, but can no help you. I can do nothing.” He looked at her, again with his unblinking stare, as if seeing through her eyes and into her brain.
Am I being foolish? She expected danger. But Juan's intensity, his conviction, had a sobering effect. She swallowed. She had not consciously thought about the American Embassy as a solution before. But somewhere in the back of her mind, on some level she had not visited, she now admitted she had the notion, when all else failed, her government could protect her in a foreign country. This man in front of her had severed that small safety line.
She struggled to erase the mental image of her with drug lords, with no hope of escape. If he intended to frighten me, he succeeded.
Professional Reviews
NY Times Bestselling Author Bobbie Smith
A Silver Medallion is a gripping, action-packed adventure from talented author James Callan. Crystal Moore is a tough and savvy heroine who knows no fear.
BookLife Prize in Fiction, Critic's Report
A Silver Medallion, the second title in the Crystal Moore Suspense series, reads like a gold-medal thriller from page one, when Crystal Moore and her grandmother take in a young Hispanic woman who escaped from a drug-dealing, modern-day Texas slaveholder. Crystal emerges as a compelling heroine with a big heart and bold personality, and her fierce independence allows Callan the creative freedom to take his character into the heart of Mexico to rescue two young girls she’s never met.
Alyssa Elmore for Readers' Favorite (On Barnes & Nobel
A Silver Medallion (A Crystal Moore Suspense Book 2) by James R. Callan is the thrilling sequel to A Ton of Gold. Crystal Moore finds a runaway slave in an old shed while visiting her grandmother. She is outraged at the suffering and abuse the young woman has endured just to keep her husband, still in Mexico, safe. Crystal is horrified when the young woman, Rosa, explains she isn't the only slave suffering at the hands of a notoriously wealthy Dallas man. There is another young woman working for the monster who keeps her entrapped in his giant house. Rosa's friend, Lucita, fears for the life of her two little girls, being held captive in Mexico. Crystal finds herself obsessing over Lucita's plight. She wants to help the tragic young woman, but how? Crystal works with her friends to find a way to save the young girls and reunite them with their mother. But how much is she willing to risk to help Lucita and her girls? How much is Crystal willing to lose? Can she reunite the children with their mother? Or is she endangering them all?
Filled to the brim with slavery, trafficking, smuggling, murder and secrets, A Silver Medallion is an entertaining, well-written book. The author obviously loves Mexico. His rich details describing Mexico and the people were engaging and made me feel like I was there with Crystal. Although a sequel, A Silver Medallion is a great stand-alone novel. I really enjoyed reading this book! It was interesting and full of action. The page-turning suspense kept me up well into the pre-morning! I look forward to reading future Crystal Moore suspense novels by James R. Callan.
Very interesting! Pick the readers attention from the start itself! Action and suspense in equal measure. From the beginning to end the reader would go through it without stopping. Hundred percent entertaining. A must read for the suspense and action book lovers.
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