Paperback, $14.99; eBook, $4.99
ISBN: 978-0991329717
Thriller, 382 pages
New edition on June 5, 2014
Is your fly fishing guide willing to die for you?
Stony lives for fly fishing in the wilderness. It literally saved his life. After Stony massacred an entire village in Vietnam, addiction and PTSD almost killed him. Alaska, fly fishing, and a woman and her wolves brought him back from the brink. He made a vow to her on her deathbed to always help people, and to never kill another man.
Now he has a new lover, and is finally clean. So when he takes a seemingly ideal client deep into the wilderness of Rocky Mountain National Park, he never dreams that his most sacred vow will be tested to the breaking point. He will have to save his client from a serial killer, a murderer so devious he has managed to become a respected doctor—and his client’s partner.
It’s taken Stony thirty years to disentangle himself from psychological hell. Now, hampered by all the dangers high altitude wilderness can throw at him, Stony must risk sinking into mental hell forever by killing an evil doctor—or risk losing not only his client, but his new soul mate.
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REVIEW
There was so much to enjoy about this book. It was a
thrilling adventure ride through the picturesque wilderness, with a solid plot
line and intriguing characters. The multi POV was a great way of allowing me to
get into the minds of pivotal characters, and it gave me a front row seat to
the action as it unfolded.
Roman was psychotic. At first I thought he just had a
God-complex and he enjoyed using the big C as a way of playing with people’s
lives, but the more I learned about him the more shocked I was. He was
obviously a deeply disturbed person and some of it may have stemmed from his
childhood, but it was chilling to see how he reveled in taking life. He was
also a desperate man, and the mix of madness and desperation was deadly. He
didn’t care who he took out in his pursuit to hide his tracks, and
unfortunately many innocent lives were lost along the way.
I enjoyed spending time with Stony and Jake on their hike.
Although they were both plagued by their own demons, they still built up a
great camaraderie and at times their troubles seemed to leave them. They even lived through a few heart stopping
moments while fighting the elements, wild animals, and a deranged oncologist
and his hunter guide.
The biggest surprise for me was Summer. She didn’t play a
huge part throughout this story but she was an important character and I got to
know her through Jake’s thoughts and memories, as well as Stony’s. She stepped
up when it was needed of her, and in many ways she was the heroine of this
story.
But this book wasn’t only a suspense thriller, it was a
story of hope, acceptance, and emotional healing. It was well-paced and even
though I did find it to be a little too descriptive at times, this did not draw
anything from this exhilarating read.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Marissa Curnutte
347.574.3136
U.S. NAVY VETERAN, DOCTOR PENS THRILLER THAT TAKES READERS ON A WILD ROMP THROUGH THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
‘The Guide’ claimed the top spot at the Pikes Peak Writers contest
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The great outdoors become a warzone of sorts as a military veteran-turned-fly fishing guide struggles to regain control of his life and save a client from a devious killer in Milt Mays’ “The Guide.”
After a disturbing experience serving in the military in Vietnam, Stony strives to overcome addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Emotionally scarred and trying to move on, Stony finds solace in fly fishing, Alaska’s vast wilderness and a woman, who he promises on her deathbed that he’ll always help people and never kill another man. But when Stony takes a new fly fishing client, Jake, deep into Rocky Mountain National Park, his vow is put to the test. A conniving doctor is out to get Jake, and it’s up to Stony to do anything it takes to protect him.
A new edition of “The Guide” comes out June 5, 2014. Mays’ book won first place at the 2011 Pikes Peak Writers contest.
“The Guide” is a page-turner with thrills, chills and unexpected twists and turns, but it also touches on some serious, real life issues, including the postwar struggles of military veterans. As a doctor and U.S. Navy veteran, the subject is close to Mays’ heart.
“PTSD is a much more of a major problem in veterans returning from war now than ever before,” he says. “It can be overcome if you get the right help. Fly fishing can be a part of that therapeutic plan because when you fly fish, you live in the moment: figuring how to wade the river, the cast, the drift, the take, the fight, the release, the beauty.”
Mays spent most of his adult life in the military as a Navy doctor. He lives with his wife in Fort Collins, Colo. He is the author of the techno-thriller Dan’s War, two short stories – “Thanksgiving with Riley” and “The Dry-Land Farmer” – and “Take the F…ing Fly,” an illustrated poem on the wisdoms and frustrations of fly fishing.
Praise for “The Guide” by Milt Mays
Reader reviews from Amazon.com
“The exposure of Stony’s deep physical and deeper mental scars greatly moved me. Dr. Mays allows us to take some steps in Stony’s shoes and better understand those who need our help.”
“I could not put it down once I started reading. Think it would make a great movie…congratulations Milt, I hope your book is successful and you continue to write more like it.”
“The suspense was really good and kept me wanting to read more. What a great story. The medical training Milt has shows in his writing of this story. With each book he writes, his writing improves. He is an artist painting a picture with his words. Looking forward to the next book Milt! This is my favorite so far.”
“You can always tell when you've read a good book because you miss the characters when it's done. You want to know what happens to them next. And so it is with Milt Mays newest book, ‘The Guide.’”
“It is a quick and thrilling read that was hard to put down.”
“This thriller, which largely takes place in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, has a lot going for it, starting with the setting. The author does a good job of giving a feel for the mountains, their rugged beauty, and the business and culture of guides like the protagonist Stony who can be hired for their expertise and local knowledge. The main plot took a tried and true idea, a psychopath who rationalizes his evil deeds as ‘for the greater good,’ appointing himself both judge and executioner in the process. But how this is done is a unique twist on the basic premise.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Much like the protagonist in his book, “The Guide,” author Milt Mays lives for the great outdoors. He grew up in Colorado and spent most of his adult life as a Navy doctor, caring for those at the forefront of many conflicts, including Vietnam.
Milt graduated from the Naval Academy and Creighton Medical School. His medical career included tours with the Marines, a Navy security group in Scotland and now at the Veteran’s Hospital in Cheyenne, Wyo. He has been a fly fishing guide in Rocky Mountain National Park and continues to ply those waters with a long stick and pieces of fur and feather.
His techno-thriller Dan’s War (2011, Telemachus Press) was a finalist at the 2009 Pikes Peak Writers contest. He has also written short stories, including “Thanksgiving with Riley” (Copaiba Press) and “The Dry-Land Farmer” (The Northwind Magazine). He is the author behind “Take the F…ing Fly,” an illustrated poem on the wisdoms and frustrations of fly fishing.
A new edition of his latest book, “The Guide,” comes out June 1, 2014. The book won first place at the 2011 Pikes Peak Writers contest.
Milt is married in Fort Collins, Colo., with three children and a grandson who will soon be learning the joys of flinging a fly.
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