Gone to Mexico: A Novel

Harold P. Throckmorton, a small-town Texas retired auto worker in failing health, has little to look forward to as he lives out his mundane life in the house where he and his deceased wife, Millie, raised a son, David, and a daughter, Lisa. Haunted by an incident that occurred during the Vietnam War, Harold struggles with a myriad of ailments, including memory loss, and spends his days watching old westerns and Fox News. An opinionated arch conservative, Harold has little use for progressive views. When son David, an avowed New York liberal, appears unexpectedly, his routine is turned upside down. With assistance from David's good-hearted girlfriend, Tiffany, Harold is relocated to a Dallas assisted living home, Sleepy Hollow, where many of his long-standing cultural values and conservative opinions are quickly put to the test. Among the diverse collection of residents and employees he encounters are a conspiracy nut named Jack, a punk rocker nurse's aide, Lucy, and a one-time member of the San Francisco-based Black Panthers, Lee Bolton. Soon Harold is emersed in a strange new world, one that is often puzzling, sometimes humorous, and rarely conventional by traditional standards. Harold's initial encounter with former Black activist Lee is disastrous. But when he learns that the man possesses pills that claim to cure dementia, Harold attempts to make amends, especially after meeting the supplier, Lee's flashy nephew, Ricky Bolton. Once Ricky comes on the scene the plot takes hold, flinging Harold, Lee, and nurse's aide Lucy into the dark world of Mexican drug cartels. Through multiple twists and turns, the story builds to an action-packed climax, far from the halls of Sleepy Hollow. Gone to Mexico is a quirky saga of human relationships, second chances, commitment to principles, and the thirst for peace of mind in life's final chapter.