COURSE OF DESTRUCTION
Stripped and bound, the beating Travis suffered at the hands of Dennis, the expatriated American, changed Travis’s visit to Costa Rica from easy to desperate. Left to die, all he had to do was survive and he would exact his revenge, but survival was only the first obstacle. Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans, and his plan for justice is interrupted. He must return home and see for himself if all is lost, if his adopted family has survived, or if they are counted among the dead. Even though New Orleans is locked down and guarded, Robert, with his U.S. government ties, can get Travis into New Orleans, but at a price, and that price is sparing Dennis. Is it worth sparing Dennis to reveal the secrets Robert has hidden from him, or is revenge so sweet Travis can live without knowing?
Stripped and bound, the beating Travis suffered at the hands of Dennis, the expatriated American, changed Travis’s visit to Costa Rica from easy to desperate. Left to die, all he had to do was survive and he would exact his revenge, but survival was only the first obstacle. Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans, and his plan for justice is interrupted. He must return home and see for himself if all is lost, if his adopted family has survived, or if they are counted among the dead. Even though New Orleans is locked down and guarded, Robert, with his U.S. government ties, can get Travis into New Orleans, but at a price, and that price is sparing Dennis. Is it worth sparing Dennis to reveal the secrets Robert has hidden from him, or is revenge so sweet Travis can live without knowing?
BLACK GULF
In 1942 a 12 year old boy is abandoned on a barrier island off the coast of Louisiana by a crew member from a German U-boat that has been patrolling the Gulf of Mexico and sinking U.S. ships. Sixty years later the truth of his identity will be revealed, but not before he crosses paths with a young Chef T in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
By seventeen Travis, angered with the imminent closing of Hope Haven orphanage, runs away to the French Quarter in New Orleans where he flounders on the streets until taken in by Brother Lee, chef and owner of the restaurant bearing his name. Travis is mentored by his rescuer, and by age twenty six is a chef, loves the nightlife of the Quarter and becomes one of an eclectic cast of characters. When not cooking up Brother Lee’s comfort food Travis tries to help the endless supply of street urchins that gravitate to New Orleans. He struggles to save Andi, a sixteen year old throw away, but when she is discovered murdered, her body ravaged by wharf rats and unidentifiable, Chef T becomes a suspect. With the help of Tater, a New Orleans police detective and his best friend from the orphanage, Travis unravels a network of human trafficking tied to a black market of shark fins worth millions destined for Asia. Pierre, the boy from 1942, for years a reclusive fisherman now selling seafood to Chef T, knows who’s running the black market but remains silent in shame. Robert, a recruiter from a private group seeks someone like Travis; orphaned and no family. He challenges Chef T to join his group for the betterment of many. Travis is tempted but his first love is New Orleans and his hodgepodge of adopted family.
In 1942 a 12 year old boy is abandoned on a barrier island off the coast of Louisiana by a crew member from a German U-boat that has been patrolling the Gulf of Mexico and sinking U.S. ships. Sixty years later the truth of his identity will be revealed, but not before he crosses paths with a young Chef T in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
By seventeen Travis, angered with the imminent closing of Hope Haven orphanage, runs away to the French Quarter in New Orleans where he flounders on the streets until taken in by Brother Lee, chef and owner of the restaurant bearing his name. Travis is mentored by his rescuer, and by age twenty six is a chef, loves the nightlife of the Quarter and becomes one of an eclectic cast of characters. When not cooking up Brother Lee’s comfort food Travis tries to help the endless supply of street urchins that gravitate to New Orleans. He struggles to save Andi, a sixteen year old throw away, but when she is discovered murdered, her body ravaged by wharf rats and unidentifiable, Chef T becomes a suspect. With the help of Tater, a New Orleans police detective and his best friend from the orphanage, Travis unravels a network of human trafficking tied to a black market of shark fins worth millions destined for Asia. Pierre, the boy from 1942, for years a reclusive fisherman now selling seafood to Chef T, knows who’s running the black market but remains silent in shame. Robert, a recruiter from a private group seeks someone like Travis; orphaned and no family. He challenges Chef T to join his group for the betterment of many. Travis is tempted but his first love is New Orleans and his hodgepodge of adopted family.
D I V E R T E D
When a dose of misfortune, fueled by sabotage, causes long time friends, Rainey and Creston, to crash on a nameless island in the Pacific Ocean, survival is instinctual but rescue becomes paramount when they discover the remains of a one room, World War II underground Japanese hospital, and the answer to the mystery of Amelia Earhart's disappearance.
Living in New Orleans would be adventure enough for most people but Rainey, the everyman of a friendship duo, is constantly challenged to corral millionaire Creston and keep him, literally, grounded. Creston wants one more big adventure, a two week trip around the world piloting his private jet, and maybe then settle down. But they are lost after leaving Hawaii and never land in Papua, New Guinea. Their friends in New Orleans keep vigil, even enlisting the help of a “seer” who provides hope but no immediate answers. Neither man is the outdoors type, thus the small island’s lush, dense tropical flora and thick groves of trees challenges them daily. Coconut Palms are plentiful, but needing more they learn to survive by scouring the pock marked reef’s tidal pools for fish. Far removed from the shipping lanes and flight paths of the Pacific they conclude that if a lonely death is imminent it won’t come without an effort to survive. Building a raft is slow and tedious, hampered by the soft coral sand covered with tangled vines and long grass, but they persevere and launch. Unconscious when rescued at sea they soon return to New Orleans where their true dilemma quickly unfolds. The shocking key to the mystery is left behind. Do they keep their promise and return to the island or break it, stay safe in New Orleans and live with the guilt? Only one other person would know and she could never tell. Though money is no object they realize that it takes much more. It takes courage, perseverance, luck, an ex-wife, and devoted friends to keep a secret while teaching a lost soul to live.
When a dose of misfortune, fueled by sabotage, causes long time friends, Rainey and Creston, to crash on a nameless island in the Pacific Ocean, survival is instinctual but rescue becomes paramount when they discover the remains of a one room, World War II underground Japanese hospital, and the answer to the mystery of Amelia Earhart's disappearance.
Living in New Orleans would be adventure enough for most people but Rainey, the everyman of a friendship duo, is constantly challenged to corral millionaire Creston and keep him, literally, grounded. Creston wants one more big adventure, a two week trip around the world piloting his private jet, and maybe then settle down. But they are lost after leaving Hawaii and never land in Papua, New Guinea. Their friends in New Orleans keep vigil, even enlisting the help of a “seer” who provides hope but no immediate answers. Neither man is the outdoors type, thus the small island’s lush, dense tropical flora and thick groves of trees challenges them daily. Coconut Palms are plentiful, but needing more they learn to survive by scouring the pock marked reef’s tidal pools for fish. Far removed from the shipping lanes and flight paths of the Pacific they conclude that if a lonely death is imminent it won’t come without an effort to survive. Building a raft is slow and tedious, hampered by the soft coral sand covered with tangled vines and long grass, but they persevere and launch. Unconscious when rescued at sea they soon return to New Orleans where their true dilemma quickly unfolds. The shocking key to the mystery is left behind. Do they keep their promise and return to the island or break it, stay safe in New Orleans and live with the guilt? Only one other person would know and she could never tell. Though money is no object they realize that it takes much more. It takes courage, perseverance, luck, an ex-wife, and devoted friends to keep a secret while teaching a lost soul to live.
Reviews from the novel Diverted
Enticing, surprising, startling. Houston's first book brings you to a desolated island and makes you discover the psychology of two men who are forced to develop their friendship into a newer dimension.Together, they find the energy, in the closed universe of the island, that brings them to an amazing discovery.Even when confined, their actions are connected to beloved New Orleans and the life that they had before, compared to what they have now.What follows is thrill and suspense, the one that leads you to the next page, and the next page....you cannot stop.Houston, when is the next book? - Dania LaSpada in Bologna, Italy
Houston Gray is a natural-born writer and story teller. And his first book, Diverted, fits that bill perfectly. I read it from stem to stern almost without stopping and thoroughly enjoyed the riveting story. - Andy Lang in Houston, TX
When you sent me Diverted, I read it quickly as I was very curious, as I have never read a book by someone I actually know! I re-read it on holiday, more slowly and paying more attention (I do read fast, too fast sometimes, especially books I really enjoy because I can’t wait to see what happens!) and I thought it was absolutely great. I confess when I first started it I thought, oh no, it’s going to be like the TV series “Lost” and there might be aliens and all sorts of weird things happening, but I very quickly became engrossed and when the Amelia surprise was revealed I really believed it and so much wanted it to be true! It was such an unusual and interesting story and I loved it. I was dying to blurt the surprise out to Barry but had to stay quiet as at the time he hadn’t read it.
- Jacki Bilclough in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
- Jacki Bilclough in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England