The Foreign Service Journal, November 2014

50 NOVEMBER 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL plays and nonfiction articles on investing, technology trends and innovation in government, he is currently at work on his second novel, Used . Ten percent of the profits from Broad Horizons will go to chari- ties supporting women and children affected by war and violent conflict. Frontier Justice: The Story of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal Charles Ray, Uhuru Press, 2014, $9.99/paperback,$5.99/Kindle, 246 pages. In this work of historical fiction, Charles Ray takes readers back to the southern United States in 1875 and one of early America’s signature phenomena: frontier justice. “Indian Territory,” as the state of Oklahoma was originally known, was then a magnet for criminals of all kinds who hoped to evade the reach of the law. But when President Ulysses S. Grant appointed a new judge of the Western District of Arkan- sas, which included the territory, things began to change. Judge Isaac Parker was intent on bringing the fugitives to justice. And in a bold move, he sent 200 deputy marshals to help patrol the lawless territory. Among Parker’s deputies was a former slave named Bass Reeves. Born a slave in 1838, he had spent the Civil War as a run- away in Indian Territory. An expert tracker who was fluent in five tribal languages, and a daunting figure at 6’2” and 180 pounds, Reeves served as a deputy marshal for 32 years. Ray’s engrossing account of Reeves’ first two years as a law- man is a fascinating and historically accurate portrayal of the period. Though Reeves, Parker and the other main characters in this story are historical figures, their conversations and particu- lar experiences, like the minor characters, are creations of the author’s imagination. Charles Ray is a retired FSO who served in the U.S. Army for 20 years before joining the U.S. Foreign Service. A former newspaper and magazine journalist, Ray’s first full-length work was Things I Learned fromMy Grandmother about Leadership and Life , published in 2008. A native of Texas, Ray now calls Maryland his home, and has devoted most of his time since retiring from the Foreign Service to writing and public speaking. A prolific writer, he is also the author of two new novels (see the following entries) and a coffee table book on Africa (see p. 59) In the Dragon’s Lair Charles Ray, Uhuru Press, 2013, $12.83/ paperback, $6.95/Kindle, 323 pages. In the Dragon’s Lair picks up where Charles Ray’s White Dragon left off (see “InTheir Own Write,” November 2013 FSJ ). The novel revolves around State Depart- ment employees in the fictitious country of Dagastan. When their ambassador is mys- teriously murdered, Deputy Chief of Mission David Morgan is put in charge until Washington appoints another ambassador. In an unstable political situation, with an array of double-dealing scandals, various murders and Soviet forces sent in to “stabilize” things, the chargé d’affaires finds himself the target of a witch hunt as bureaucrats look for a scapegoat. With much more than their careers at stake, Morgan and his fellow State Department officials are forced to expose the corrup- tion that lies behind the curtain in Washington, D.C. Buffalo Soldier: Battle at Dead Man’s Gulch Charles Ray, Uhuru Press, 2014, $7.19/ paperback,$4.99/Kindle, 160 pages. The seventh installment of the “Buffalo Sol- dier” series, Battle at DeadMan’s Gulch takes place in the western part of NewMexico Ter- ritory. Sergeant Ben Carter and his detach- ment try to track down a band of renegade Apache who have deserted the reservation.Their search takes them deep into themountains, where they encounter the renegades, only to have themescape after a brief skirmish. On their journey, the cav- alrymen learn they aren’t alone on the ominous mountain. Charles Ray delivers a captivating tale of death, danger and discrimination on theWestern frontier. It is a tale of military events written as only a former soldier could do. Africa’s Release: The Journey Continues Mark Wentling, Peace Corps Writers Book, 2014, $9.76/paperback,$4.99/Kindle, 222 pages. The sequel to Africa’s Embrace , this book is the story of J.B., who has beenmysteriously transported froma small town in Kansas to an even smaller village in Africa called Atuku. As the townspeople of Kansas scramble to uncover themystery