On Both Sides of the River
by
Book Details
About the Book
On Both Sides of the River paints a vignette of south Texas—its people, history, and cultural diversity—through interwoven tales of the scourge of drug-trafficking on both sides of the Rio Grande River and of the annual quest for the monster whitetail buck of Mexican and south Texas lore, El Cacaistón.
Joe González, a south Texas criminal defense lawyer, finds himself embroiled in a situation involving drug-trafficking, corruption, and violence. He overhears young, violent American drug lord Mark Balbuena, heir to the Balbuena family ranch, talking to someone in a local restaurant about a drug deal. When young Balbuena makes the massive deal with a notorious Mexican drug lord, an unexpected double-cross begins a drug war.
Despite Mark’s plan to save it, the Balbuena ranch is purchased by entrepreneur Max Wadsworth. Even so, to González, the presence of Mark Balbuena on the ranch clearly suggests he was trafficking drugs from the family ranch. Only time would reveal now whether the Balbuenas would emerge from the trouble unscathed, or whether it would all fall apart.
About the Author
Alberto M. Ramon was born in Eagle Pass, Texas. A JFK-LBJ conservative democrat and a devout UT Austin Longhorn fan, he earned three degrees: BA Sociology ’64, Master’s Social Work ’68 and Doctor of Jurisprudence ’73. He returned to Eagle Pass, where he has practiced state and federal criminal defense.
On Both Sides of the River was first published in 1996. This iUniverse edition of On Both Sides of the River has been modified by the author. Alberto M. Ramón has recently authored a sequel to this novel which is entitled The Mystery of Lawlessness and which will be released concurrently by iUniverse. The Mystery of Lawlessness continues the activities of defense counsel Joe González in south Texas and northern Coahuila, Mexico. Both novels address the scourge of violence and corruption that has evolved in the wake of drug-trafficking and other criminal activity across the Rio Grande River on our border with Mexico.