Cash Scow

When ?Chief? Whitehorse musters out of the Navy, he buys a vessel suited for sport-fishing and whale watching charters. In memory of a Dear John letter writer, he names the boat ?Squaw.? After money needs lead Whitehorse into "running" marijuana for a drug cartel, the cartel?s boss, Ramon Norbierto, sends him to sea with a load of dirty cash and instructions to make a mid-ocean rendezvous with another vessel. Things go horribly wrong. Whitehorse abandons his boat and the cartel?s cash. Certain that Norbierto will blame him for the money loss Whitehorse flees. Eventually he makes his way back to the west coast and settles in the town of Brookings, Oregon. There, with the able assistance of a cadre of new friends, Marvella Hooker, Arvin Fogle, and Jane Boxer, he sets up a scam that will free him from further threats. His plans incorporate the drug-dispensing skills of a leftover hippie from the Age of Aquarius, alerts mailed to a regional drug taskforce, and a banker convinced by Marvella that his firm will handle the accounts of a soon to be constructed Indian casino. Add in a murderous cartel hit-man, an obstreperous goat, and the result is a biblical flood of mishaps that culminate in a romantic, Blazing Saddles finale. Reviewer?s comments: ?CASH SCOW is a page-turner populated with inept villains, dodgy heroes and a couple of very competent women to sort things out. The reluctant hero, Chief Whitehorse wanders off the Will Rogers reservation and into a Donald Westlake world where oddly believable characters find themselves coping with circumstances that can only be described as bizarre. Showalter keeps them all off balance and the fun of it is in the telling. Showalter?s wry humor permeates the story. Laughs and adventure; a winning combination!? David Sundstrand, author: SHADOWS OF DEATH "CASH SCOW will tickle your funny bone with everything from irony to slapstick. And warm your heart along the way." Sharon Heisel, author: Precious Gold, Precious Jade, (2000 Western Heritage Award) Cover by: Kim Faucher