David Wood
Track of the Beast: A Brock Stone Adventure
Praise for David Wood!
“What an adventure! A great read that provides lots of action, and thoughtful insight into strange realms that are sometimes best left unexplored.” Paul Kemprecos, author of Cool Blue Tomb and the NUMA Files
“Excellent pulp adventure in the mold of Doc Savage. Took me back in the best way to books I loved when I was a kid!”- Terry Mixon, author of the Empire of Bones Saga
“Rip roaring action from start to finish. Wit and humor throughout. Just one question — how soon until the next one? Because I can’t wait.” Graham Brown, author of Shadows of the Midnight Sun
“Intrigue, suspense, monsters, and treasure hunters. What more could you want? David’s knocked it out of the park with this one!” Nick Thacker- author of The Enigma Strain
“A twisty tale of adventure and intrigue that never lets up and never lets go!” Robert Masello, author of The Einstein Prophecy
“A page-turning yarn blending high action, Biblical speculation, ancient secrets, and nasty creatures. Indiana Jones better watch his back!” Jeremy Robinson, author of SecondWorld
“Mr. Wood has mixed speculative history with our modern day pursuit of truth, he has created a story that thrills and makes one think beyond the boundaries of mere fiction and enter the world of ‘why not’?” David Lynn Golemon, Author of the Event Group series
“Let there be no confusion: David Wood is the next Clive Cussler. Once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop until the last mystery plays out in the final line.” Edward G. Talbot, author of 2012: The Fifth World
“I like my thrillers with lots of explosions, global locations and a mystery where I learn something new. Wood delivers!” J.F. Penn, author of Desecration
Track of the Beast
A Brock Stone Adventure
Edited by Melissa Bowersock
Cover art by Drazenka Kimpel
This is a work of fiction. All characters are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Books by David Wood
Blue Descent
Dourado
Cibola
Quest
Icefall
Buccaneer
Atlantis
Ark
Xibalba
Loch
Solomon Key
Contest
Serpent
Eden Quest
Freedom
Hell Ship
Splashdown
Dead Ice
Liberty
Electra
Amber
Justice
Treasure of the Dead
Bloodstorm
Berserk
Maug
Elementals
Cavern
Devil’s Face
Herald
Brainwash
The Tomb
Shasta
Legends
Golden Dragon
Emerald Dragon
Baal (forthcoming)
Destination: Rio
Destination: Luxor
Destination: Sofia
Primitive
The Book of Bones
Skin and Bones
Venom
Arena of Souls
Track of the Beast
Curse of the Pharaoh (forthcoming)
Oracle
Changeling
Exile
Destiny
Mystic
Sanctum
Blood Codex
Anubis Key
Revenant
Primordial
Overlord
Crocalypse
Into the Woods (with David S. Wood)
The Zombie-Driven Life
You Suck
Callsign: Queen (with Jeremy Robinson)
Dark Rite (with Alan Baxter)
Aquaria Falling
Aquaria Burning
The Gate
The Silver Serpent
Keeper of the Mists
The Gates of Iron
The Impostor Prince (with Ryan A. Span)
Neptune’s Key
From the Author
Several years back, I took on the challenge of writing an old-school pulp adventure in the spirit of Doc Savage and other classic adventure stories, and the Brock Stone Adventures were born. The first book, Arena of Souls, was written as a weekly serial with no plan. Every week, I sat down and wrote a chapter. The end result was a fun story, but looking back, I can tell that I didn’t yet have a handle on the characters or the tone of the series.
With Track of the Beast, I’ve tried to lean into the things I love about writing Dane Maddock — mystery, history, monsters, conspiracies, adventure, and humor. Even if Arena of Souls was not your cup of tea, if you enjoy my other adventure novels, I think you will love Track of the Beast!
In this Author’s Preferred Edition, we begin exploring Stone’s mysterious past by way of a “flashback” story woven into the narrative.
Thank you and happy reading!
David
Track of the Beast
1- Shadows in the Dark
“One more drink before I hit the road.” Sam Price raised his empty mug, as if Wayne, the bartender, needed the illustration to go along with his request. He let out a loud belch and patted his gut. He felt the beginning of a paunch. Logging was hard work, but Sam was thirty-five, and Lord knew he consumed enough beer and slugburgers. There was nothing else to do in these parts, so why not?
“You sure can put them away.” Wayne, a burly man with pale skin and black hair. slid the mug across the rough wooden surface of the bar, foam spilling over the lip and onto Sam’s hand.
“Hey, careful now. I paid for the whole drink.” Sam grinned.
“You gonna turn me in?” Wayne replied. He was a reserved sort and it was always hard to tell when he was joking.
“Of course not.” Establishments like these were technically illegal. Most speakeasys pretended to be a different sort of business. Here in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, no one bothered to pretend. The revenue man assigned to this area dropped by a couple times a year to accept his bribe and enjoy a few drinks, all the while bemoaning the fact that prohibition would probably come to an end soon.
Sam turned on his stool and looked around the joint. The Woodsman’s Complaint was a dark, dreary place. Most of the light came from the roaring fireplace. It was late summer, but it got cold after sundown. Only a couple of patrons remained, nursing their beers and puffing on pipes or hand-rolled cigarettes. A blue haze surrounded them, and the whole place reeked of smoke and spilled beer. Even if there were any eligible women around, they wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like this.
Discouraged, Sam drained his beer, left a few coins on the bar, and staggered toward the door.