About the Author

Craig Rainey (1962 - ) is an American film actor, author, screenwriter, and musician. He was born in San Angelo, Texas and lives in Austin. His Texas roots hail back to the original Impresario settlers of Coahuila y Tejas under Stephen F. Austin. He is a military veteran, sales trainer and motivational speaker, and he cowboyed professionally in south Texas. His fiction novels include Massacre at Agua Caliente, Stolen Valor, a Carson Brand Novel, and Dark Motive, A Carson Brand Novel. His non-fiction sales training book, The Art of Professional Sales, Handbook for the Career Seller, was released October 2020. As a screenwriter, his scripts have won numerous awards at film festivals including: Best Narrative Period Piece, Most Likely to be Produced as a Movie, and was Official Selection for many more. Craig Rainey won Best Breakout Writer for the script Massacre at Agua Caliente.

Reviews

Craig Rainey's Massacre at Agua Caliente is a gripping story, the kind that lingers in your thoughts and stays with you even after reading the book.

Boyd Hutton is a fugitive and an outlaw. He is guilty of robbery and murder. Still, nothing in the man reveals his dark past and the present turmoil he faces while on the run. On many occasions, he comes face to face with death but somehow he outmaneuvers his capturers. Death becomes his constant companion either as the murderer or the prey. At Agua Caliente, In the East of Texas, Hutton and his men attempt to rob a bank that is known to have never been robbed before. He escapes while his men perish. Is there an end to this outlaw? Can he redeem himself and settle down or is this the only life that he will ever live?

In this fascinating story, I appreciated Craig Rainey's ability to create opening scenes that later present the main character. The author first describes life in Agua Caliente, giving details of its establishment and economic activity. He also tells the details of the happenings at the robbery from different angles, each of them fascinating and different from the other. The outcome is a series of striking scenes.

As the main character, Hutton is well-suited for his role. His character and unusual demeanor even in the face of certain death make the story stand out. He has flaws, most of them despicable yet somehow he is almost admirable. Creating a character as complex as Hutton portrays Rainey's skill as a writer. Even though he is deeply flawed, Hutton still manages to captivate and interest the reader. The supporting characters are also well-designed to support the main characters.

The main backgrounds of the story, for instance, Agua Caliente, are either sleepy towns mostly with little activity or treacherous terrains. These uneventful backdrops accentuate the action that takes place in them. Many times the locals are left surprised or shocked while the tales of Hutton's activities spread widely around different towns. The difficult landscape that Hutton comes across as a fugitive in Mexico also reveals his experience and confidence.

Massacre at Agua Caliente by Craig Rainey is well-edited. The structure of the book with its clearly marked chapters and well-described scenes makes it an easy read. The writing is done adeptly and the characters are realistic and flawed. Every turn in the book is surprising and unexpected. For every reader who is fascinated by the adventures of an outlaw, Massacre at Agua Caliente is the book to read. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.