The Burden of Truth

Omar Ortega is an 18-year-old with a promising future. High school is soon to be a memory. A hitch with the Army guarantees him a trip away and some extra money to aid his struggling family. Omar looks after his younger siblings, as his mother works long hours. Omar has been working, setting aside money to help secure an apartment for his kin. One fateful night, all these plans are torn asunder.

Travis Jackson relocated from Wisconsin to Southern California with an eye toward climbing the police hierarchy. The early results haven’t been stellar, his work hours are brutal, and his wife is unhappy and oldest son is rebellious. Travis wants to serve the public and put the bad guys away. One day he is teamed with a new partner. A raid on budding gangsters proves fruitful, yet Jackson and his partner are lectured for moving too soon and spoiling a bigger bust. Omar and Travis are on a collision course, yet they possess no foreknowledge of this. A deadly shooting will tear into both of their worlds.

The opening salvo of The Burden of Truth rips into the reader’s consciousness with intensity. The emotional roller coaster refuses to slacken as the tension-packed world inhabited by citizens and police officers clashes. The current climate provides an even more poignant backdrop for this harrowing novel. This is an excellent, moving story.