LEGEND OF THE GATORMAN is Released

The Gatorman legends that terrorized Texas in the 1930's takes central stage in author Christopher Molleda's debut fiction, "The Legend of the Gatorman" (published by Xlibris). In this suspense-filled thriller, Molleda weaves fact and fiction to detail the gruesome murders of the maniacal murderer that spanned over a period of 50 years.

In "Legend of the Gatorman" (published by Xlibris), Molleda takes readers back into 1930's Texas. In the midst of the Great Depression, deep in Bexar County, a man from a powerful family finds a way to make money on the other side of the law. Joe Black operates successfully as a bootlegger and when prohibition ends, he establishes a dance hall - not quite an ordinary one. He installs five live alligators he is infatuated with as entertainment for his guests. Joe Black soon finds himself in a love triangle that ends in death for one of the lovers and near-death for the other. One of his workers discovers this dark secret and Joe Black stops at nothing to impede her from exposing his evil deeds. Who lives and who dies as the plot unfolds in a twist of terrifying events? In the end, there are secrets that shed a sense of light in all the darkness. Light triumphs over evil and lives on forever due to the heroic deeds of one of the victims.

A riveting crime story peppered with facts from the police records, it depicts a disturbing portrait of a killer whose character was a maelstrom of war trauma and family violence. It also portrays the early struggles of women for justice and the complexities of police work involved in solving crimes in the old days.

The author hopes to write more crime novels to show how crimes are investigated and to help give closure to victims' families, taking care not to glorify acts of evil in this world.

"Legend of the Gatorman"
By Christopher Molleda
Hardcover | 6x9in | 216 pages | ISBN 9781514411285
Softcover | 6x9in | 216 pages | ISBN 9781514411278
E-Book | 216 pages | ISBN 9781514411261
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author
At the time this book was published, Christopher Molleda served in the very law enforcement agency mentioned in this book. On October 15, 2015, he completed 15 years with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office. Molleda has had duties as a jailer, bailiff, patrolman and detective and currently serves as a patrol supervisor. He resides in Bexar County and has earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice administration from Park University. Molleda also holds a master's degree in criminology from Texas A&M University at Commerce. His career in law enforcement has inspired him to write about crime and legends in his community. He himself is a veteran of the United States Army and has lived in Texas all his life, with the exception of his time in the service.

Xlibris Publishing, an Author Solutions, LLC imprint, is a self-publishing services provider created in 1997 by authors, for authors. By focusing on the needs of creative writers and artists and adopting the latest print-on-demand publishing technology and strategies, we provide expert publishing services with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound and full-color formats. To date, Xlibris has helped to publish more than 60,000 titles. For more information, visit xlibris.com or call 1-888-795-4274 to receive a free publishing guide. Follow us @XlibrisPub on Twitter for the latest news.