Ashes upon the Snow

Based on actual events, the discovery of a decapitated human head in an old storm cellar leads to the unimaginable in a rural Texas community in 1925. Teenagers, Elvis Rivers and Aaron Martin, plunge into a night of terror when Elvis's trusty dog, Hootus, alerts on an old abandoned, partially caved-in cellar. Something is terribly wrong. After discovering and retrieving a bloody tow-sack from inside the cellar, Elvis quickly drops it when he sees inside - the decapitated head of a teenage boy. A telephone call alerts the authorities. The local funeral home displays the nameless, decapitated head until finally, one man knows the victim and the sheriff has a lead to start an investigation. It doesn't take long for the whole gruesome mess to unravel.

Carroll C. Martin was born and has resided his entire life in Erath County. He worked part-time in a convenience store during his high school and college years where he met many of the colorful characters included in his first novel, Ashes Upon The Snow. He worked in the banking profession and later retired from the Stephenville Police Department after twenty-five years of service. Carroll said, of his law enforcement experience, ＂It came in mighty handy in describing the murder scenes, investigations, court room tactics and other legal proceedings that you find in my story.＂ Carroll and his wife, Melinda, live just east of Stephenville on a mini farm where they raise chickens, ducks, guineas, goats and donkeys. They have one son and two daughters and a passel of dogs and cats.