Would you like to explore the meaning of words engraved on linched covered rocks? If yes, then you need to get your hands on this masterpiece, “Ghosts in the Rock”, by RJ Luce.
Deep within the unforgiving terrain of the Arizona and New Mexico borderlands, wildlife biologist Whip Sawtell embarks on a routine survey, unaware that his journey will soon veer into the realm of the unexplained. Among the ancient rocks and shadowy canyons, Sawtell glimpses something unnatural—a spectral figure moving fluidly through the darkness. Before he can fully comprehend the eerie sight, the sharp crack of gunfire rips through the air. Someone, or something, doesn’t want him there.
Sawtell’s instincts tell him that the danger he faces is not just from the looming presence of illicit activity near the border but from a deeper, more enigmatic force. His work in the wilderness has trained him to read the land, but even his experience does not prepare him for what he finds next—a cryptic message etched into the limestone: CD+RL NORTE AMOR.
What at first glance seems like an innocent carving, possibly the declaration of a youthful romance, takes on a far more ominous meaning. Could “CD” stand for Charlie Davis, a fellow biologist who had mysteriously vanished in these very mountains? And if so, what was the meaning of “RL”? The Spanish translation of “North Love” opens new doors to interpretation. Was this a desperate plea for help? A coded directive? Or a breadcrumb left behind in a struggle for survival?
Sawtell, ever the methodical thinker, turns to an old habit—talking through the problem with his loyal Labrador, Cazador, though the dog is miles away back home. In the thick humidity, sweat pouring down his face, he mentally traces the possible connections. He pulls out a map of the Yucatan Peninsula, following a northward trajectory from Coba. His fingers glide over towns and villages until they rest upon Ría Lagartos. The name, meaning “Lizard River,” is deceiving—more than lizards, the waters are known for their crocodiles, an ecosystem teeming with life and perhaps, secrets.
But why would a message carved into Arizona’s limestone point toward a remote location in Mexico? Was Charlie Davis there? Or was Ría Lagartos a mere clue, a destination holding answers that Sawtell had yet to uncover? And, most hauntingly, did it have any connection to the ghostly figure he had seen just before the gunshots rang out?
The questions multiply, thick as the desert heat pressing down on Sawtell’s shoulders. The desert has always been a place of legend, where truth and myth intertwine in the dance of flickering campfire tales. Yet, for Sawtell, this was no myth. The ghost in the rocks was real. And so was the danger that lay ahead.
As he prepares to follow the trail, one thing becomes clear: this is more than a mere wildlife expedition. He is on the cusp of a mystery that will take him deep into the unknown, where science, history, and the supernatural collide. In the vast, rugged wilderness, the past whispers through the stones, and the present threatens with bullets. But in those cryptic words carved in stone lies a truth waiting to be uncovered—if only Sawtell can survive long enough to find it.
