SERIES STARTER: This is the first installment of the action and adventure-packed historical fiction book series, The Boloney Trail Trilogy. The novel tells the remarkable true events of the Hornbeck family, who struggle to survive The Great Depression, only then to become key players in the birth of the feared Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel.

Series Starter: Perpetual Gloom, a two rut-road along The Boloney Trail1930s – 1950s. When the depression hits the Hornbeck family hard, its patriarch, JC, a religious zealot, robs a bank in Missouri’s bootheel. Later, in Arkansas, he is put on trial as a communist. Keen to escape his father’s religious hypocrisy, JC’s teenage son, Monroe, steals his father’s horse in Texas and runs away. On his way to California, he experiences life-changing events that ultimately define him as a man. Monroe meets a young woman, Dora, some time on, and they wed after she falls pregnant.

Reviews: “…unforgettable details that pulls readers into scenes and helps them empathize with the human condition in a manner reminiscent of Steinbeck.” — William Mike Kielkopf, Author, Journalist, and Language Educator.

“The Boloney Trail Trilogy by Shelah Johnson, tells the remarkable true story — a kind of Grapes of Wrath meets Breaking Bad story…The writing is exceptional. Hard-core and unembellished, Johnson doesn’t mince words, and the story would not have worked if she had. ” —Sheri Hoyte, Managing Editor Reader Views

"A vivid portrait of Depression-era history. Johnson excels at weaving together rich historical detail, along with immersive colloquial dialogue that never seems to slip, even as it shifts between different regions of America. The familial relationships feel vibrant and authentic, while the undertone of philosophical questions about the Great Depression drives the plot and characters forward. The visceral story and three-dimensional characters make this novel a thoroughly compelling and thought-provoking portrait." Self-Publishing Review