Former College President Dr. W. Bruce Ayers Has Written Another Exciting Novel

Almost 10 years after his last appearance, fictional Harlan County Sheriff Al Whitaker returns in Dr. W. Bruce Ayers’ second novel titled, A Christmas Dilemma (LifeRich Publishing, $16.99).

Unlike the first book, Foreign Blood, this sequel shifts the focus from the resolute sheriff to mysterious army ranger Randall Cravens.

Upon learning that a recently discharged Army Ranger, a young man he has known for several years, has disappeared following an altercation at a local bar, the sheriff persuades the local state police post to allow his office to take over the investigation.

With his efforts to find Cravens going nowhere, the sheriff is surprised to learn that the young man has not been discharged from the Army but was actually working undercover to stop a planned Saudi-inspired terrorist attack at a local high school basketball game, which could kill hundreds.

Once the FBI, Homeland Security, and even an aged consultant from Britain’s MI5 get involved, the search for Cravens follows a roller coaster ride of emotions, escapes, andprayer—all leading to a thrilling and unexpected ending.

At its core, this is the story about self-discovery in two young men, both sons of the Middle East, whose vastly different lives and experiences lead them down paths that show little hope of converging. It is also a story about prayer and the recognition that when everything else is stripped away, prayer may be the only thing left to which people can turn; it is a story about valuing age and experience as much as technology and the sophisticated systems on which so many have come to rely; and, It is a story that speaks to people and nations who are sometimes saved not by those they identify as their saviors but by those that they are intent on keeping away because of fear.

A Christmas Dilemma is a master class in character development, intricately weaving psychological complexity into the lives of its protagonists. The reader’s first impression in the beginning chapters of the book may be that it is a typical good versus evil, pre-scripted work. As they read further, however, the complexity of the characters begins to emerge, keeping the reader guessing about what comes next and asking when the book ends: what just happened?

This exciting conclusion to Sheriff Whitaker’s legacy promises to capture the hearts and minds of readers everywhere.

The author, Dr. W. Bruce Ayers, is a former longtime president of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College. Overall, he has served in higher education for over 45 years. Now at 81, Dr. Ayers has said A Christmas Dilemma will be his last novel. Many readers may come away from this tour de force hoping he will write another.

Dr. Ayers is scheduled to have a book signing on Saturday, Nov. 16, at Raven Rock Trading Co. in Cumberland. The new book is also available through major retailers and LifeRich Publishing.