I am so happy that Hillel Damron could stop by for a visit today and tell us about his new book! He will be back to answer questions and comments so I hope you will leave some good ones.
Welcome to Escape With Dollycas!
My journey with this book began way back in the fall of 1998, when I first read about the disappearance of young Mexican girls from their homes, and the tragic end they had suffered. It affected me like no other news story at the time. Even the most hardened, jaded of hearts—like mine, an old traveler in the peaks and valleys of life’s battles, border fronts and home fronts alike—could not but stop beating momentarily when reading about the numerous bodies, all of them of girls between the ages of, roughly, twelve and eighteen, who were found dead on the waysides of the desert around that most notorious of Mexican border towns, Ciudad Juárez.
According to the reports at the time, their bodies—though body parts might be a more accurate description—were unrecognizable, mostly naked, and almost always mutilated. It was a big news item at the time, and it lasted for quite a while, until it died a natural death. The much bigger and headline-grabbing stories of the day, such as the drug war between the Mexican Government and the Drug Cartel took over and covered it as if with the dust of the desert. And yet, the mystery behind the death of these young girls remained unsolved.
It remained with me, too, secured permanently in my mind. So much so that one early morning before dawn, unable to continue sleeping, I got up, sat at my desk and began writing about it. What made me do so, I realized immediately, was the idea and gut feeling—most probably caused by the remnants of the nightmare I woke up from—that these murders were the result of “Purchased Rapes.” I was led, almost in spite of myself, not only into a journey deep into my own heart, but also into the hearts and minds of vicious, evil men, as well as young, innocent girls. One of these imaginary girls I chose—or more accurately, she chose me—was the voice of a twelve-year-old girl who took me by the hand and led me into the abyss with her. She didn’t let go off me until I came up with a solution to her mysterious plight and disappearance, and had her story to tell.
That story, as described in my new novel, Unidentified Woman, was then interwoven with my private investigator, Gideon Gold, and his quest to find the true identity of an unidentified woman in a picture he saw in Variety, relating to the death and funeral services of a famous talent agent in Hollywood. This is the second case for Gideon (the first one he tried his hands in was in my Very Narrow Bridge,
an Israeli expatriate, a former commander of an elite Israeli paratroops unit and a Mossad secret agent. This reluctant detective uses his experience, expertise and an unconventional thinking and approach to track down that mysterious, strange woman. His frantic pursuit of the her takes unexpected twists and turns, culminating in a dramatic, compelling game of cat-and-mouse that will change both of their lives forever.
As for my life, well, it’s a long story. But here’s the gist of it: I was born in Israel, in a kibbutz (i.e. commune), to parents who survived the Holocaust. After high school I joined the army (no other choice), ended up being an officer at an elite paratroops unit, and was wounded in battle. After some twists and turns, I found myself in London, where I studied films at the London Film School. Back in Israel, I became a film director of TV documentaries, a feature film, and numerous video shorts. I wrote an award-winning Sci-fi novel, “War of the Sexes,” short stories, film reviews and more. As noted above, last year I published my first novel in English, Very Narrow Bridge, a first in the series of Gideon Gold’s Investigation. This year in February I was awarded the Moment Magazine’s Prize for winning its memoir contest with my entry: The Sweet Life. If you would like to learn more about me, my life’s adventures, and my creative output, please visit my literary website: http://hillelbridge.com/
You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, and YouTube.
~Hillel Damron
Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us!
Unidentified Woman
File Size: 339 KB
Print Length: 211 pages
Publisher: HillelBridge Publications (August 12, 2012)
Young Maria is kidnapped on her way to school in Mexico. She is taken to a “farm” where is is repeatedly raped and tortured mostly but wealthy Americans. Unlike so many others she survives, grows up, and is able to escape. She vows to make all those men and men like them pay.
Gideon Gold served as a commander of an elite Israeli paratroops unit, and is a former Mossad secret agent. He is asked by the wife of a wealthy Hollywood mogul to find out WHY her husband was killed. He really just wants a secure foothold into the Hollywood movie making business so is hoping she will set him up with the right connections if he uses his past experiences to try to find the answers she is seeking. After some time he finds one clue that sends him off to track down an Unidentified Woman and that leads him to Maria.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
An very intriguing game of “cat and mouse”.
Hillel Damron has put a face on human trafficking as we get to know Maria. Her journal takes us inside her thoughts in a powerful way. Ripped away from her friends and family she is able to cope with the painful and frightening situations by writing everything down as if she is telling her friend Adela her horrific story. She loses her childhood that day but she never gives up finding her way home.
I was impressed with Gideon. His wife set him up to get this job and he wasn’t happy about it. It took time away from his real passion of screenwriting but he couldn’t just accept the money and not follow through. He finds a clue everyone else missed and the chase is on.
The ending was very unexpected! A suspenseful read!
This story is very fast paced and I recommend it highly. I also recommend you check out the author’s website for more of his insight into human trafficking. http://hillelbridge.com/

**This e-book is available at AMAZON right now for just 99 cents!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”