Fool’s Errand. A Brig Ellis Tale, #1

Fool's Errand marks the debut of a contemporary gumshoe whose character traits are rooted firmly in the past. Brig Ellis is an ex-military and current private investigator based in San Diego, but willing to go wherever the assignment takes him. He tilts at windmills and turns over trouble regardless of who it might annoy, embarrass, or otherwise offend. His card reads: Investigations, Security, Confidential Matters.
However, this shamus is not shy about accepting work that might color outside the lines. And while most people agree that if you're smart, there are some jobs you just shouldn't take, Brig's point of view is, if you're smart, you're in another line of work. Perhaps that's why this initial Brig Ellis saga has him juggling three tasks at once. A favor for a friend puts Brig in contact with a real knockout.
But the first time they meet, the specter of larceny hangs in the air like the stale scent of a cheap cigar. Before Ellis can decide to make a pass or make tracks, unknown thugs turn his office into a junk yard. He knows he should try to find out why, but when money calls he listens and puts payback on hold. Hired by the black sheep of a dysfunctional dynasty, he agrees to retrieve the clan's daughter from apparent involvement with Zapatista rebels in Mexico.
A tale of two cities then ensues laden with hidden agendas, recriminations, revelations, mayhem, murder and more; including a violent conflict on the eight thousand foot cliffs of the Copper Canyon Railway. Before all the loose ends get thoroughly knotted, Ellis is left to wonder if making friends, doing favors, unmasking foes, or extracting vulnerable heiresses are all, in one way or another, fools' errands.