ABILENE, Texas, August 20, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- As a member of the pop vocal trio called the Picks, Trebor Maple was one of three backup vocalists for most of Buddy Holly's early hits with the Crickets. Years later, with faded glory, a journalist seeks him out to uncover the past and exposes wounds for both men in the new novel, Meet Me at the River Buddy Holly (now available through 1stBooks), by Bob Lapham.
The mystery of Trebor Maple doesn't completely stem from his musical past. A late blooming reclusive golfer, Trebor becomes an overnight sports sensation. A club pro, he joined the PGA's Senior Tour and wins the very first tournament he plays in, becoming the oldest winner in the modern era. However, the following week, midway through the second round and leading, he walks off the course. He was an overnight success and vanishes just as quickly.
The odd behavior piques the interest of a west Texas newspaper publisher. He sends Brad Poole to Las Vegas to find out what happened. Brad, a 38-year-old entertainment writer/editor, is more than happy to take the assignment. His daily battles in the newsroom have left him scarred and without any friends. Compensated well, he zooms off: Vegas-bound, with his 25-year-old girlfriend, Amanda, in tow. With access to a casino suite and warnings about gambling, Brad sees his trip as a test. He is a recovering poker loser still smarting from a huge loss in a big stakes game that cost him his marriage. He also hopes to decide if the serious feelings he thinks he has for Amanda are real.
Finding Trebor shouldn't be a hard task for the veteran reporter. A born-again Christian, Trebor teaches the elderly and rich to play golf at an obscure desert golf course. He plays Texas Hold-Em limit casino poker on nights when he isn't caring for Louise, his brooding handicapped wife who lives and dies by the slots. When Brad does find Trebor, he uncovers layers of stories that feature a drug dealer, a dying Jewish man looking for life's answers, common wise men in the ways of the world and, possibly, an angel.
Based on the author's own experiences with Buddy Holly and as an entertainment reporter, Meet Me at the River Buddy Holly is an effecting character-driven story about life and love.
Lapham is a retired award-winning newspaper writer. He has written three non-fiction books: Twenty Years of Life Begins at Forty (Fairway Publishing, 1973), What Made Wyatt Urp --- The Biography of Toad Leon (Barbed Wire Publishing, 2001), and The Wild Blue and Family Too (available through 1stBooks). He currently lives in Abilene, Texas with his wife, Mary.
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