Castle Gap

A Chase Haven Novel

De: Andy Ivey

Narrado por: Andy Ivey

"A small-town thriller with the grit of Yellowstone and the layered intensity of The Wire.”—Reedsy Discovery

Horsehead Crossing, Texas, solves its problems quietly, with unspoken consequences. Tacy Vernon learned this the hard way, and when she goes missing, her boyfriend Chase Haven must learn it too. When Tacy clashes with the town's bombastic mayor and uncovers a corrupt airport deal, she becomes a reluctant whistleblower—and a target of the powerful Baxter Whitey family. After she vanishes, Chase embarks on a perilous quest to uncover the truth.

“Readers will keep turning the pages until the explosive ending.”—Kirkus Reviews

Crafted by Andy Ivey, a fifth-generation Texan and former KCLW 900 AM host, this fast-paced rural thriller echoes the wild lore of Texas airwaves. Castle Gap stands out in the rural thriller subgenre with its West Texas setting, fast-paced action, and deep dives into small-town corruption and moral ambiguity.

“…a modern-day western… with sharp dialog and an ending that satisfies…”—Alex Norton, Likely Story

©2025 Andy Ivey (P)2025 Andy Ivey

Fast Paced Thriller

The story of Castle Gap is compelling. A close knit group of friends you will wish you had is the nexus of the character list. Chase and his girlfriend Tacy get caught up in small town politics that can be more ruthless than an urban gang. The tale will grab you and hold on through the rollicking fight to bring the bad guys to justice. But just who are the bad guys here? The twists and turns of the story provide a surprise at every point that you’ve got it figured out.

The book is read by the author rather than a voice-over actor. While it’s not the smoothness an actor would have brought, it lends authenticity to the telling. Ivey has a bit of a patter in his delivery but it is not annoying. The pacing of the read moves the book along quickly and you’ll be glad of that because you won’t want to give it up till the end. There are a couple of editing anomalies but it doesn’t take away from the story.

This is a fun, adventurous, thriller. Having grown up in west Texas, the setting of the book, I found it true to the area and geography. It’s a quick listen, and you’ll be glad because you’ll not want to put it down.

On the Edge of my Seat

Wow! As a guy who grew up and currently lives in a small town, this book has so many facets we truly see (and sometimes don’t see) in small town politics. While fortunately I haven’t been around a town where murders were intertwined with keeping those powerbrokers at the top of the food chain I am sure it does happen. This book and the reader really kept me on the edge of my seat from chapter 1 until the closing credits. Can’t wait for book 2 to come out. If you are looking for an exciting, fun, action packed read, this one is for you!