In GateKeepers, author James E. Merriman tells a fast-paced tale about one man's quest to find a killer-and a powerful Mexican dynasty that could make him pay with his own life. Grant Meredith's peaceful life on a ranch near Durango, Colorado is violently disrupted when he learns that his brother Ricky has been mysteriously gunned down on the streets of Scottsdale, Arizona. In his grief, Grant becomes determined to find the people responsible for his brother's death. His search for Ricky's killer leads him to the GateKeepers, a Mexican family dynasty that has straddled the border since the time of Pancho Villa. The border is almost meaningless to the GateKeepers, a group of citizens and property owners on both sides of the U.S./Mexican border. They are the political power brokers in Mexico, controlling the Mexican military and police with a steady stream of bribes. With tentacles reaching deep into both Mexico and the United States, the GateKeepers capitalize on NAFTA and the need for trade with Mexico to smuggle people and drugs into the United States with impunity. As the founder of BlackRock, a new breed of military contractor spawned by the end of the Cold War, Grant is not without resources to challenge the menacing GateKeepers. However, as he attempts to bring Ricky's killers to justice, he quickly learns that the price of failure may simply be too great.