Gambled Dreams

<p>IN THE 1980s WEST-TEXAS OIL PATCH WHEN THE POLICE REFUSE TO GET INVOLVED A LOW-LEVEL CRIMINAL WITH FAMILY PROBLEMS COLTON PARKER AND FELLOW LOW-LIFERS ARE HIRED TO FIND TWO MURDERERS.</p><p>Gamblers cons and whores inhabit the night-time bar world of the early 1980s Odessa Texas oil boom. Colton Parker-with a wife two young boys and a father-in-law-is a bouncer for a gambler and loan shark in this dark hidden world. Danny Fowler cruises this world looking for gay lovers. When he finds two mean ones he ends up beaten to death and dumped on the road to an oil rig. Danny's rich mother Mina doesn't want Danny's night-time life exposed so she persuades the police not to investigate. But she hires a reluctant Colton Parker to track down Danny Fowler's killers. Colton teams with Bullet Price a retired whore climbing up the bar-world social ladder. With help from a young whore and a gay tool pusher Colton tracks down the two oil-field welders who killed Danny.</p><p> </p><p><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Praise for Gambled Dreams</em></p><p> </p><p>A brilliant intense carefully crafted narrative with no feeling of strain or effort. This is masterwork. The language and vision match so the world opens for us as readers without any waver of authenticity. We are in it and trust what we are learning. There is always more to understand than we can at the moment.-<em>Mary Hood author of How Far She Went and Familiar Heat</em></p><p><br></p><p>Jim brings a literary and poetic sensibility to his compelling utterly original crime novel full of edgy unique characters sharp dialogue and powerful storytelling. Colton Parker Bullet Price and Way Low will haunt you long after you've turned the final page.-<em>Lee Goldberg #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lost Hills Bone Canyon True Fiction and others.</em></p><p><br></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Noir-writer Jim Sanderson's tough new novel gives us a two-generation search for belonging and soul set in the boom-bust oil town of Odessa Texas. Sanderson's tortured characters are unexpectedly loyal and they carry the weight of their own longings...</span><em style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>-Lisa Sandlin author of Shamus Award winning novels The Do-Right and The Bird Boys</em></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Jim Sanderson is a novelist of exceptional scope and depth. The worlds he creates are sometimes cruel sometimes beautiful generally gritty and always engaging. Jim is one of the best novelists writing in Texas today.:-</span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>Dan Williams editor-in-chief TCU Press. </em></p><p> </p>