Black Gold

With pistol, shotgun, granite fists and a wily investigative spirit, Texas Ranger Lee Garrett is hot on the trail of murderers and mobsters in Bean's (Lorena) action-packed western crime novel set during the East Texas oil bonanza of 1932. When a small-time oilman is murdered, a valuable oil lease goes missing and Ranger Garrett is called in to deliver swift justice, Ranger style. And Garrett is the perfect Ranger--savvy, unafraid, tenacious, a good shot with a quick temper and a knack for making people talk. Asking questions and cracking heads, Garrett uncovers a web of corruption that stretches from the Oil Patch all the way to New York City as he faces gangsters' tommyguns on one side and the pressure of politicians and his own top brass on the other. Careful plotting, rousing action and colorful characters make this a believable mystery with a predictable message--old-time law enforcement worked just fine. (Oct.)