
Drowning in the Desert
A Nevada Noir Novel
Bernard Schopen(Author)
University of Nevada Press
Published on 22. August 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
223 pages
978-1-64779-118-6 (ISBN)
Description
Norman "Fats" Rangle, an ex-deputy sheriff, operates a horse stabling and excursion business with his brother and sister-in-law on their family ranch in the small rural community of Blue Lake, a few hours outside of Las Vegas. But fate has other plans for him when, high on a southern Nevada mountain range, Fats discovers the wreckage of a plane that crashed two years earlier. Although he reports his find to the sheriff, he does not disclose that someone had already been to the crash site-evidence that Fats deliberately destroyed.
Soon, Fats is tracking back and forth between Las Vegas and Blue Lake in a search for a missing cousin, a briefcase full of cash, and finally, for a killer. Along the way, Fats also begins to understand that he's searching for himself and his place in a rapidly changing West.
Angry and alienated, Fats distrusts everyone he meets, from sleaze-merchants and political power brokers to two women: one he wants to believe in, a retired judge; and one, a police sergeant, he can't quite believe isn't deceiving him. After all, in this Nevada, corruption is a given. Everybody lies. Much is uncertain-motives, loyalties, affections. But in Drowning in the Desert, one thing is certain: water is a precious resource that can both kill and be killed for.
Soon, Fats is tracking back and forth between Las Vegas and Blue Lake in a search for a missing cousin, a briefcase full of cash, and finally, for a killer. Along the way, Fats also begins to understand that he's searching for himself and his place in a rapidly changing West.
Angry and alienated, Fats distrusts everyone he meets, from sleaze-merchants and political power brokers to two women: one he wants to believe in, a retired judge; and one, a police sergeant, he can't quite believe isn't deceiving him. After all, in this Nevada, corruption is a given. Everybody lies. Much is uncertain-motives, loyalties, affections. But in Drowning in the Desert, one thing is certain: water is a precious resource that can both kill and be killed for.
Reviews / Votes
Drowning in the Desert follows the twisted intrigues of a crime investigation while exposing both the ambiguity and darker side of human behavior. The book's central theme of corporate and political corruption to obtain water rights is reminiscent of the neo-noir film China Town." - H. Lee Barnes, author of The Gambler's ApprenticeMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Reno
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 142 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
272 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64779-118-6 (9781647791186)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
08/2023
University of Nevada Press
€27.49
Available for download
Person
Bernard Schopen enlisted in the U.S. Navy after high school and then earned his BA and MA in English from the University of Washington. He completed his PhD at the University of Nevada, Reno and went on to teach at several universities and colleges. He was a recipient of the Alan Bible Teaching Excellence Award in 2007. Schopen has published seven novels, including The Iris Deception: A Jack Ross Mystery. He was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame in 2000.
Content
Cover Page
Western Literature and Fiction Series
Copyright Page
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
About the Author
Western Literature and Fiction Series
Copyright Page
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
About the Author