Dirt Rich - Softcover

Howard, Clark

4.03

128 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451148010 ISBN 13: 9780451148018

Publisher: Signet, 1987

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Crossing America during the early 1920s, midwesterners Georgia and Sam Sheridan unknowingly take the first steps on a quest for identity and a search for a ocean of oil that will make them rich

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From Publishers Weekly:

Just back from World War I, Sam Sheridan is a bit bewildered by his cool reception in the dusty town of Dane, Tex., when he arrives with his pregnant wife, Georgia, a beat-up car and a letter informing him that a man he never met has left him 100 acres of land. The estate lawyer offers Sam several thousand dollars to part with his legacy, but refuses to answer any questions. Local merchants shun Sam, stating only that Pete Spence, the richest man in town, wants him out. An old cowboy, Draw Poker, and his Indian sidekick Tongue befriend Sam, who finally learns some hard truths about his origins. With singleminded intensity, Sam and a growing crew of outcasts probe his land for oil. After successfully tapping the biggest oilfield in East Texas, Sam sets out to ruin Spence and the town of Dane, and unwittingly allows ambition to taint him irreparably. Despite their larger-than-life qualities, there is a flat predictability to the characters and situations here. Though the territory is familiar, Howard, author of true-crime tales Brothers in Blood and Zebra, has written a solid, smooth entertainment. 75,000 first printing; $75,000 ad/promo. March 24
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal:

No one is more surprised than Sam Sheridan when he receives an inheritance of 100 acres of Texas brush land from Able Patmana man he has never met. Intrigued, Sam and his bride leave Kansas City in 1921 and encounter an icy reception in Dane, home of the influential Spence and Patman families. Sam teams up with an old cowboy and a taciturn Choctaw and, later, when they discover oil, timid Sam is transformed into a force bent on revenge against Pete Spence for past injustices. This is really two stories in onethat of Sam and of Able Patmantwo strong-willed men who carve their empires in the Texas prairie. This entertaining and well-written novel paints a vivid portrait of Texas life in the late 19th century and of the development of the East Texas oil fields. Explicit sex scences may deter some readers, but this is a worthwhile purchase for most public libraries. Maria A. Perez-Stable, Western Michigan Univ. Libs., Kalamazoo
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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