A Dubious Collection

Principally known for his nonfiction books Oklahoma Courthouse Legends and the award-winning Oklahoma’s Most Notorious Cases, Frates tries his hand at spinning some vintage Oklahoma yarns based on his experience as a lawyer and state legislator. His cast of colorful characters include a corrupt sheriff, a penny-pinching doctor, a conniving politician, and a cockfighting ex-con in schemes and escapades, both small and large, legal and illegal. Whether ultimately comedies or tragedies, the tales all share a strong dose of reality. A Dubious Collection also features poems by Frates and drawings by noted Oklahoma artist and sculptor Patrick Riley.

Kent Frates is an Oklahoma City attorney, historian, and author. He served in the Oklahoma Legislature from 1970 to 1978. A contributor to This Land and Oklahoma Today magazine, he wrote the original script for the independent film CockFight, which was filmed in Oklahoma, starring Wilford Brimley, Rex Linn, and Gailard Sartain. He is author of the poetry book The Captain and His Crew and four works of nonfiction, including Oklahoma Hiking Trails, Oklahoma Courthouse Legends, and Oklahoma’s Most Notorious Cases, Volumes 1 and 2. Oklahoma’s Most Notorious Cases won the national Benjamin Franklin Award for political and current events.