Yellow Mesquite

Harley Buchanan wants out—out of his hardscrabble existence in West Texas, out of the dead-end farming life of his family, and out of the heartbreaking discovery of his high school sweetheart with another boy. He hitches out of Separation, Texas, determined to forge his way in the art world of the 1960s. But he can’t leave his past as easily as he left Texas. A shocking discovery ignites a blood-lust that propels him on an adrenaline-driven mission of revenge back to Texas, where he finally confronts the obsession that has crippled his entire life.

“[…] The places Asher takes us, both visually and emotionally, range from the dirt-poor farms of West Texas, to Dallas, to Lower Manhattan, to Uptown, and back again. The people he becomes involved with range from trailer-trash, to oilfield millionaires, to eccentric artists, to art-scene sophisticates. They lie, cheat, steal, love, and hate. They betray and they support. They are petty and generous. One thing they are not is forgettable.” —J. T. Conroe, author of Blue Hotel and The Tower Maker.