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Mud Puddlers, a historical noir novel about how Hoover Dam opened the floodgates to organized crime in Las Vegas
Shaun Bailey, author
William Black may be the first racketeer to ever hit Las Vegas. He isn’t content “puddling mud,” or pouring Hoover Dam's concrete. He’s more concerned with running “the Black Bank,” an underground lottery complete with runners, middle men—the works. The only thing standing in his way is Simeon Eliason, the boomtown's dictatorial mayor. But does Black fall in line? No, instead he doubles down, and the reason is simple. If Black succeeds, he may never again have to perform hard labor. But if he fails, Eliason will have the proof he needs to send Black to the very back of the bread line, or worse. He could cement Black's legacy as a warning to every gangster intent on creating Sin City.