Dreamland; Rise the Dark; The Eternal Party

 First up, "Dreamland" by Sam Quinones. How did black tar heroin from a small town in Mexico become the drug of choice among middle and upper class white kids in the heartland of America? Such a thing seems impossible. Quinones deftly explains how the invention of a time release opiate known as Oxycontin in the mid-1990s changed how physicians prescribes opiates. Believing that the time release aspect would keep people from becoming addicted, doctors began prescribing Oxy in record amounts. Of course people became addicted, and because black tar heroin was cheaper, plus the drug dealers pushing it became adept at figuring out a delivery system, more and more people switched to heroin. It was shockingly scary to read.

Michael Koryta's latest was very good, taunt and suspenseful. Jay Baldwin's wife Sabrina is kidnapped, and Jay is contacted by a man named Eli Pate. Eli is described as a cross between Charles Manson and Nikola Tesla. Pate tells Jay if he cooperates and helps him bring down a massive power grid then Sabrina will be returned to him unharmed. Meanwhile, in Florida, Mark Novak is trying to find the man who murdered his wife two years earlier. Mark and Jay's stories intertwine in the Montana wilderness.

It doesn't feel like Larry Hagman has been gone that long, but it will be four years in November. Wow. I was such a fan, I loved "Dallas" (I got to take a trip to Texas in 2005 and visited the actual South Fork Ranch. It was awesome). I read his autobiography a few years back and enjoyed it. On his deathbed, his daughter Kristina recounts how he begged for forgiveness, only she couldn't figure out what he needed forgiveness for. She tells her story in this tribute to her dad, growing up with the always drunk and high Hagman who loved nothing more than to be the life of the party, the center of attention. While it's clear she loves her parents, she also made no excuses for their poor behavior that often put her and her brother at risk. It was a quick read that makes me want to go back and rewatch "Dallas" :)