In Will Simpson’s first book in the Texas Sharks series, we meet Slade, a young man raised in a strict religious home in the 1980s. By the end of high school, Slade encounters a strange and exciting world, one his parents shielded him from his entire life.

Throughout Slade’s childhood, he was taught that thinking about anything other than what transpired in his household and tightly-knit community was forbidden. The repercussions of daring to break the rules in thought or action were immediately met with a heavy hand of enforcement.

From an oppressive life with constant pressure from his family to fit into a mold that offered no relief, Slade is driven to venture out into an unknown world, where the rules and language are incomprehensible yet draw him irresistibly closer.

Slade is eager and learns new terms like 9-ball and Texas Hold ‘em, whereas before, he only knew poker and pool. Armed with this new lingo, he moves seamlessly into the brutal subculture of gambling and hustling. He mingles with an array of small-time con artists in ways he could never have imagined as he comes of age and cuts all ties with his former life.

While Slade struggles to become his own person, fate brings him together with Wild Phil, a bookie who becomes his surrogate father. Phil may just hold the keys to Slade’s future. With skin in the game, Slade’s actions lead him to question whether he’s on the right path or if it’s one where winners are defined by the losers they leave behind.

In this high-stake wild ride, Slade learns the hard lesson that you must lose to win.