Sanctuary is a light-hearted novel about Global Warming, worldwide overpopulation and the inexorable consequences of outlandish wealth inequality. An underground cave is discovered in The Bob Marshall Wilderness area during the Cold War. A bunch of billionaires set out to create the most luxurious bomb shelter ever built, far from the madding crowd and miles away from prying eyes. Their vision is not shared by the bulk of their peers who prefer to fritter away their wealth on fast cars and loose living. During the ensuing fifty years the Cold War dies a natural death, to be replaced by the existential threat of Climate Change. The opulent hole in the ground morphs into a Sanctuary for rich folks who wish to preserve their personal prosperity and at the same time to circumvent the demise of the species. When a category 5 hurricane deluges Miami Beach even the most devoted climate deniers have a come to Jesus moment.

Russ Hatler's tenth novel, Giants, is set in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. It tells the story of a brave, resilient people reeling from the wrath of Mother Nature while struggling to survive the machinations of political chicanery. It's also the tale of a young man's treacherous journey from adolescent angst to responsible adulthood. The novel follows the progress of Brandon Stevenson, eponymous protagonist of The Hedonist, from North Carolina to Utuado, a small town in the mountainous interior of the Enchanted Island. Interwoven with the fictional narrative are several historical chapters describing the rape of Puerto Rico by Christopher Columbus and his merry band of Spanish Invaders in 1493 and proceeding all the way up to the rape of Puerto Rico by Vulture Capitalists in the present day. Philosophy, politics, recreational pharmaceuticals and ecological mischief also take their lumps. The humor in the book is dark and merciless.

Dmitri Raskolnikov is going to visit his mistress, Michelle, in Las Vegas. Dmitri made his fortune smuggling weapons. He likes to bury the competition. Literally. On the other side of the world Tony Erickson attends a Las Vegas electronics show where he meets Genny. After chatting Tony leaves for a session. When Tony returns to Genny's booth she's gone. He's told she works for an escort agency. Tony calls the agency. By mistake they send him Genny's older sister, Dmitri's Michelle. Tony and Michelle share a torrid sexual session. Next day Tony phones Genny for lunch. They end up at a motel where they too enjoy a torrid session. Tony is torn between two sisters. Genny and Tony's sexual romps increase in intensity. Tony soldiers on but in the end he's whipped both literally and figuratively. Meanwhile Tony and Michelle develop a genuine fondness for each other that turns to love. When she finds out, Genny erupts in a jealous rage and plots to dispose of Michelle and Tony permanently.

Jimmie and Dolly are at it again. A slot machine irregularity in a bank of Keno slots The Greek sold to an Indian Casino in New Mexico has cost the casino a loss of face big time. It may well cost them real money as well. Jimmie heads to Albuquerque to find out what's happening. His investigation takes him to the east coast, redneck country and a close-knit family of conniving rascals. Jimmie ends up twelve miles offshore on an ocean-going gambling boat at the mercy of the elements and the clan. Then it's Virtual Reality time as Jimmie goes caving in search of fame and fortune. Jimmie manages to meander his way through the booby-trapped maze but he's outfoxed by the bad guys once again. Then it's avatar versus avatar in an epic battle of gamesmanship. And where's the delectable Dolly when Jimmie needs her most?

Misty, Molly and Sally grew up together in Anaheim, CA. Misty and Molly moved to Nashville, NC. Sally stayed behind but they all get back together at Blackbeard's Museum in Beaufort after learning what life's all about. Misty became a dentist with a rural practice. She worked her way through dental school spending weekends flat on her back, delivering compensated sexual favors to the movers and shakers of Raleigh. Molly earned her Master's Degree in Cultural Anthropology and is gainfully employed as a glorified accountant for a chicken packing plant. She hates her job largely because she goes home nightly smelling of wet chicken feathers. She's always wanted to be a model. Sally attended U C Irving but dropped out when she became pregnant with Mac's child. Mac did the honorable thing and married Sally, much to the dismay of his wealthy parents in Boston. These are their stories.

Something big is about to go down in the Windy City. Nobody knows the exact details, but they sure know who to call. James "Jimmie Quick" Silver has earned a much deserved reputation as a man who knows where the bones are buried. He is ably assisted in his detecting pursuits by his next door neighbor, Dolly, a topless dancer with more on her mind than fluff. Lucy, Dolly's fellow ecdysiast, has gone to Chicago to help organize a group of dancers and something has gone horrible awry. In the end Jimmie and Dolly save the slumbering Lucy from a fate worse than death, and Dolly becomes more deeply entangled in the web of Jimmie's dubious charm.

A fractured twist on The Pilgrim's Progress, the book describes the first-person narrator's six-thousand-mile automotive odyssey that covers two weeks and twelve casinos. It is filled with wit, philosophy and homespun advice regarding the eternal battle that pits domestic harmony against the pursuit of liberty. Although casino gaming plays a large role in the tale the narrator also finds himself thrust into the ageless game of sexual hide-and-go-seek when he reaches out to help a gorgeous goddess and comes up with a handful of happy endings.

Michael Archer is a Social Worker from Murphy, NC. His boss recruits him for a moonlight stint interviewing the hapless denizens of a nearby cluster of tumbledown shacks at the request of a pharmaceutical company in Atlanta. It seems the firm has found a cure for Alzheimer's and the ingredients they need to manufacture the drug are buried deep beneath Lucas Ridge. The job seems straight-forward at first but when a co-worker ends up dead in a mosquito-infested swamp, Michael begins to wonder whose calloused hands are tugging on his personal puppet strings.

In the world of casino gaming, larcenous souls tip the scales of fortune in their favor. Casinos don't stop players from cashing in if the win is honest. But if the rules in the game are bent, casinos counter the results. James "Jimmie Quick" Silver knows life on both sides of the fence. He was a dealer, a player, a winner, a loser and a fugitive run to earth. Now he's a high-tech-gadget toting servant for the house. He finds folks who scam the casino. They cheat or steal; they skip town on a bloated marker. But they leave clues for Jimmie and Dolly to find. When she isn't helping track down scum, Dolly dances in a North Las Vegas dive. Jimmie tracks the casino's current trio of bent blackjack players from Las Vegas to Palm Springs. When the suspects are traced to Puerto Rico, Jimmie and Dolly catch a plane to the Caribbean for a quick trip through the islands, ending up in Santo Domingo for the breathtaking finale.