Career criminal Lionel Wayne Sturgis is traveling from Florida to California to visit his dying mother. The only problem is that he has to steal a string of vehicles to get there. His plan goes horribly wrong when he takes a truck in Louisiana and is later pulled over outside of Alpine, Texas. Sturgis starts shooting, killing a police officer in the process.

Faced with a jury trial, Sturgis works with Garrison Trask, a criminal defense attorney with 25 years experience. An anti-death penalty advocate, Trask defends the surly Sturgis who appears to have no remorse and no redeeming qualities.

Sturgis ultimately battles more than just a jury of his peers, and learns that the rugged Big Bend region of Texas is no place to be taken lightly.

Ben Doggett, recent recipient of the School Administrator of the Year award, is a man of high character and morals. Admired by his peers, honored by his superiors, and loved by everyone in Midland, Texas, Ben is a humble family man who always puts others before himself. But with the simple click of a mouse, all of that is about to change. After a message pops up on his MacBook and asks if Ben would like to spin the wheel on an online gaming site, Ben naively hovers his mouse over "OK" and clicks. Six weeks later, Ben is thousands of dollars in debt. Prisoner to his newfound gambling addiction and the passionate affections of his secretary, Ben knows his life is taking a fast, steep fall. Unfortunately, every time he thinks he has found a way out of the madness, the hole he has dug for himself and his family grows deeper. Desperate for a solution, Ben makes another fateful decision that puts not only his life in danger, but also the lives of those who love him. An Absence of Principal is a tale of hope, redemption, forgiveness, and one man's desperate attempt to return to the life he once loved-before it is lost forever.

Career criminal Lionel Wayne Sturgis is traveling from Florida to California to visit his dying mother. The only problem is that he has to steal a string of vehicles to get there. His plan goes horribly wrong when he takes a truck in Louisiana and is later pulled over outside of Alpine, Texas. Sturgis starts shooting, killing a police officer in the process.

Faced with a jury trial, Sturgis works with Garrison Trask, a criminal defense attorney with 25 years experience. An anti-death penalty advocate, Trask defends the surly Sturgis who appears to have no remorse and no redeeming qualities.

Sturgis ultimately battles more than just a jury of his peers, and learns that the rugged Big Bend region of Texas is no place to be taken lightly.

Ben Doggett, recent recipient of the School Administrator of the Year award, is a man of high character and morals. Admired by his peers, honored by his superiors, and loved by everyone in Midland, Texas, Ben is a humble family man who always puts others before himself. But with the simple click of a mouse, all of that is about to change. After a message pops up on his MacBook and asks if Ben would like to spin the wheel on an online gaming site, Ben naively hovers his mouse over "OK" and clicks. Six weeks later, Ben is thousands of dollars in debt. Prisoner to his newfound gambling addiction and the passionate affections of his secretary, Ben knows his life is taking a fast, steep fall. Unfortunately, every time he thinks he has found a way out of the madness, the hole he has dug for himself and his family grows deeper. Desperate for a solution, Ben makes another fateful decision that puts not only his life in danger, but also the lives of those who love him. An Absence of Principal is a tale of hope, redemption, forgiveness, and one man's desperate attempt to return to the life he once loved-before it is lost forever.