In the novel The Devil's Palm, a West Virginia sheriff, Terrance Fowlkes, attempts to enrich himself by building an illegal casino on a beautiful piece of countryside owned by old timer, Andy Mehrhaus. Fowlkes and his bogus deputies run a car over Mehrhaus in the middle of the night. With the property in his pocket, Fowlkes attacks the locals who block the construction of his so-called family resort. Blackmail and murder clear the way, but Michael...