Dirt Road to Darkness

Before Bill Wellington made his fortune, he was a poor kid living on the edge of desperation in rural Mississippi. He goes to the city to find a better life and finds himself entangled in the dark world of organized crime. At every turn, he finds himself deeper involved, and though he hates darkness and evil, he finds that he cannot escape. Through his loyalty to the Mob and his cunning, he becomes a millionaire. He desperately wants to leave the darkness behind, but the Mob and his lover will not let him.

This is the prequel to the previously published book, The Black Rose.