In the tradition of the spell-binding adventures of Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn/Chee mystery series and the compelling legal thrillers of master of the genre, John Grisham, Steven J. Clark’s debut novel, Wage$ of Greed, is a legal mystery/thriller that will easily satisfy the most ardent fans of both and leave readers begging for more.  

Set in the bustling Four Corners city of Farmington, New Mexico and the surrounding Navajo reservation, Hillerman fans will delight in the familiar genre of mystery and adventure cloaked in the richness of Navajo culture.  Readers will be introduced to the legal duo of Danny Whitehorse, the first reservation born Navajo attorney to open a private law practice in the Farmington area, and Jason Stevens, his long-time friend from law school days.  Together they must unravel the mystery of why the giant Gannon Oil Company, founded by the infamous Four-Corners Oil Barron, Red Gannon, has suddenly begun turning off natural gas wells on the reservation.

Their investigations lead the attorneys to discover a highly secret pipeline system they are convinced is diverting gas production from Danny’s clients’ so-called “dry wells”, but they lack conclusive proof.  In a dangerous gambit, Danny files a class-action lawsuit against the company hoping the discovery process will give him the evidence needed to prevail. 

But the act places Whitehorse and his colleagues directly in the murderous crosshairs of Red Gannon’s wrath as the Oil Barron’s henchmen try to chase down and kill the attorneys before they expose Gannon’s evil conspiracy.. 

WARNING! You may want to catch up on your sleep now, because when Wages of Greed with its many twists, turns and nail-biting surprises is released to the public, you won’t be able to put down this heart-pounding, page-turning thriller by Steven J. Clark.

The rusty, old pickup truck only minutes before had gingerly made its slow and cautious way in the dark down the little used dusty track.  Now it careens crazily through deep ruts and boulders as it speeds away from where it has just been. The truck suddenly slides to a stop amidst a great cloud of dust.  Three men dressed in military style battle uniforms scramble out and gather quietly but with excited expectantly at the tailgate. Suddenly a huge explosion shatters the darkness of the peaceful early-morning darkness as a huge, roiling fireball rises high above the desert floor.  As the fireball fades, a column of flame shooting hundreds of feet into the air reveals itself.  At its base lies the twisted wreckage of what only moments before had been one of over a thousand Gannon Oil Company natural gas wells scattered across this remote corner of the vast Navajo reservation.  Thus begins the war between Gannon Oil, the Native American Liberation Front (NALM), and the six-hundred forty-eight Navajo families represented by Attorney Danny Whitehorse.