North of Patagonia — Johnny Payne

This darkly humorous fourth novel by Johnny Payne takes us from the blues clubs and boxing rings of Chicago to the world of Kentucky harness racing and the hedonism of South Beach. Its characters--among them the black elites of Chicago and the white working stiffs of Hooftown--live by their wits, able to outfox everyone but themselves, and all the time borne up by big hopes and big hearts.