The Vacancy Hunter

Farm boy Buck Giles survives in the wartime trenches of Northern France and later gains unimagined oil wealth during the Great Depression. With dogged determination and the aid of a renowned attorney, Giles confirms in the courts his claim to a small but lucrative portion of the Yates oil field in Pecos County, Texas. Years later, envy and political intrigue force Giles back to court to defend his victory.

Inspired by actual events, the story takes the reader through the early development of the Texas petroleum phenomenon, a story that continues today as the Yates and other Texas oil fields yet fuel the Unites States economy.

-- Carter Burdette