The Outlaw Shuffle

The Outlaw Shuffle, a serio-comic thriller, tells the story of an abduction, a chase across the Southwest during the pandemic summer of 2020, with a final confrontation in Las Vegas.

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Hugh is a dishonored psychologist and lonely widower traveling in an RV who abducts a woman simply for the companionship he believes will ensue. His victim is the fifties-something Josephine or Jo. Her husband, Bray, and a ragtag group of social media followers give chase based on leads gleaned from social media.

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The Southwest of 2020 was a place filled with suspicion on many levels: politics is defined by those with masks and those without, those who display the American flag and those who don’t. The pursuers of Josephine navigate all this as they search campgrounds, RV parks, Federal lands, small towns, and truck stops. They encounter angry Trumpers, Second Coming believers, RV nomads, Instagram influencers, and other quirky characters.

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During the chase, Hugh and Jo begin to play Gin Rummy, and in her seclusion from the outside world, the two develop a relationship of sorts. His goal is to eventually compete again in a Gin Rummy tournament in Las Vegas. When he gets a near-fatal case of COVID, Jo agrees to take his place.

Author BIO:

Having spent the 1980s as a manager of Las Vegas nightclubs, Kurt Johnson knows a thing or two about what happens in Sin City after dark, and his debut novel, Las Vegas Turnaround explores the scene as Johnson knew it back in the day. His writing is characterized by a straight-shooting style that unflinchingly plunges into the seedy side of Vegas.

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Kurt Johnson wrote the novel The Barrens based on his daughter Ellie’s epic canoe journey through the Barren Lands of Sub Arctic Canada. The novel is also based on Ellie’s life growing up and coming out as a lesbian. The Barrens is the winner of the 2023 Minnesota Book Award for novel and short story.