I just finished reading what I considered to be a really entertaining and engaging book by a retired New Mexico State University economics professor. And no, it’s not some scholarly tome analyzing micro economic impacts of locust infestations on eastern European wheat farms.
The book, by long-time friend, neighbor and distinguished NMSU professor Jim Peach, was exactly the kind of fiction I like — a tale of international intrigue including murders, multiple suspects and skullduggery in world energy markets.
I first met Peach, a Regents Professor of Economics at NMSU and author of many scholarly papers, when I needed statistical data for market research I was preparing for the old First National Bank of Dona Ana County. I struck up a friendship with him and his wife Kathy that has lasted for years. My wife and I see them regularly on walks through our neighborhood and our dog Chester, has identified Jim as an easy mark for treats.
I knew Peach had a great background in economics, population growth and other factors that were of interest to a bank’s market research. But until I read his book, I never knew how much of an expert he was in energy markets. I also never knew he had so much experience in international travel. And I never suspected he had a novel in him.
Both his experience and background in energy markets and international travel make his book “Hinton” such a great read. It’s well written and entertaining, but also full of interesting and educational insights. I won’t go into any details about the story — you’ll have to read it yourself.
I’m no literary critic, so I won’t critique the book in any way except to again repeat that I really like this kind of story and rushed through it in just two days. (I do, however, have to express my disappointment in his use of the Oxford comma — something former journalists like me disdain because we were always coached by editors to trim superfluous punctuation in our stories).
Peach grew up around oilfields in both Texas and Oklahoma and his experiences there show up in many places in the book. One quote I particularly liked by the protagonist Hinton confessed that he had “about as much influence with the (oil and gas) industry as a half-pint of whiskey split eight ways in a Texas deer hunting camp.” Hinton also claimed to be on a never-ending quest for the best chicken fried steak in Texas and said he would never stand a chance to be elected to Congress from Oklahoma because he was a “native Texan and an academic.”
“Neither of those things would go over well in Oklahoma,” he declared.
Peach’s experiences in international travel were valuable, bringing details about restaurants, hotels and travel options that added a richness to his story.
And of course, as a long-suffering Chicago Cubs fan, he couldn’t pass up opportunities in the book to share his views on baseball and the “Loveable Losers.”
His book is currently for sale on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble online and you can soon be able to find it at local booksellers. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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