Another novel about casino corruption

New novel set on northern Minnesota Indian reservation

A summer resident of Minnesota has set his first novel on a fictional Ojibwe reservation.There's a new novel in bookstores that's set on a northern Minnesota Indian reservation. The book is called "In the Absence of Honor."

First-time novelist Jim Proebstle is a summer resident of the Leech Lake area. His family ties to the region go back to the 1920s, when his grandfather was a switchman for the Great Northern Railway in Cass Lake.

Proebstle, a management consultant in Deer Park, Ill., weaves a story that includes tribal casino corruption, conspiracy and murder.

Proebstle told Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson he's been fascinated by the history and culture of reservation life since he was a kid. But he said it was a challenge to write about a culture he's only seen from the outside.Comment:  I'll bet it was a challenge for an outsider to write about tribal culture and casino operations. I wonder how well Proebstle handled the challenge.

Stories about casino corruption are already a cliché. I wonder if Proebstle has anything new to say on the subject. I wonder if he managed to avoid the gaming stereotypes seen in SCALPED, South Park, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy, CSI: Miami, Numb3rs, Veronica Mars, Not Enough Indians, Tishomingo Blues, etc.

For more on the subject, see The Facts About Indian Gaming.