Prodigal Bum

Bobby "Capone" Carter, the alcoholic son of a wealthy Chicago businessman, disappears after a vicious argument with his upright father and devious younger sister. Years later, as the father is dying of cancer, a desperate search begins for Bobby. His father wants to make amends before he dies. His sister wants him located for other reasons. Hiding from his life as a wealthy heir to a large fortune, Bobby exists as a homeless man in Atlanta's Piedmont Park, making him an extraordinarily hard man to find. Being found could mean many things, depending on who finds him first.

From the wealth and grandeur of downtown Chicago to the lovely environs of Atlanta's Piedmont Park, Bobby "Capone" Carter, the heir to a self-made African-American millionaire, is hiding from many people, including his own family. Trading in a life of luxury, Bobby is well hidden as a homeless man in Midtown Atlanta. Having left the Windy City and his upright father and gorgeous sister, in an alcoholic rage, Bobby's life spins farther out of control down South. Everyone seems to be looking for him, including his dying father, his sister, and various shady characters meaning to do him harm. His only ally seems to be Kurt Parker, a former Airborne Ranger turned philanthropist. As Kurt struggles to protect Bobby, enemies are closing in.

Raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Dan Richart was exposed to literary greatness throughout his teens and into his young adulthood. Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, Richard Wright, Shelby Foote, Pearl Buck, Tennessee Williams, Barry Hannah, and a host of other gifted, literary Mississippians inspired him to practice the art of storytelling. Life as a teacher, businessman, husband, father, and therapist has exposed him to a wide array of people, places, and experiences that have shaped his writing. He has lived in the Atlanta, Georgia area since 1996.