‘Blood Aces’ author, investigative reporter to speak at Tarleton

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3131STEPHENVILLE (January 23, 2015) — Pulitzer-nominated investigative journalist Doug J. Swanson of the Dallas Morning News will discuss his latest book, Blood Aces: The Wild Ride of Benny Binion, The Texas Gangster Who Created Vegas Poker at Tarleton on Wednesday, Jan. 28.

The brown bag lecture, sponsored by the Department of Communication Studies, begins at noon on in Room 125 of the Math Building. The general public is invited to attend and bring a sack lunch.

Swanson’s book tells the fascinating and deadly story of one of the Lone Star State’s greatest racketeers. Benny Binion ruled the Dallas underworld in the 1940s and later became a founding father of modern Las Vegas, where he started the World Series of Poker.

Among the book’s many reviews, The Daily Beast said Blood Aces “reads like the best kind of crime drama—where you find yourself rooting for the bad guy.”

“Mr. Swanson is an outstanding writer and reporter and his book gives a lot of insight into a side of Dallas history that many people are unaware of,” said Dr. Charles Howard, chair of the Tarleton Department of Communication Studies. “We welcome the public to come and hear his discussion, which will be followed by a book signing.”

Swanson, a John S. Knight Fellow in Journalism at Stanford University, has published five novels; Blood Aces is his first work of non-fiction. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing, and twice has been named the top newspaper reporter in Texas.

His novel, Big Town, was a finalist for the Edgar Award and won the John Creasey Award from the British Crime Writers Association. It was the first of five books in the Jack Flippo series.

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