Twelve-year-old J.J. DuMond lands in Las Vegas in 1991 and promptly sees his family and city blow up on him. After dealing with a bitter divorce, a first crush lost to relocation, an eighth-grade bully terrorizing his school and the fall of his adopted Runnin’ Rebel heroes, he spends the next 15 years trying to find his footing on shifting sands. With each misstep, though, comes an opportunity for redemption from unlikely sources: the heroic Air Force pilot who marries his mother; J.J.’s estranged father, a celebrated music critic who finally uses some of his genius to help his son; and his offbeat passion for music, which keeps him moving forward when nothing else will.
The setting has multiple roles—from ruthless, implosion-happy Sin City to keeper of metaphysical secrets—but it's ultimately used to help navigate J.J. through the forces of nature, nurture and luck. As one of