RUNNERS

BOOK TWO IN THE OAKLEY SERIES

By Phil Oakley

Historical Fiction / Depression Era / Family Saga

Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing

Pages: 206

Publication Date: March 31, 2025

Synopsis

From the author of Little Hatchet, this gripping historical saga continues—a powerful story of resilience, family, and the price of ambition. Perfect for fans of epic generational tales and action-packed historical fiction.

Walter Oakley and his wife, Ada, used the westward expansion of America to establish themselves as model citizens in the town of Telegraph, Texas. Now, they watch in despair as their children lurch from one crisis to another — rum running, train-hopping outlaws, shattered dreams. With one child dead and another on the wrong side of the law, Walter and Ada struggle to keep their younger children on the straight and narrow. But trouble and temptation beckon as Prohibition and the Great Depression give way to the horrors of World War II. Will hope survive the chaos?

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Review

Take a peek into the life of one man’s family during the depression. Life wasn’t much easier back then, but it was a different world than what we see today.

I have not read the first book, Little Hatchet, but I didn’t feel too lost while reading this novel. Walter and Ada have seven children, and different sections of the book focus on five of those children. The oldest, Glenn, is mentioned as having already passed away, and the youngest sibling is only mentioned in passing. The story starts off with Ray hopping freight trains to get to California. He doesn’t make it the first few times since his parents manage to spread the word to the towns along the line to send him back. Ray is around 17, so that might not be a bad idea, and I couldn’t imagine anyone that young doing what he did. It was not without incident, but perhaps that was what this was about, adventure.

Other sections focused on Jimmie, Maryon, Brooks, and Ralph. These siblings could be hellraisers, and a few of them turned to alcohol to solve their problems, whether drinking it or bringing it in illegally since it was Prohibition. All the siblings were smart, but did not use their talents except for Brooks. While we peek into each of their lives, I wondered what happened next. I hope that all of these questions are answered in the next book.

Since this book is set during the Depression and World War II, the author described the times quite well. It felt authentic to the time period. I also like reading about Austin when it was not the bustling metropolis it is now.

I would probably recommend starting with the first book before diving into this one. It represents many families during this time. We give the book 4 paws up.

About the Author

Phil Oakley is a novelist and veteran journalist with experience in the motion picture industry. He is a retired regional executive with The Walt Disney Company (ABC News), a former director of the Louisiana Film Commission, and a retired editor with the Dallas Morning News. He covered presidents and presidential campaigns beginning with Lyndon Johnson and ending with George W. Bush. He was a television and radio anchor and reporter with national awards from Columbia University, the Radio-Television News Directors Association, and a National Headliner Award. He began work on his first novel in 1964 while a student at the University of Texas at Austin. He has written nine novels.

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