A Little Blood and Dancing

Ringer editor Parker’s messy debut follows career criminal Sylvia Table as he awaits a life-changing inheritance and attempts to escape his past. The action kicks off in 1980s Oklahoma, where Sylvia is locked in a violent confrontation with narcotics dealer Solomon Blackwood after losing thousands of dollars in drug money. Rejecting Sylvia’s offer to turn over his car and pay off the remaining debt in monthly installments, Blackwood tries to kill him instead, only to be fatally shot during their scuffle, which is witnessed by Blackwood’s five-year-old daughter, Priscilla. The action then shifts forward 16 years and focuses on Sylvia and his tempestuous relationship with waitress Lady Sixkiller, which he hopes to smooth over once his uncle dies and leaves him a chunk of cash. Meanwhile—unbeknownst to Sylvia—Priscilla, now 21, is plotting revenge for her father’s death. Despite some commendable stylistic flourishes and memorable imagery (“They were married at the courthouse in Ox, sun-bleached paintings of dead judges staring at them”), the plot eventually stalls out on its way to a foregone conclusion that fails to surprise or satisfy. Parker’s a promising talent, but his ambition exceeds his execution in this one. Agent: Dan Kirschen, CAA. (June)