While all readers want to be entertained and captivated by stories that sing, this collection of five novellas, all set in the deserts of the American Southwest, are stories that zing. A zinger is an amusing remark, and even more than that, refers to an outstanding person or thing. Come on this journey that stretches from the shores of the ill-fated Salton Sea of Southern California, all the way to greed riddled Las Vegas, Nevada, and every arid region in between. This cast of characters that ranges from the lowly and destitute to the richest of the rich real estate developers also includes guerilla marijuana growers, star crossed lovers, and professional gamblers. Whether the conniving or the innocent, all are weaved together by one thread of commonality: they are subject to the whims of a harsh desert environment that paradoxically torments and nourishes them at every turn.