Thickets

Dan Kelly, a banking executive in exile, his personal life in shambles, has been dispatched by his Mississippi-based bank to gain a foothold in Texas, a precursor to eventual expansion throughout the moneyed Lone Star State. He settles in among the labyrinth of towering pines and thick hardwoods in the area referred to by natives as Deep East Texas, a region barely known to exist by those who have never ventured into the area. Surprised and intrigued by the amazing secluded beauty of his new surroundings, and bored by his mostly self-imposed existence, Kelly begins a secret, part-time endeavor offering parcels of land to potential buyers beyond state borders, utilizing ads placed in regional newspapers in neighboring states. An elderly couple, presenting themselves as a retired industrialist and his wife from Ohio, answers one of the ads, then quickly purchases one of the parcels located in the deepest part of the East Texas woods, in rural San Gabriel County. Unbeknownst to Kelly, the couple is acting as a front for a brutal, murderous crime syndicate leader, recently forced to flee northern Ohio due to the death of a sheriff who became too nosy. Slowly becoming aware of the danger he has wrought on the trusting natives of San Gabriel County, highlighted by the death of at least one local citizen, Kelly begins a desperate search to undo the damage he has ushered into the beautiful East Texas forests. His frantic efforts lead him from Dallas to Houston, and eventually to Knoxville, Tennessee, as his own life descends into danger. His odyssey comes to a violent end on a dark September night, as he faces his own mortality in a life-and-death confrontation in the now-threatening thickets of the East Texas woods. Dan Kelly, an exiled former banking executive, his personal life in shambles, has been dispatched by his Mississippi-based bank to gain a foothold in Texas, a precursor to eventual expansion into the moneyed Lone Star state. Settling in among the towering pines and thick hardwoods of the labyrinth existing in the region known as Deep East Texas, he soon becomes amazed by the unexpected secluded beauty of the area. Intrigued by his surroundings, and bored by his basically self-imposed circumstances, he begins a secret, part-time endeavor selling parcels of land to buyers beyond state borders utilizing ads in regional newspapers. An elderly retired couple from Ohio purchases one of the parcels in rural San Gabriel County, deep in the thickest part of the hidden thickets. Unbeknownst to Kelly, the couple has acquired the acreage as a front for a brutal, murderous drug ring leader, recently forced to abandon his northern Ohio operation due to the death of a nosy sheriff. Upon realizing the harm he has caused to the trusting natives of San Gabriel County, and following the deaths of local citizens, Kelly looks for ways to undo the danger he has ushered into East Texas. His desperate efforts follow him from Dallas to Houston, and finally to Knoxville, Tennessee, confronting personal threats along the way. His frantic search ends on a dark September night, during a life-and-death struggle in the now-threatening forests of the East Texas woods.