Robert Skinner has written three books in a series that takes place during the Depression in New Orleans. He selected the Depression because of stories family members told him about living during that time and how it affected them. To him, "the '30s represent America's last romantic age." Even so, he is cognizant of how difficult this time period was for those at the low end of the economic spectrum.Because his books are hard-boiled, protagonist Wesley Farrell had to be an outsider. So Skinner made Farrell a black man passing for white, something that was unacceptable in New Orleans at the time. In the first book of the series, SKIN DEEP, BLOOD RED, the reader learns about his deception in the denouement. But Farrell continues to hide his race from almost everyone. He wants to help other blacks, but he also fears losing everything he has.Farrell is a gambler and bon vivant. He gets involved in a very complex series of problems partly because he is depressed. Savanna Bealieu, the woman