ABOUT THE BOOK
Narragansett Wild begins with the blood and chaos that defined 1968. Based on real people and events, it follows a tight crew of lifeguard smugglers chasing freedom in a time of war, corruption, and counterculture.
Rook, a Vietnam draft dodger, lands at the idyllic University of Rhode Island and slides straight into the outlaw life. His bike is fast. His hair is long. He breaks on through to the illicit side of seedy Narragansett.
At the center is Jimmy Chin, a manic force who builds a college drug empire under the noses of local cops. He takes Rook in as a new runner. Slick Rook makes the business look easy. The women come fast. Danger is part of the thrill.
As the game expands, outlaw Jimmy and his partner Stellan head to Florida and fall in with Meyer Lansky’s Jewish Mafia, turning smuggling into high art. Marijuana becomes gold. Cocaine takes hold. Their front is the surrealist Sergio Fuentes. Behind the artist’s genius, a global drug ring runs straight back to Rhode Island.
Rook falls for Tina, a raven-haired stunner with verve who wants him out. He does not listen. Instead, he takes his loot and sails off on a schooner toward the horizon and personal freedom. Jimmy gets arrested and does time in a cushy federal prison while the machine hums without him.
The mid-seventies smash all convention. Jimmy reemerges hungry and wants to make up for lost time. Florida's heat follows close behind. The empire expands. The stakes rise. Arrests mount. Deaths follow. The ride culminates in the infamous Dorchester case, the largest drug bust in United States history.
At trial, the country watches as Jimmy beats the rap. “How did he do it?” everyone asked. The shocking acquittals astound the region and rattle the underworld. Behind it all sit corrupt lawmakers, slick smugglers, and the power players pulling every string.
Narragansett Wild is the story that a lot of people wanted to go away for good. It crash-lands here and is about Jimmy Chin, Rook, and the women who tried to save them. It is about fighting the establishment and winning, taking risks, and the price of staying free. This is the inside story of crime in full color, raw and unforgettable, told through the eyes of someone who lived it.
