The Seventh City of Refuge - Paperback

"Sure, Conor was free to do whatever. He'd carve out who he'd be and how he'd live. Still, he existed in a world where freedom didn't eliminate necessity. Like right now, in this bed, with this trick. He needed what was going to happen to happen. Choices were ancient history."

Conor's methamphetamine habit has gotten out of control, which is just the way he likes it. His belief that life only happens if you take risks keeps himself and his partner, Pete, a recovering alcoholic, in constant danger of falling off the edge into the depths of their vices. After witnessing a tragic death on the Santa Monica Pier, Pete suggests they move from Los Angeles to restart in rural Washington, where they can either start anew, or take the fall.

Enter Jim and Angie: dog-breeders and doomsday preppers, whose dedication to eliminating the risks of life clashes with Conor and Pete's own strategies for survival. As the young men find themselves growing closer to the preppers, they discover that starting again isn't as easy as it sounds. Stumbling through relapses, new friendships, and sexual indiscretions, the pair struggle to find their footing, before the choices of their pasts catch up to them.