A self-described "military brat" from Alabama, Chris Heifner transferred to the University of Texas at El Paso in 1997 to live with his grandmother, study economics and pursue his dreams of climbing the corporate ladder to "a cubicle, business cards, my own coffee mug, a reserved parking spot, a 401(k), and a daily routine that didn't include worry and exhaustion." Somewhere along the way, his dreams are waylaid by hard partying and his girlfriend Missy's pregnancy. Late nights at the stripper clubs of "Hell Paso" with classmate Jeff "Jake" Andes don't help. The bills mount, and Missy's telemarketing job and his part-time job at Best Buy aren't cutting it. He needs money bad and turns to Jake, who always seems to have plenty, for a loan. Instead, Jake offers him a job running weed to the Midwest and money back to Mexico to fuel Jake's growing drug business.
Mule is the story of how a vivacious business graduate derails his life for the alluring money of drug trafficking. Despite his sincere efforts to get ahead, Heifner's ambition consistently lands him in trouble. One thing leads to another, until the DEA busts him and offers a deal--if he becomes an informant. We sympathize when he says, "All I knew for sure: rock, me, hard place." Heifner neither is the first nor will be the last to get into such a spot, but his tale of life in "the life" is refreshingly candid. --Bruce Jacobs, founding partner, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, Kan.