Submitted Photo “Black Gold in North Dakota,” by Joe Field, is the sequel to Field’s debut book, “Brown Sugar in Minnesota,” and part of a series starring Cooper Smith, a reporter for Minnesota Public Radio. Throughout Field’s latest thriller, many of the stories are inspired by true events which reflect the issues associated with the booms and busts of the Bakken oil field.

Last summer, the world was watching as massive protests against the Dakota Access pipeline, led by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, brought national and international attention to the state of North Dakota.

Joe Field, a rising crime and thriller author hailing from Duluth, Minnesota, has been interested in issues surrounding the Bakken oil field long before the rest of the world was watching.

Recently, Field has incorporated this interest into his latest thriller, “Black Gold in North Dakota,” published through Paul Bunyan Publishing.

It’s the sequel to Field’s debut book, “Brown Sugar in Minnesota,” and part of a series starring Cooper Smith, a reporter for Minnesota Public Radio.

Largely set in North Dakota in December 2014, “Black Gold in North Dakota” is the story of Cooper Smith’s quest to use his investigative skills to help find his wife’s best friend, the granddaughter of a prominent North Dakota state senator, who has gone missing from her hometown of Williston.

In pursuit of the roughneck oil workers who are the main suspects, Cooper finds himself in the Deep South, where he learns that this may be one story too big for his Northern britches to come back from in one piece.

“I hope to highlight some of the issues associated with the booms and busts of the Bakken oil field,” Field said. “Many of the events in this story were unfortunately inspired by true events.”

The story features Cooper’s research into the rougher side of the oil industry and the workers who temporarily call western North Dakota their home.

“Black Gold in North Dakota” is available now for pre-order on Amazon, and is scheduled for publication on July 28.

For more information visit Field’s website:

www.joefield.net.