Lost in Ghost Town

Book excerpt: "Psychologist to Hollywood elite Carder Stout delivers a page-turning memoir about his fall from grace into the gritty underbelly of crack addiction, running drugs for the Shoreline Crips, surviving homelessness, and finding redemption in the most unlikely of places. Raised in a Georgetown mansion and educated at exclusive institutions, Carder Stout ran with a crowd of movers, shakers, and future Oscar-winners in New York City. But words like "promise" and "potential" are meaningless in the face of serious addiction and Carder fell hard for cocaine which landed him dirty, broke, and homeless, wandering the streets of Venice, California, in search of his next high. His lucky break came thanks to his old Ford Taurus: he lands a job of driving for a philosophical drug czar with whom he finds friendship and self-worth as he helps deliver quality product to LA's drug enthusiasts, from trust-fund kids, gang affiliates, trophy wives, hip-hop producers, and Russian pimps. But even his loyalty and protection can't save Carder from the peril of the streets--or the eventual contract on his life. From a youth of affluence to the hit the Shoreline Crips put on his life, Carder delves deep into life on the streets. Lost in Ghost Town is a riveting, raw, and heartfelt look at the power of addiction, the beauty of redemption, and finding truth somewhere in between"--