Forest of Fortune gets a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. No spoilers, but lots of love:

Ruland brilliantly blends the darkly comedic crime fiction sensibilities of Charles Willeford with creepy paranormal undertones à la Dean Koontz in his addictively readable debut, the chronicle of three hard-luck losers who try to turn their lives around in an Indian-owned casino in a remote region of Southern California…. The existential angst in this story is palpable, and Ruland is particularly good at describing the casino’s customers: “addicts, imbeciles, and thrift-store bimbos.” Powered by adept characterization, darkly lyrical prose, and an unexpected but oh-so-perfect ending, this is the literary equivalent of a slot machine jackpot.