The Work of The Devil

The disappearance of a University of Texas student in Matamoros led police to the discovery of a drug-dealing cult whose rituals were not only unholy but unthinkable.

by Gary Cartwright

Rock Bottom

A series of terrible decisions and bad breaks ruined Gibraltar Savings. Is rescuing it another mistake?

by Peter Elkind

It Can Happen Here

As the banking crisis of the future unfolds, the president will try to convince us that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Too bad we won’t believe him.

by Robert Barnstone

The Perfect Hill Country Weekend

An excursion through the best parts of Texas, featuring sleepy little towns, clear little streams, pluperfect biscuits, and two-headed goats.

by Patricia Sharpe

Bathing Beauty

Suit yourself this summer with elegant, classic swimwear.

Photography by Sally Gall

The Long, Strange Trip of Ed Bass

Interesting things can happen when a man with an unusual vision also has an unusual amount of money.

by Bill Crawford and Joe Nick Patoski

Kid with a Gun

In his lifetime Audie Murphy traveled from the cold reality of World War II to the ultimate illusion of Hollywood.

by Don Graham

Art

Soviet Idealism

In a Fort Worth exhibit of Russian and American paintings, two groups of artists use the same vocabulary to express profoundly different views of life and art.

by Michael Ennis

Behind the Lines

Not so hard-core.

by Gregory Curtis

Books

Moving On

Dave Hickey’s fine short stories are enhanced by the scarcity; Texas expatriate William Humphrey takes on the Cherokees’ Trail of Tears.

by Suzanne Winckler

Reporter

Texas’ Nuclear Neighbor

Triple threat: Scientists fret that an underground nuclear dump will pollute the Pecos; surveyors set off a storm over the center of Texas; cities sweat safety risks from stolen aluminum.

by Tom Curtis

Roar of the Crowd

Fun Fare

Flying high on low tech; facing a painful but complex issue; waging war on pests.

State Secrets

Sonny Disposition

A barbecue shrine is rescued from the pit of despair; Boone Pickens gets gasses in an Amarillo political war; Bill Clements blocks a wildlife refuge for Texas.

Edited by Paul Burka