The following is excerpted from SNAKE by Mike Freeman. Copyright © 2016 by Mike Freeman. Used by permission of Dey Street Books, a division of Harper Collins. All rights reserved.
Stabler’s philosophy of living life to its fullest, and enjoying the ride, out of fear of becoming his father, actually began when he was in his early teens, when he started drinking beer. Stabler occasionally slipped out of his home on weekend nights to join friends. (It’s difficult to believe the controlling Slim didn’t know his son was escaping the home to go drink. It’s more likely Slim let Stabler go with them.