Writer, Machinist
Darren Musial
Connections
Miles Hollander works for the TSA at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. He is not highly motivated, successful, or even particularly interested in his work. However, the monotony has helped him develop a specific skill for which his job is a perfect fit… petty theft.
Scanning and processing thousands of passengers a day gives Miles access and opportunity to their purses, jewelry, wallets, briefcases, computers, and baggage. When a traveling con man named Van Dalton notices Miles’ talent, he offers Miles a job. Shocked and scared he could be spotted so easily; Miles flatly refuses and vows to stop stealing. But when a chance one-night stand with a woman way out of Miles’ league results in her husband on the floor of a hotel room with two bullets in his chest, Miles finds he has nowhere else to turn. Van Dalton is all too happy to help, but now Miles must work to repay his debt.
Finding himself torn between his friends, his job, and the life he wants, Miles must hustle like never before to keep himself in the clear, and out of jail.
Double Kiss
The most action Max Deacon sees these days is at Dougie’s Pool Hall, where he keeps the tournaments fair and breaks up fights among players.
Then, on a night like any other, Sharon—a single mother and waitress—asks Max to accompany her to a hotel in downtown Chicago for protection. Despite her playful flirting, Max senses that something is wrong. He ignores the warning bells and agrees to be his friend’s knight in shining armor.
At the hotel, Sharon is on edge. She orders Max to appear menacing, explaining that it’s a business deal and that she doesn’t want to look vulnerable. Against his better judgment, Max stays behind in the bar while Sharon attends her mystery appointment.
She returns upset, but they leave without incident. The next day, however, Max is shocked to learn that four people at the hotel were shot, three of them fatally, and that Sharon’s been arrested for murder. Max doesn’t think his friend could commit such a heinous act, but why was she at the scene of the crime? With tips from his brother, a homicide detective, he embarks on a dangerous quest to discover the truth—and hopefully clear Sharon’s name.
Hit Out
Someone is targeting Dougie, the owner of the local pool hall. His employee, Max Deacon, shrugs it off. That is, until Dougie is beaten so badly he ends up in the hospital. Max knows something fishy is going on with his cagey employer.
As Max assumes managerial duties at the pool hall, the strange incidents continue. A drive-by shooting riddles the place with bullets. When Max calls 911, the cops suspect him of setting the whole thing up. An angry Max decides he needs to take action and find the real culprit.
Max uses his US Army Ranger training and underworld contacts to sniff out any information that could be useful. Dougie’s sister gives him his first big lead. She suspects that Dougie’s girlfriend, Aaliyah Johnson, and her brother, Carter, are up to no good. But when Max tracks down Aaliyah, he finds an anxious woman afraid for her own life. Is Aaliyah’s mysterious brother behind the beating, or will the culprit be someone else entirely?
A pool player turns private eye in this neo-noir about the Chicago underworld. Author Darren Musial combines his love of the Windy City and expertise in pool for a truly unique mystery.
Break Shot
Max Deacon is just a regular guy. A bit of loner, he feels most at home when he’s playing pool or working behind the counter at Dougie’s Pool Hall. But while he’s known for his skill with a cue, his personal life seems riddled with bad decisions and worse luck.
When a few waitresses from a nearby bar ask Max to help them solve a harassment problem, he reluctantly agrees to rough up their boss, Marky Sanchez. Of course, the simple favor opens the door to a world of hurt when Marky turns up dead and the waitresses are nowhere to be found. Running from the law and the real killer, Max races to solve the crime before he either winds up in jail—or dead.
An irreverent, fast-paced mystery, Break Shot plunges into the sleazy side of Chicago with a wit that keeps you laughing and twists and turns that keep you guessing.
Support your local book store. Break Shot, Hit Out, and Double Kiss can be ordered through any reputable book seller, but are for sure available from some of my favorites, such as:
City Lit Books - A very well curated collection of books in the hipster-chic neighborhood of Logan Square.
Bucket O' Blood - A cool store full of new and used horror, science fiction, and detective novels as well as vinyl records and movies. New and improved location at Belmont and Elston.
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The Book Table - This fantastic and 'fiercely independent' bookstore is where I like to buy books for my own collection. Located in quaint downtown Oak Park.