Scoundrels & Cocktails (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798218827489)

Meet Reid Franco, a middle-aged former pro baseball player and movie stuntman who has traded the bright lights for the dim neon of a friendly bar. Now a self-styled private investigator, or as he prefers to call himself - 'problem interceptor', Franco seems most drawn to the kind of dubious cases and off-beat adventures that usually start with a drink and end with a bruise, and his success rate is surprisingly better than it was in his previous failed careers. Surprising because his outer persona covers for the truth that this dropout is untrained, inexperienced, unlicensed, and he doesn't carry a gun.

On top of that, he's reckless, easily annoyed, drinks too much, stubbornly refuses to adapt to modern times, and he manages his personal life in a state of self-induced angst. In short, he carries a load of baggage. But despite his faults, Franco is the guy you want in your corner when the chips are down. Whether he's dismantling a sex trafficking ring or facing off against a neo-Nazi gang, he relies on street smarts, improvisation, and muscle to defeat the unscrupulous scoundrels who prey on his friends and clients. Meanwhile, this amiable romantic at heart is his own worst enemy when it comes to handling life's simpler problems.

Franco regales us with his tales of oddball characters, dangerous confrontations, and an unheeded love interest as if you were sitting together at a neighborhood bar. It's all told in a laid-back style and sprinkled with wry humor. This collection of stories explores what happens when small-time crime, comedy, and heart come together.