Down and Out in the River City
“Who’s Down and Out in the River City? Certainly not Francis Lenihan, a special process server who has been kettled, locked up and kicked out of his wife’s restaurant. Happily, he still has his favorite Dogtown bar, papers to serve and a mystery to solve.”
— Bill McClellan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
You’re Going Down, Fool
WHY IS FRANCIS X. LENIHAN SKULKING AROUND HOPEVILE, the tent city on the banks of the Mississippi at St. Louis? No, he’s not trying to serve a summons, he’s looking for an answer as to why his card was found in the pocket of a young homeless man who died in this camp. It’s a mystery that Francis wants solved and so does Dr. Lambert, the father of the deceased and Francis’ new benefactor.
Lambert has hired Francis and his partner, Cale Twohey, to look into his son’s last months at Hopeville and what characters they meet—ragged, forlorn indigents that society has scorned, a foot fetishist named Jesus, and Jacob Vorhof, The Soup Man, a stuttering psychopath whose choice of lethal weapon is a stash of opioids. It is 2017 and Francis, intrepid process server, is growing long in tooth. But is he any wiser, choosing to risk prison to delve into a string of killings at the camp? Set against the tumult of civil unrest, Down And Out In The River City is briskly written, a nail-biter with comic twists and turns, flush with flawed heroes and aspiring reprobates, conniving and conspiring to no good end.
“If you’re ready for a story that’s raw, emotional, and eye- opening, Down and Out in the River City is one you won’t forget.”
— Rahul Gaur, BestSellers World
“Stage’s story is steeped in a sense of place and personality that places it head and shoulders above other crime stories.”
— Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review
“... a heartful and thoughtful mystery... It is another enjoyable return visit to the St. Louis area and another adventure with St. Francis of Dogtown, a man with a sense of justice and a good soul.”
— Stuart Shiffman, Illinois Times
“… gritty and highly engaging crime novel that stands out for its unique ability to balance dark themes with moments of sharp humor.”
— K.C. Finn, Readers’ Favorite
February 2024
Designed by Michael Kilfoy, Studio X
ISBN: 979-8-218-53259-8
272 pages
$15.95