View the complete line of books in the CW McCoy and the Brinker series of crime novels, as well as a few of my nonfiction works, at Amazon and other fine retailers.
Tag Archives: cops
Month of Mayhem
Next week kicks off a Month of Mayhem, with a look at the places that shaped Brinker’s story in his debut crime novel Mr. Mayhem—all in preparation for the return of the defrocked journalist and PR whiz this fall in the sequel, Mr. Magic.
Brinker returns a kinder, gentler guy who draws inspiration from his girlfriend Carly, a mate he calls The Buddha and the landscapes of the Greater Lehigh Valley. But in the meantime, he’s still stalking the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.
Each day in August, visitors on social media view the scenes that inspired Brinker’s day job and his extracurricular work, as well as the ones that fueled his loves and addictions. Here’s a look at some of the sights that became models for the novel.
1959 Cadillac hearse used by Col. Mabry when the modern version breaks down.
Stroudsburg, Pa. funeral home that inspired Brinker’s workplace, Mabry & Sons.
The house on Sarah Street in Stroudsburg, Pa. where Eddie Maps allegedly killed his wife and daughter plays a seminal role in Mr. Mayhem.
Corner house in Stroudsburg, Pa. served as a model for the home of the first victim.
Brinker’s mascot, Pecan Man, haunts Mabry & Sons funeral home.
One of most famous taverns in the Burgs, Rudy’s served as model for Willy’s Tavern.
The intersection at 7th & Main in Stroudsburg, Pa., plays host to politicians and other fatalities.
The Water Gap Trolley became the model vehicle for Brinker’s Magical Murder Tour.
A walk on the dark side with ‘Mr. Mayhem’
Sued by his publisher for libel, Brinker is reduced to promoting trolley tours of crime scenes. The tour business is dying. There aren’t enough murders to draw a crowd.
A good serial killer would help.
When his doctor asks for aid in euthanizing terminal patients, Brinker hires an assassin named Angel, who reigns chaos and fame on the sleepy resort town.
But as Angel’s demands soar with the body count, Brinker wonders whether he’ll become the latest addition to his own list.
For better or worse, Mr. Mayhem, the first in the Brinker series of crime thrillers, comes alive in this video.
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Pulp Fiction: On the Bayfront
They skulked into my office like Dodger fans the day Bobby Thomson hit the shot heard ’round the world. Guy and his frail, both pulling faces. The mug must have lifted weights in his sleep. The dame had killer legs and a top that couldn’t contain her enthusiasm.
Neither could I.
“You Doyle?” muscles said, his voice tight as a dog collar.
I checked the black letters on the door. “Can Judy Garland sing?”
Popeye mouthed a cigarette. Tough baby.
“Take a load off,” I said, and we did the introductions. Dutch Malone worked the Navy Yard. Helga Nordmann worked on me. Her blue eyes could cut glass. Two kids squatting in a cold-water walkup in Bay Ridge. Out of money and out of luck.
Helga cracked her gum. “We got trouble.”
“So does Korea,” I said.
“Somebody’s trying to kill me.”
I smiled. “Now that’s a crime.”
You can see this entry in the New York Times pulp fiction contest at this link.
Jeff Widmer 