In the heart of Chicago, where shadows conceal secrets and organized crime reigns, one retiree embarks on an extraordinary journey.
David Blazen didn't know what to expect from retirement. Witnessing a murder that police are calling a suicide definitely was not how he planned to spend his "golden years."
With a strong need to know what happened to the victim and why, David attends the funeral, where he discovers an unusual cast of characters in attendance: the FBI, the frontrunner candidate for Mayor of Chicago, disciples of Chicago's two dirtiest crime lords, and dozens of police officers.
David begins to investigate why all these people cared about the victim and why no one was calling it a murder. In his search for truth and justice, he gets caught in a web of contentious situations, each filled with a mixture of humor and suspense.
The further his investigation goes, the more he realizes he shouldn't be asking who killed the victim or why it was being covered up. As David ultimately is confronted with becoming a criminal himself, the real question he has to ask is how much bad can he justify in the name of good?
As one reviewer said, "This book has the many twists and turns that a great mystery will throw at the reader. It is a fun read, witty, and suspenseful with many surprises turning up throughout the story. If you think you have this story figured out, you don't!"
All net proceeds from this book will be donated to nonprofit organizations benefitting senior veterans.
BOOMSTERS is the 2024 BIBA® Cozy Mystery Winner!
Praise for BOOMSTERS:
"We’re all searching for purpose and fulfillment in our lives, and this crime fiction adventure is both heartwarming and inspiring. An action-packed and surprisingly poignant yarn about a man’s search for himself as he enters his golden years."
~ Kirkus Reviews
"This book had me hooked from the first page. One of those diamonds of a book you cannot put down. A real true page turner. It has many laugh out loud moments that are hilarious. Very well written that keeps you thoroughly entertained. The ending of this book will leave you speechless. This is my top read so far this year and I highly recommend it. I love the author's imagination on this one."
"If you enjoy a variety of characters that you'll love (and a few you'll love to hate), laughing when you probably shouldn't (and definitely when you should!), a storyline pushing the boundaries but real enough to root for the good guys, this book is for you!"
"This book takes readers on a wonderful, amusing and unexpected journey that leaves you wanting more at the end of every chapter. I could not put this book down once I started reading it."
"From start to finish, Boomsters offers suspense, action, and laughs. The reader becomes enthralled in a world of challenges, excitement, and mystery as they follow Detective Blaze in this next era of his destiny. This is a truly gripping, thrilling, and quirky story that transcends generations. Highly recommend for a feel-good read."
"Sharp satire, zany, utterly improbable things happen but underneath it (is) a profound insight into human interactions and the way the world works."
Book Details
Genre: Mystery, Detective Mystery, Amateur Sleuth, Cozy Mystery, Action Adventure, Thriller
Published by: Wheatmark
Publication Date: August 2023
Number of Pages: 536
ISBN: 9798887470801
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Wheatmark
Read an excerpt:
Chapter 1
BOOMSTERS
“We are gathered here today before God and in the company of loved ones to celebrate life,” Rabbi Rabinowitz said. “The life of—” He paused. “The life of—” Another pause. Finally, he pulled a notecard from his pocket. “We are here to celebrate the life of Melvin Weinberg.”
I adjusted my tie as I leaned toward Mary. “More like celebrating his death,” I said. She rolled her eyes as she listened to the rabbi.
“Melvin, or Mel, as most of you probably knew him, was a husband and a father, a man whose life was cut short at the age of fifty-six. The world will not be the same without him.”
“Yeah, it will be safer now,” I whispered to Mary, who responded with an elbow to my left kidney. “What? Clearly this rabbi never met Mel.”
Candidly, I had never met Mel either, but I was confident I knew more about him than any of the two hundred or so people at the funeral. My guess was most were here not because Mel would be missed but because so many people wanted to confirm he was dead.
When you’re in your seventies like I am, you become familiar with funerals and the certain routine that comes with them, but it was easy to see nothing was routine about this one. Sure, the rabbi forgot the dead man’s name, but now he was extolling Mel’s virtues. Mel had no virtues. He was a murderer, a rapist, and a gambler. You can’t live life as a jerk and die a mensch. Clearly the rabbi was officiating as a favor to someone.
But that wasn’t all that was off. Those in attendance were also peculiar. First, a half-dozen FBI agents patrolled the room. Sarah Cutler—the woman expected to be Chicago’s next mayor—was sitting in the front row for all to see. Scattered throughout were members and employees from the West Coast Club, a fitness center I’ve worked out at for more than twenty years and a place I know Mel was no member of.
Then there was the crowd in the back row. On one side sat associates of Tony Santori, the head of the notorious Italian crime family. Santori expanded his family’s corrupt and dishonorable reign from New Jersey to the Midwest six years ago, and although he wasn’t in attendance, his presence was certainly felt. On the other side were members of the Deli Boys, a pack of Jews who’d owned Chicago’s streets for decades, at least until Santori arrived. Solomon Feldman was their leader, though he, too, was not present. A line of uniformed Chicago police officers blanketed the room’s back wall, there primarily to keep the peace between the two families.
Keep the peace? At a funeral? Like I said, the whole scene was bizarre. Then again, I guess it was fitting for the unique set of circumstances surrounding Mel Weinberg’s death. Why they were there was a legitimate question, as was this: As a retired businessman who spent fifty years selling trinkets like light-up Christmas necklaces and pens that sang “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” what the hell was I doing there?
To answer that question, I needed to take a step back.
-----
David Blazen is my name, born soon after World War II ended at eight pounds and who cares how many ounces. Growing up, I loved to watch Saturday morning television, where Superman stood for justice and Captain America defended our country from evil. All the shows I gravitated toward appealed to me because they focused on doing the right thing, no matter if the hero was a rifleman or a collie. I liked when bad people were caught and justice prevailed. When I couldn’t find the right story on our black-and-white TV, I’d find it in my piles of GI Joe comic books. Before I fantasized about girls, I dreamed about being GI Joe.
The best education I got came from my World War II-veteran dad, a navy man who was the smartest person I knew, even though he never made it past fifth grade. From him I learned how to be human. His motto was simple: “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
I went to Wright Junior College in Chicago, but saying I went there is a loose term. I only showed up when I wanted, which wasn’t often. I wanted to learn to be a salesman, so when I wasn’t in class, I was practicing my craft. At that time, I sold personalized pens. I decided I learned all the school could teach me three months into my freshman year when I sold Wright Junior College ten thousand pens emblazoned with the school’s name on them.
After my brief stint in college, I started my own business. I sold creative impulse merchandise of all kinds—things people decide they can’t live without, like an extendable back scratcher or holiday-themed ice trays. Those who knew me then would call me creative and fast-paced, and I would agree. I had a zest for being zestful. My creativity was not stymied by what others did or what books said, only by the limits of my imagination. Every day, I challenged my brain to think outside the norm.
I got married to an incredible woman, and we raised four incredible children. I lost her to cancer far too young, before she could see any of our ten adorable grandchildren.
I retired after five decades at the helm of my company and issued my declaration of independence—I call it that because I truly felt independent for the first time in my life. No parents or teachers telling me what to do. No customers to worry about. No colleagues to manage. When I got that gold watch at my farewell party, it wasn’t just a sign of gratitude; it meant I was on my own.
The irony was I didn’t have anything to do; who cared what time it was?
When people asked about my retirement plans, I joked I’d figure something out, but really I didn’t have a clue. One advantage was I wouldn’t be completely alone. My girlfriend, Mary, retired from her forty-year business career the day after I left mine, and we entered this new world enthusiastic to travel, relax, and enjoy our lives with one another, like those hokey life insurance commercials with aging couples hugging on a boat, grateful to have time together.
It took us four days to realize we didn’t like boats and there was only so much hugging to do.
We went from leadership positions where others counted on us for direction to spending virtually every waking minute together. It used to take only one of us to squeeze the tomatoes at the produce counter, but now it’s a two-person event complete with discussion and, in most cases, a concession on my part. I was no dummy, though; bigger decisions would be needed at the avocados. What used to be short trips now became extended outings. Lunch was another discussion, followed by a compromise. Everything we did was a discussion, then a compromise.
The one thing we agreed on was we needed a new plan.
***
Excerpt from BOOMSTERS by David Marks. Copyright 2024 by David Marks. Reproduced with permission from David Marks. All rights reserved.
David Marks launched DM Merchandising, a wholesale marketplace for business owners, in 1988. He spent 30 years relying on his creativity in the hopes of developing the world’s greatest impulse products. He retired in 2018, thrilled for a new chapter in life, only to discover his creativity had hit a brick wall. One day he was an innovative workaholic with a team of more than 200 employees, the next day he found himself with no forum to exercise his mind.
Desperate to do something creative, he imagined a fictitious character facing the same traumatic reality of retirement. Inspired by watching crime stoppers on TV, David began pondering the question of how much bad could be justified in the name of good. With no clerical staff and limited typing skills, he put his thumb to work and began tapping out a story on his iPhone. A book was never the goal. The exercise was simply meant to help keep his mind sharp. But in the process, Boomsters was born.
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