This collection of short stories has something for just about everyone. It ranges from the ridiculous to the sublime, from the fanciful to the brutally realistic, from the thoughtful to the zany. The title story is a comic treatment of the much-reported use of steroids and other drugs by athletes on every level, from junior-high to the top ranks of professional sports. The last story has to do with a World War I veteran who wanders as a railroad brakeman from one region to another through the 1920s, having a hard time facing the thought of putting down roots.

In between, three of the offerings feature Simon Sharp, intrepid private eye, as he deals with an assortment of characters – some good and some bad – as he goes about solving crimes or just keeping tabs on both information and people for his clients.

He usually operates on a month-to-month basis financially from his secretary-less suite of one room on the fourth floor of a rundown building in which the elevator has a mind of its own. In one of the other stories, one of the characters insists on speaking only in verse, while doggerel is important in some of the others.

Three of the stories are centered on spiritual themes, though all the stories actually reflect the metaphysical aspects of human nature, as do all novels, poetry, essays and the like. Semantics play an important part in a number of the yarns…just a bit of fun with words. The political angle is prominent in a couple of the pieces, along with the concomitant corruption, while a look at the seamy world of boxing features a couple more.

"The Stem-Cell Quarterback" & Other Stories

ISBN: 978-1-4357-0082-6 (paperback)

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online distributors, as well as by request at any bookstore.

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"The Stem-Cell Quarterback" & Other Stories.