The Case of Russian Roulette and other Stories

About the Book

A naïve high school boy is egged into playing the deadly game of Russian Roulette by his dominant buddy, resulting in a tragic death. The boy’s parents want to know the facts of the accident and believe their son’s buddy was somehow responsible. They file a civil law suit against the other boy with the help of a young lawyer.

A lengthy trial ensues with shocking revelations. The outcome of the trial poses intriguing moral complications beyond the scope of the law. The readers are left to draw their own conclusions about the morality of the case.

After a sumptuous dinner on his birthday an elderly lawyer falls asleep in his easy chair in front of the fire. His wife shakes him awake and he relates a frightening dream wherein he witnessed his own funeral and burial and afterwards a luncheon at their home for family and friends. His wife consoles him and suggests an ingenious way of dealing with his anxiety.

A buttoned down executive is out to dinner at the Mill Race Inn in Geneva, Illinois with his beautiful wife. He encounters difficulty in finding a parking place, and when he eventually does, a young guy steals his spot that he had been waiting for. He confronts the other driver with a surprising result.

This series of four stories about the intriguing character of Artie and his straight laced friend, Fred, concern Artie’s driving, their unusual experiences on the golf course and in the nineteenth hole of Chicago area country clubs. These stories are developed in conversations between the two buddies driving to the course. The third tale unfolds Fred’s experiences in Province, in southern France, his encounter with a gorgeous French girl and the ethics of his conduct. The final story reveals Artie’s relationship with a sister-in-law that lives with him and his wife.

A trilogy of farm stories of a teen age boy, Tad, growing up in southern Illinois during the great depression. These tales trace major crises in Tad’s life concerning his pet German Shepherd, their hired man who was his best friend and confidant and the awakening of his sex drive and the wonders of his first love.

“He Had It All,” part I and II are set in an affluent south suburb of Chicago, and relate the troubled social relationships of two young couples, their striving for social and business success, and the effect on their future lives.

“I’m From the Hunt Country,” a World War II story of three young buddies at an air base in the deep south, describes a fascinating braggart, his leadership of the group, and an unexpected outcome.