Books by Mike Miner

"We are such fragile creatures." The men, women and children in these stories will all be pushed to the breaking point, some beyond. A failed boxer turned mob enforcer in Boston looks back on a life filled with pain, inflicted and endured. In Los Angeles, a recovering heroin addict revisits an old haunt on a twisted mission of mercy. Luck has run out for a crooked politician in Hartford who tries to cash in his chips before leaving town. Crazy visits a young boy in the form of a jilted actress who takes him on a doomed road trip he'll never forget. A little girl who doesn't want to lose her parents will commit a crime for all the right reasons. Heroes, villains and victims. The lives Miner examines are haunted by pain and violence. They are all trying to find redemption. A few will succeed, but at a terrible price. All of them will face the consequences of their bad decisions as pipers are paid and chickens come home to roost. The lessons in these pages are learned the very hard way. Throughout, Miner captures the savage beauty of these dark tales with spare poetic prose. Praise for THE HURT BUSINESS: "Mike Miner's short stories hit like a heavyweight's body shots. So buy this book, and tighten your abs. Or go buy Eat, Pray, Love and shut the f**k up." -Todd Robinson, author of The Hard Bounce and Rough Trade "Mike Miner is a dissector of the human soul, and this piercing collection reminds us that the way people hurt each other and the way people love each other are inextricably linked." -Scott Adlerberg, author of Jack Waters and Graveyard Love

Matthew Flanagan is living the American dream. A plum job at an ad agency. A hot wife. A beautiful home in Southern California. But something is eating him up inside and a nasty drinking habit is about to cost him everything. After his life finally collapses around him, Matthew disappears to Vegas with a girl he barely knows. When word reaches the Flanagan clan back in Connecticut, Matthew's brothers Mark and Luke are sent on a mission to find their brother and bring him home. It's a longer and darker journey than either of them planned on. At turns funny and moving, Prodigal Sons is a hard-boiled American odyssey. A family saga with the heart of a crime novel. Praise for PRODIGAL SONS: "The work of an extravagantly talented writer, Prodigal Sons is one of the best debut novels I have ever read." -Sterling Watson, author of Suitcase City, Fighting in the Shade, and Sweet Dream Baby "Miner's wicked electric chair humor calls to mind the best of Elmore Leonard and Charles Willeford." -Patrick Michael Finn, author of From the Darkness Right Under Our Feet and A Martyr for Suzy Kosasovich