The Broken Man

Sometimes a damaged child becomes a broken man...

Broken Man on a Halifax Pier is a tale of one man’s shipwrecked life and an unlikely crew of rescuers hoping to save not only him but also themselves.

A former circus performer and criminology professor becomes a PI in “one of the best detective novels of the year” (TheNew York Times Book Review). With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as “Mongo the Magnificent”—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf. Now a detective in New York City, Mongo is hired by the widow of a famous architect to find out if her husband is really dead—because a new building just went up and it looks like his work. As Mongo begins to uncover the surprising truth, his investigation gives a whole new meaning to an architect’s façade. The intrepid sleuth will need all of his extraordinary skills to find his man without losing his own life, as some very powerful forces want to send him back to the drawing board. With a freewheeling blend of mystery and science fiction elements, author George C. Chesbro introduces the man called Mongo, “the most engaging detective in decades” (Library Journal). Shadow of a Broken Man is the 1st book in the Mongo Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

People who knew J. Heinrich Arnold (1913-1982) say they never met another person like him. In his presence, complete strangers poured out their darkest secrets and left transformed. Others wanted him dead. Author Henri Nouwen called him a prophetic voice and wrote of how his writings touched me as a double-edged sword, calling me to choose between truth and lies, selflessness and selfishness... Few knew Arnold's past, or could have imagined the crucibles he endured. Until now.

Take a deep breath before you are born here, my child! You take birth in a land where I struggled; gave it my sweat and blood. A land that I thought belonged to me..…unbridled, uncompromising. Krishna is a Dalit boy from Bihar who struggles too verthrow the chains that hold him back. Chhavi is a high caste Brahman girl fighting for the rights of others, propagating equality in a politically charged Lucknow University campus. After Krishna saves Chhavi from getting torched during a protest against reservation, love slowly blossoms, only to be ruthlessly crushed by a society that thrives on divisions of caste and religion. From student politics in Lucknow to the interiors of Bihar, from the corridors of power to the glitz of media and the film industry in Mumbai. A Broken Man is the quest of a deprived Krishna to redeem hope from despair, love from separation and success out of repeated failures. From the bestselling author of It Happened That Night and Three Times Loser, this is a story that reinforces our faith in what love can accomplish as it pushes us to achieve the impossible, making us tap our true inner potential.

Shell shock achieved a very high political profile in the years 1919-1922. Publications ranging from John Bull to the Morning Post insisted that shell-shocked men should be treated with respect, and the Minister for Health announced that the government was committed to protecting shell-shocked men from the stigma of lunacy. Yet at the same time, many mentally-wounded veterans were struggling with a pension system which was failing to give them security. It is this conflict between the political rhetoric and the lived experience of many wounded veterans that explains why the government was unable to dispel the negative wartime assessment of official shell-shock treatment. There was also a real conflict between the government's wish to forget shell shock whilst memorialising the war and remembering the war dead. As a result of these contradictions, shell shock was not forgotten, on the contrary, the shell-shocked soldier quickly grew to symbolise the confusions and inconsistencies of the Great War.

FREEDOM. He finally tastes it, and it's everything he didn't imagine... Scott thinks he's hit the life lottery when his parents drop him off at the college dormitory. No more rules. No one watching his every move. Even better, he's free to live out his secret fantasies. And he plans to play. Hard. Dirty. Rough. Until he meets Troy - the sexy, take-charge guy living across the hall - who turns out to be just as damaged as he is. Scott doesn't want Troy's body or his heart. Just his friendship, which becomes intense and all-consuming. And it's exactly what Scott needs: someone he can finally trust who won't screw him over. Again. But a smooth-talking blond, bartering for Scott's attention, slowly begins to tear them apart as both men navigate the turbulent years called growing up. Yet no matter what is thrown at them - first love, heartbreaking loss, family drama - Scott and Troy's bond seems unbreakable. But even best friends have secrets. Until it isn't a secret anymore. And when it explodes, it's not easy to pick up the pieces and keep going. Not when they find themselves challenging deep-rooted assumptions about each other and themselves... Raw and rich in emotion, Broken Man Broke is a provocative coming-of-age story about unspoken desires, belonging, and the hopes that hold us together as easily as they can tear us apart.

Where do I begin to tell this fiasco of a journey that once was my life? How do I sum up 38 years living on a tiny island that was well known for drug trafficking, rape, incest, and political corruption? And what might be the consequences of unravelling secrets that, until now, noone dare reveal? Today I share my story, the story of a man who has gone through tumultuous times, living the role of both Victim and Perpetrator. What I describe here is not to hurt anyone or to gain sympathy. It is my way to healing, and a call to inspire others who may need it.