Little Boy Dead — Marshall Thornton

In this prequel to the Lambda Award-winning Boystown mystery series, former Chicago police officer turned private investigator, Nick Nowak is haunted by a traumatic break-up and his abrupt departure from the department after being gay-bashed. It's fall 1979 and Nick has just received his P.I. license but has no clients. Short on funds, he takes a temporary job as a driver for Film Fest Chicago. In a very short time, Nick deals with stalking fans, a crowd of protesters, and a critic's stolen wallet that leads to murder.

30,000 words.