Private Investigator Michael "Mickey" Ross is again involved in a series of investigations generated by his new business Yankee Investigations. He has two new employees, his old NYPD partner's son and a retired cop from the Armonk P.D. During this episode he is asked by a wealthy, Wall Street, stockbroker to find his kidnapped son without going to the police. The adrenaline pumps are running full force as Ross and his partners become involved the situation after an attempt is made to rob a local bank. Ross continues to spend any extra hours at his summer home in the Hampton's but is called back to work by his partners to handle those special investigations that he insists on being a part of. A plane goes down in the reservoir and Ross tries his best to help the pilot. He is forced to call upon his friend in the mafia to help him find "The Loon". The Loon, belongs to the Chicago based outfit. He has been moving drugs for the mafia for the past two decades and when the New York mafia tangles with the Chicago outfit The Loon is right in the middle of it and so is Ross. This episode involves kidnapping, murder, smuggling and narcotics. Ross's life is threatened by The Loon who is possessed with a burning vendetta to kill Ross. The story travels from the banks of the Hudson River in rural upstate New York to the Atlantic shoreline of Southampton Long Island and as far south as Key West, Florida. Although he was supposed to be retired Ross just couldn't give up the thrill of the chase and cherry picked the cases from his office that might involve a chase. He never got over the longing for an adrenaline rush that every street cop lives for. He found more satisfaction doing private investigations work than he did as a homicide detective. Now there were no rules to play by and there was no one looking over his shoulder. It was after his retirement that Ross opened up a P.I. business in a wealthy Westchester New York community. Ironically you just don't find P.I.'s hanging a shingle out in affluent neighborhoods. Michael "Mickey" Ross is a fictional character that I created within the scheme of my imagination. Although he is fictional I have gently infused many of my life's real experiences into the soul of this imaginary character. Throughout this trilogy Mickey goes from the middle class world he was accustomed to into a higher social stratum where he experiences the lifestyles of the rich and famous. He no longer drives a Volkswagen Rabbit but instead, had become accustomed to The Ultimate Driving Machine. Like the fictional character Ross I also spend my time in New York, the Hamptons, and along the Treasure Coast of Florida. Mickey Ross had run the entire gamut from bottom to top and had numerous friends in government, politics and the mafia. In many ways Ross is the guy that many cops and ordinary people long to be like. It was my intent to write a series of books that are filled with fast, easy reading stories that will hold the readers interest throughout the book. As these stories progress and the characters are developed Ross becomes a little older and wiser. He definitely appreciates the latter as opposed to the former One of my other pre-requisites in writing this Trilogy was to present each book as a Stand Alone novel and not subjugate the copy with fifty-cent words like subjugate. I hope you enjoy reading about him as much as I have enjoyed writing about him. Rich
About the Author: This is the first autobiography I have written. I do feel a bit self-serving writing it but here goes. I was luckier than most kids because I grew up poor. Starting at the bottom gave me the advantage of appreciating those small experiences that are taken for granted by so many. I survived the New York City school system and by the time I graduated high school Elvis was singing "Heartbreak Hotel." After two years at Colorado A & M I dropped out. It was probably the best two years of my life. Over the next five years I drove a truck and completed at tour in the US Army. In 1962 I was appointed to the position of Trooper on the New York State Police. At thirty I married the girl of my dreams and we have three wonderful daughters. In 1968 I received a promotion to Detective/ Investigator and was assigned to work specifically on Organized Crime investigations and undercover narcotics cases. I was given a Federal clearance by the US Attorney's Office while assigned to various Federal & State Strike Forces in the NYC area. I was at Woodstock (1969) and made drug buys. I continued working narcotics cases in NYC, drove an undercover taxi, installed wiretaps, and had a partner that was shot and killed during a drug buy and bust deal gone bad. It was during this time that I was promoted to Detective Supervisor/ Senior Investigator and earned a bachelor's degree from S.U.N.Y. and a master's degree from Long Island University. I retired in the early eighties, did some private investigations work, tried commercial fishing and obtained a Coast Guard charter captain license. I ended up in business where I experienced the American Dream. I didn't start to write until I was in my late sixties and had lost most of my hearing. By not being able to hear it allowed me to enter into a special world of fantasy. I wrote five books before I had any thoughts of publishing. I presently reside, with my wife of 47 years, in New York spending my time between Westchester County and the Hamptons on Long Island. During the winter months I will be on the Treasure Coast, usually in Vero Beach, Florida. Last year, while alone on my boat in Shinnecock Bay NY I died of sudden cardiac arrest. I was brought back to life minutes later by an act of serendipity performed by my buddy who I call Mickey. Mickey is an implanted defibrillator who permanently resides under my skin below my left shoulder. That is my 45,000 word autobiography in 450 words.