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How That Affected His Psyche
Missing in Lincoln Park follows a boy growing up in Chicago whose life is anything but traditional, filled with strippers, criminals, and secrets, and how this shaped his life as he grew into adulthood. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I am a huge movie fan and have a taste that lies somewhere between the campy John Hughes coming of age films of the eighties and gritty mafia thrillers like Goodfellas and Donnie Brasco, so the urge to merge the two realms was something that tugged at my mind for a while. I wanted to be able to showcase the struggle of being a teenaged kid who was put into a very adult role way to young and how that effected his psyche.
Benny grows up in a world that is dark and unpredictable, shaping his values and perception of what family is. Was the character’s backstory something you always had, or did it develop as you were writing?
In truth, the original Benny started out to be a smaller character in a larger spanning saga, but the more time that I spent developing his backstory and falling down the rabbit holes of Chicago and it’s enticing underworld, Benny began to take on the centralized role, overshadowing what I had originally set out to write about. I just let him lead the way.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Family allegiance and loyalty was a centralized theme of Benny’s story. Being put into the position of the role of “man of the house” at such a young and formative age, while also understanding that other people and their families livelihoods depended on his families decisions. There is also the strained relationship between Benny and his own mother versus the relationship that he had with Ms. Berta, the woman who was actually doing the day to day care taking of him as he was growing up. To be nurtured was something that he had longed for while growing up, no matter where he found it.
When will Missing in Lincoln Park be available for readers to pick up?
April 24th in paperback and Kindle format, with audio releasing soon after.
Missing in Lincoln Park
Missing in Lincoln Park follows Benny as he grows up inside the strange mix of wealth, danger, and wild nightlife that surrounds Lincoln Park. His world is packed with strippers who act like mothers, security guards who double as criminals, and a high-powered defense attorney mother who keeps the family safe and at risk at the same time. Benny tells the story with a blunt, emotional honesty that moves from childhood chaos to teenage trouble and deep heartbreak. The book blends crime, family ties, and coming-of-age struggles in a way that feels tense and messy and very human. It paints Chicago as a place full of secrets and debts that never stay buried.
The voice is raw and a little shaken, but it is steady enough to carry all the emotion. I found myself pulled into Benny’s childhood because it feels real. The house full of half-dressed dancers, the constant fear mixed with comfort, and the sense that danger is always just outside the door. The writing brings those moments to life in a way that surprised me. It felt warm one minute, sad the next, and then suddenly dark again. I liked that the author didn’t clean anything up. Nothing is softened. Nothing is glamorized. It feels like a memory poured straight onto the page.
The ideas in the book are well-drawn and deeply felt. Loyalty. Trauma. How families love in ways that are crooked but still fierce. I kept thinking about Benny wanting to protect people who should have protected him. There is a quiet heartbreak in that. The story asks you to sit in the uncomfortable truth that people can love you and still fail you. I felt frustrated for him sometimes, proud of him other times, and honestly a little shaken when the violence slipped in without warning. The writing has a rhythm that jumps between calm and chaos, almost like a heartbeat speeding up and slowing down. It kept me on edge in a good way.
I’d recommend this book to readers who like gritty family drama, crime stories with emotional weight, and characters who feel complicated and real. It’s good for people who want a story that doesn’t pretend life is neat or fair. If you want something raw and full of feeling, you’ll enjoy this book.
Pages: 257
