FIVE YEARS IN THE MAKING: THE KING'S COLLAR DEBUTS By Jeff Tanner

 

The King’s Collar (Koehler Books), publishes June 30. The book, set in 1929 Boston, features many real people, including Joseph Kennedy, Jack Haley (Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz), and mobster Charles “King” Solomon. The story is an adventurous mystery featuring disgraced would-be Harvard graduate Charlie “Bones” Bohannon, and centers around his hunt for missing artifacts to clear his name and graduate, all while being threatened by others who desire the wealth those artifacts could bring.

Boston seemed the perfect setting. As a port, it was almost as important as New York. The city, already known for banning books, was also the home of 4000 speakeasies, quadruple the number at the start of Prohibition. Nowhere else in America was there such a surface divide between the pious elite and the powerful mob.

The idea for The King's Collar came not in Boston but in Newport News, Virginia. I was touring backstage of that city’s Mariners’ Museum, primarily built to keep Huntington Shipyard workers employed during the Depression. The founders, therefore, had no idea about acquiring and curating artifacts, so the museum now has an abundance of some items and a dearth of others.

Immediately, the idea of an Indiana Jones-type adventurer searching the globe for maritime artifacts came to mind.

Gratifying, then, are early readers’ comments, such as “Indiana Jones meets The Maltese Falcon” by Margit Weisgal of the Baltimore Sun and others, “…Jones meets The Sting” by award-nominated author (and regular blogger here) Michael Rigg, and similar comparisons.

Here’s a synopsis:

Boston, May 1929. Expelled from Harvard and disowned by his father, Charlie Bohannon is down to his last nickel when he stumbles across a chance at salvation: a priceless Egyptian statuette hiding in the smoky recesses of a speakeasy. Learning it was stolen from a long ago-expedition led by his college dean, he sees returning it as his only shot a redemption – but the plan shatters when the artifact is stolen and the thief is murdered.

From the corrupt halls of power where Joseph Kennedy pulls the strings to the seedy docks of the Atlantic, Charlie suddenly finds himself in the crosshairs of several dangerous men. They don’t just want the statue; they want its legendary counterpart, the jewel-encrusted King’s Collar. They think Charlie can find it. And they’ll happily kill for it.

Aided in his quest to find the King’s Collar by daring socialite Olivia and salty ex-sailor Punchy, Charlie plunges into a shadow-game where killers hide in plain sight. When his friends are kidnapped, the hunt for the Collar becomes a race against time. In the cut-throat world of the Prohibition era, Charlie must find the treasure – or pay for it with their lives.

Another surprise for me is how much early readers like Punchy, the “salty ex-sailor.” So much so that I now offer readers a free short story with Punchy as the protagonist.  (www.authorjefftanner.com/fiction/punchy)

The King’s Collar publishes June 30, and can be found at The Book Bin on the Eastern Shore, or pre-ordered online (Amazon.com: The King's Collar: 9798897471522: Tanner, Jeff: Books). Or, if you’re likely to run into me soon, you can order it on my website and I’ll bring you a signed copy!

Dolls, second in the series, publishes December 8.  Both books are published by Koehler Books. I’ve already written books three and four; with any luck, we’ll see those hit the market in 2027.

Clair Lamb, editor, said this about Charlie. “I like Charlie; he’s good company.” I hope others agree.

BIBLIOTHERAPY AND LOSS by Jeff Tanner, Guest Blogger

[I had another blog post ready to go, but recent events have pushed that aside.]

When I was young, I was the kid who checked out a stack of books from the library as big as I could carry. I read everything – from Encyclopedia Brown to classics like Twain and Dickens, then Agatha Christie to That Was Then, This is Now, Watership Down, and short stories like “Success” and “The Lottery.” I learned so much from books.

But not everything.

MIRACLE OF MIRACLES By Jeff Tanner, Guest Blogger

Thunkin Theodore - photo finish

Miracle of miracles, I was scheduled to teach a two-day workshop in San Antonio when I learned my horse, Thunkin Theodore, was running in the 4^th race at Retama Park in Selma, Texas, just outside San Antonio. What a great opportunity! I invited the entire workshop to come out for the race – and a photo in the winner’s circle if we won.

We decided to name him for our oldest son, Ted, and honor Ted’s namesake, my baseball-playing uncle. Hence the name “Thumping Theodore,” also Ted Williams’ nickname. My uncle wasn’t the caliber of Ted Williams, only rising to A ball in the minors. But the Jockey Club couldn’t read my writing on the application so Theo’s official name was Thunkin Theodore.

When he was born, we didn’t know what kind of horse we had. Was he hard-working or lazy? Smart or dumb? Our hearts soared with hope when he raced other foals and yearlings in the pasture, always running through to the end even when he wasn’t first. The road from a race around the fence line to the winner’s circle at the track, though, is long and arduous.

We still weren’t sure about him after his first two races. We first tried him on turf—his sister won twice on the grass. But our big strapping bay tiptoed all the way around the track. That’s not how you win. So this time, we were trying him on the dirt. And this time, the competition was steeper than any he’d faced.

Still, despite the fluttering in my stomach, I’d only promised the workshop’s participants a night’s entertainment, not a victory. The odds-makers agreed, with Theo not among the favorites.

About eight of the participants took me up on my offer, clustering around me, the trainer, and the jockey in the paddock before the race. Tommy Morgan, my trainer, was a laconic West Texan, not prone to talking. The jockey, however, enjoyed chatting up the young blonde in our group.

When the horses broke from the gate, Theo was right there, in fourth a little off the pace, just as Tommy instructed. That way, there’d be juice in the tank at the end.

The horses turned for home with Theo in second. At the 8^th pole, a furlong before the end of the race, he was in first, with a horse coming up on his left and another to his right. Each of the other horses surged forward, both on the inside--between Theo and the rail. Theo responded, running even harder.

He was determined.

You can’t train that into a horse. It’s part of who they are. That’s what separates the winners from trail ponies and yard art.

Theo was so determined that he sprained a ligament just after he crossed the finish line, though we didn’t know it at the time. Our little group posed in the winner’s circle with a triumphant Theo and his smiling jockey. Even Tommy had a small grin, apparently entertained as he watched the jockey talk more with the blonde.

As Tommy said, “It helps when the jockey has a little extra motivation.”

Later, I took the group back to the stables. Theo was enjoying an after-race snack of fresh grass alongside the fence. Another horse was being led by.

Theo saw him, raised up, and trumpeted loudly. “I won! I am the King!”

The other horse lowered his head and slunk past.

Theo’s ligament healed up nicely and he came back to race--and win--again. Over his career, Theo ran in twelve races, posting two wins and two second places. When his racing days were over, he became a jumper, continuing to compete, continuing to give it his all. But that first win – that was special.

Miracle of miracles.