Tough Messes: Eleven Stories of Crime and Desperation

Tough Messes brings together eleven short stories featuring a range of characters from varied backgrounds. From a group of mob soldiers trying to mitigate blowback from decades-old deeds in "Moving Day," to a low-level arms dealer trying to stay alive after present-day blowback in "Leaky Pipe," to a man making his bones for a modern crime family in "Quality Time."

In "Luxury Goods," old-school grifters set their sights on a hapless mark in a hotel bar. And "Flush" takes readers into the worl...