Bill Gutman
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I am a longtime freelance writer who has published more than 200 books for children & adults, both fiction and non-fiction. I have written biographies of such diverse personalities as Bill Parcells, Duke Ellington, Magic Johnson, Tiger Woods & Michael Jordan, as well as working with a number of people on as-told-to books and as a ghost. My children's books include many sports profiles and biographies, an animal series as well as a health & safety series. I have published several juvenile novels and a series of high-interest, low-vocabulary fiction. Now, however, I am currently self-publishing a historical crime series about a detective working in 1920's New York City. After four decades in a changing publishing climate I decided to go Indie and am glad I did. So far the Mike Fargo Mysteries includes a novel and two novellas, with more to come.
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Murder On Murderer's Row
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Historical crime & mystery fiction
MURDER ON MURDERER'S ROW When detective Mike Fargo is sent to Yankee Stadium on a hot, May afternoon in 1927 to check out the murder of a stadium groundskeeper, he soon finds himself enmeshed in a dangerous and complex investigation. His first suspect turns out to be the Yankees star slugger and toast of New York, George Herman “Babe” Ruth. And when the Babe is also a suspect in a second murder, that of a local sportswriter, Fargo sets out to find the real killers. The case takes on even more significance when a special prosecutor, Brent Forrester, comes to town to slow the spread of organized crime, spawned by Prohibition and the wild times of the Roaring Twenties. Fargo's initial investigation leads him to a low-level hoodlum, Augie “The Mole” Bendetti, while Forrester begins his pursuit of an Arnold Rothstein wannabe named Manny Goldman. Soon, the two cases merge and Fargo begins working more closely with the special prosecutor while trying to protect the Babe from a deranged killer, his Broadway-bound girlfriend from racketeers trying to control him, and all the while wondering if there's a dirty cop in his own precinct. The story follows the tough and uncompromising Fargo as he navigates New York City in a year when Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic, Broadway flourished, the movies got ready to talk, and the New York Yankees, with a lineup known as Murderer's Row, were being called the greatest baseball team of all-time with the Babe slugging his way toward a new home run record. Fargo's investigation takes him to venues such as Yankee Stadium, the Cotton Club, Wall Street and the famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, painting a vivid picture of New York City during a never-to-be forgotten decade, before the story reaches a gripping and surprising conclusion. |
Death of a Flapper
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Historical crime
& mystery fiction
DEATH OF A FLAPPER Who killed Marjorie Reems? That is the dilemma facing detective Mike Fargo when the body of the beautiful, young heiress is found in the doorway of a posh Park Avenue building just a block from her home in October of 1922. What Fargo doesn’t understand is why the daughter of one of New York City’s wealthiest men is dressed like a common flapper. He soon learns that Marjorie Reems left home some time earlier, rejecting her parents' plans for college and instead looking to have fun, adopting the flapper dress and lifestyle, drinking and dancing the night away. But why? Through a friend of Marjorie’s, Lily Douglas, Fargo learns that the once emerging society girl has had a succession of short term boyfriends, each one a little more sleazy than the last, and several who are affiliated with organized crime. What caused Marjorie to descend into a reckless and dangerous world inhabited by gangsters and killers? That’s what Fargo has to find out. With a surprise waiting around each corner in this fast-paced novella, the resolute detective has to move quickly since the pressure to solve a high society murder comes right from the top of the city’s food chain. What he ultimately learns will shock 1920′s society as much as it will today’s reader. 
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Murder on Broadway
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Historical crime & mystery fiction
MURDER ON BROADWAY A Broadway murder is always news, but even more so when the victim is Buddy Barrett, the hottest director of elaborate musicals in 1925 New York City. He's a kid who has captured the fancy of the public with the nickname The Boy Wonder of Broadway. When Buddy is shot on stage during a rehearsal at the Crittendon Theater, it's Mike Fargo's job to wonder just who killed him. Almost immediately, Fargo learns that while on the road to directing two major hits and working on a third, Buddy Barrett has been making enemies with the same speed that bootleg booze is flowing throughout the city. In fact, his abrasive personality has let to a second nickname – Buddy the Bastard. With no immediate suspects, Fargo begins digging into the boy wonder's past and soon finds he doesn't have one. It's almost as if he popped up out of the mist to take New York City by storm. Murder on Broadway is more than just a who-done-it. It's also about finding who Buddy Barrett really was, a quest that leads Fargo to cross paths with a major crime boss as well as taking a trip to Atlantic City, where he finds his own life in danger. The surprising conclusion has Fargo questioning his ability as a homicide detective and is yet another crisp addition to The Mike Fargo Mysteries series. 
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Seven Days to Murder
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Historical Crime & Mystery Fiction
Mike Fargo never expected to be meeting Texas Guinan on a hot August day in 1926. But when the real-life, irrepressible hostess at the 300 Club, one of New York City's swankiest speakeasies, asks for a detective to check on a missing girl, Fargo gets the call. The missing girl, Brandi Collier, is one of several young hostesses working at the club. Despite Texas's obvious concern, Fargo can't be sure if the girl has been kidnapped, killed, or perhaps just walked off into the sunset with one of the high rollers that frequent the club. Fargo starts with the usual suspects – the jilted boyfriend, a kitchen worker with hand trouble, and an ex-husband. But he can't get a handle on the case. With no ransom demand and no real clues, he is at a dead end. Then he receives a phone call that changes the entire direction of the investigation. A mystery caller – with an apparent ax to grind with the resolute detective – informs Fargo that he has seven days to find him and his captive, Brandi Collier. If he fails, Brandi will die. He sends Fargo a photograph of a tied up Brandi, confirmed by Texas as the missing girl. Thus begins the most tension filled week of Mike Fargo's life. Not only does he have to revisit some vengeful, murderous mugs who have threatened him in the past, but he also gets a minefield of clues from his caller, several of which also put his life in danger. With the days dwindling down and Texas Guinan pressing him to find Brandi, Fargo has to walk a fine line until a fortuitous clue and a stunning development brings the case to a dramatic end. 
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A MIKE FARGO TRILOGY
Historical Crime & Mystery Fiction
A MIKE FARGO TRILOGY presents three complete novellas in one book. Now it's easier than ever to follow the resolute New York City detective with the take-no-prisoners approach as he navigates the Roaring Twenties, working to solve a trio of cases that try not only his patience, but also his desire to bring murderers to justice. Here's what you get.
Death of a Flapper
Set in 1922, Fargo has to solve the murder of young socialite Marjorie Reems, found dead in a doorway a block from the swanky Park Avenue home of her parents. But why was she dressed as a common flapper, and why did she spend her time with a succession of men, each more sleazy than the one before with several connected to organized crime? Because of her family's status in New York society, Fargo feels pressure from the top to solve the case, and what he ultimately learns will shock 1920′s society as much as it would shock people today.
Murder on Broadway
Young Buddy Barrett has taken 1925 Broadway by storm, the hottest director of musicals to come along in years. When Barrett is shot dead during a rehearsal of his latest show, Fargo must find who killed The Boy Wonder of Broadway. He soon learns that Buddy has been making enemies as fast as illegal booze flows through the city. In fact, he has a second nickname – Buddy the Bastard. On top of that, the guy is a mystery with no record of him anywhere and no apparent past. Fargo must learn who Buddy Barrett really is and why he was killed.
Seven Days to Murder
When Fargo is sent to the famed 300 Club in August of 1926 to check on a missing girl he meets the club's hostess, the irrepressible Texas Guinan. She tells him that one of her employees, Brandi Collier, has disappeared. Even though Texas has sidestepped the hooch law on many occasions, Fargo likes her and goes to work. The usual avenues prove a dead end until a stunning phone call changes the entire complexion of the case. Suddenly Fargo is not only racing against the clock, but finds himself in grave danger as he seeks out the girl and the mysterious kidnapper who has her.
A MIKE FARGO TRILOGY presents three complete novellas in one book. Now it's easier than ever to follow the resolute New York City detective with the take-no-prisoners approach as he navigates the Roaring Twenties, working to solve a trio of cases that try not only his patience, but also his desire to bring murderers to justice. Here's what you get.
Death of a Flapper
Set in 1922, Fargo has to solve the murder of young socialite Marjorie Reems, found dead in a doorway a block from the swanky Park Avenue home of her parents. But why was she dressed as a common flapper, and why did she spend her time with a succession of men, each more sleazy than the one before with several connected to organized crime? Because of her family's status in New York society, Fargo feels pressure from the top to solve the case, and what he ultimately learns will shock 1920′s society as much as it would shock people today.
Murder on Broadway
Young Buddy Barrett has taken 1925 Broadway by storm, the hottest director of musicals to come along in years. When Barrett is shot dead during a rehearsal of his latest show, Fargo must find who killed The Boy Wonder of Broadway. He soon learns that Buddy has been making enemies as fast as illegal booze flows through the city. In fact, he has a second nickname – Buddy the Bastard. On top of that, the guy is a mystery with no record of him anywhere and no apparent past. Fargo must learn who Buddy Barrett really is and why he was killed.
Seven Days to Murder
When Fargo is sent to the famed 300 Club in August of 1926 to check on a missing girl he meets the club's hostess, the irrepressible Texas Guinan. She tells him that one of her employees, Brandi Collier, has disappeared. Even though Texas has sidestepped the hooch law on many occasions, Fargo likes her and goes to work. The usual avenues prove a dead end until a stunning phone call changes the entire complexion of the case. Suddenly Fargo is not only racing against the clock, but finds himself in grave danger as he seeks out the girl and the mysterious kidnapper who has her.
