
Deb Shlian
Anyone who has read Steve Forman’s humorous mysteries “Boca Knights” and “Boca Mournings” have become fans of his 5 foot 6 inch hero, Eddie Perlmutter, ex Boston cop, now retired in Boca Raton, Florida.
In his latest eBook novella titled “Eddie the Kid”, Forman gives us a glimpse into Perlmutter’s backstory beyond the Russian grandfather we met in Boca Knights. It’s 1974 and 29-year-old Eddie, just six years on the police force and already a legend, catches a case that will test his investigative skills. Known as the Shotgun Man, a tall, thin masked man dressed in a floor length trench coat and a wide brimmed hat, has been killing relatives of Mafia leaders in Boston and Chicago. While Eddie figures out that this is an old world vendetta, the reader learns more about Eddie’s personal history. Forman jumps back and forth from 1968 when “puny” Eddie beats a Krav Maga master and meets his partner Mickey O’Toole, to 1959 when he falls in love with Irish Catholic Patty McGee who marries Eddie despite her family’s distrust of anyone Jewish, back to 1974 and the first day of busing in Boston when Eddie helps Patty’s cousin Shannon Collins deal with an abusive and bigoted husband.
“Eddie the Kid” is a must read companion to Forman’s delightful Boca series. Forman fleshes out his character so that we better understand some of the life events that ultimately make him the “fearless, ferocious, unbeatable and incorruptible” hero of Boca Raton. Stay tuned to his newest treat coming soon: “Boca Daze.”
Deb Shlian April 23, 2019