Six short stories exploring the hypocrisy and bullying that is perpetrated by people who present a progressively enlightened façade in order to pursue their own ends.

’There are gangsters, and then there are MEN’

My motivation for writing this series is to explore the hypocrisy and bullying that is perpetrated by people who present a progressively enlightened façade in order to pursue their ends. ‘Men’ is written over six stories.

It is a dark comedy that deals with personal obsessions and social inequalities. ‘Men’ is the story of three men who control a firm of gangsters, MICKY, who is obsessed with pleasing his dead mother who hated him when she was alive, KURT, a Jamaican/Brit who speaks in early seventies New York black ghetto speak, due to trauma suffered as a result of being abused by his mum’s boyfriend when seeing Shaft at the cinema as a youngster, and SHORTIE, a man of short stature, as are the three members of his gang.

The background and main characters are laid out in the first story, which is called ‘Gangsters’. Each one of the other five stories has a theme, for example, the entertainment industry and all the firms become involved in that particular area. The stories end with acts of blackmail and revenge, yet are justified as acts of moral retribution, although not Robin Hood characters they shine a light on the deceit and selfish motivation of those who present a caring face to the world.