The Downriver Horseshoe

THE DOWNRIVER HORSESHOE draws its stories from the landscapes and people of the industrial, south side of Metro Detroit called Downriver. It is Americana with a gritty, blue-collar twist-filled with quirky, rough-hewn characters like Duke Peterson, a retired cookie-truck driver who, at the behest of his nasty, invalid wife, has to hock his grandfather's old shotguns to make rent; there is George Rimbaud, a morally confused mailman who continually crosses the line and intertwines...
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THE DOWNRIVER HORSESHOE draws its stories from the landscapes and people of the industrial, south side of Metro Detroit called Downriver. It is Americana with a gritty, blue-collar twist-filled with quirky, rough-hewn characters like Duke Peterson, a retired cookie-truck driver who, at the behest of his nasty, invalid wife, has to hock his grandfather's old shotguns to make rent; there is George Rimbaud, a morally confused mailman who continually crosses the line and intertwines his life (and sex life) with people along his route; and also Simon Touhy, a young man who falls in love with a prosthetic leg found at his worksite on Mt. Trashmore, a landfill converted to public ski slope. With the luck and pride of Downriver at their side, these men march on, making the best decisions they can in an area that can be bleak and beautiful and dangerous on the same block.
All of the stories have previously appeared in nationally distributed magazines such as LIT, Cimarron Review, Storyglossia, Beloit Fiction Journal, The MacGuffin, Atticus Review, Crime Factory, Needle: A Magazine of Noir, Thieves Jargon, Avatar Review and Pebble Lake Review.
Praise for THE DOWNRIVER HORSESHOE:
Every story in THE DOWNRIVER HORSESHOE is full of secrets, and somany of the lines keep surprising me. The way Scott Miles sees the world isfresh and effortless, like a kid coming across a new animal he's never seenbefore. What do you name it? How do you describe its sound? That's theexperience-except with strippers, suicide, brutality, and a whole lot of pain.
-Anthony Neil Smith, author of ALL THE YOUNG WARRIORS
Scott Miles's writing is funny and dark, often on the same page. Hiscompelling characters and original stories make THE DOWNRIVERHORSESHOE a must-read collection. Highly recommended.
-Steve Weddle, author of COUNTRY HARDBALL
Good writers know how to flip a phrase, coin a simile. A great writer, like ScottMiles, makes other writers want to steal from him. Visiting and revisiting Scott'sstories are like hitchhiking barefooted on the side of the road. As you scan forsignposts, you cut the soles of your feet on shards of shattered glass. The jaggededges sting, prick, and splinter your skin, and you're sure you'll never make itto the ball on time. But once you get past the pain, you're amazed by how thepieces fit and form a whole-not of a magic slipper-but a steel-tipped workboot made of grit and kerosene.
-Dan Cafaro, Founder and Publisher, ATTICUS BOOKS