City of Woe

What if Paul Farrington, a veteran fixer for a shady corporation, found himself targeted for elimination just as he was trying to finance his daughter’s Ivy League education? How far would he go to provide for his family and keep them safe? What if detectives Frank Mallory and Alberto “Gunner” Gennaro were forced to play catch up with a killer who may or may not be a demon and who leaves trails of Dantesque murders, each one occurring further south in Manhattan and deeper into his version of The Inferno?

What if Paul Farrington, a veteran fixer for a shady corporation, found himself targeted for elimination just as he was trying to finance his daughter’s Ivy League education? How far would he go to provide for his family and keep them safe? What if detectives Frank Mallory and Alberto “Gunner” Gennaro were forced to play catch up with a killer who may or may not be a demon and who leaves trails of Dantesque murders, each one occurring further south in Manhattan and deeper into his version of The Inferno? How could these situations be connected? How long can the detectives stick to strict police procedural facts when confronted with increasingly bizarre events, especially once they begin invading Mallory’s private life? And how does he find a balance between his rejection of the case’s alleged demonic elements and his strong desire to believe his dying father’s visions of long dead relatives beckoning him to heaven? When must a detective reconsider what exists outside man’s law? These are the dominant concerns of City of Woe, a novel combining Ryan’s personal experiences, knowledge of the family business (the NYPD), an understanding of literary classics and a love for classic rock and roll.

Christopher Ryan spent eight years as an award-winning Bronx crime and politics reporter, winning awards as Best News columnist/NYS Newspaper Association, Journalist of the Year/Children Are Precious, and a DeWitt Clinton Masonic Award for Community Service, among others. Simultaneously he earned honors for playwriting (Bronx Council on the Arts) and screenwriting (a T.W. Wharton Award, and as a top 10 percent, then top 100 Nicholl’s Fellowship finalist). Around this time, he also co-wrote a song with Dennis Bell, leader of the New Voices of Freedom, which the “rockspel” choir recorded as part of the follow-up to their participation in the film U2: Rattle and Hum. Chris also spent several years as a founding member/head writer for the Salsoul Comedy Troupe, contributing over 30 original sketches, and performing both as a cast member and occasionally as a stand-up comedian. As a vehicle for the troupe, he created an original Latino sitcom “The Rich Life” considered for production by NBC. He has even written a few comic books (featured in Mythography, Race Against Time, Lost Tales of Erin, and on a strip version of Blackjack). Primarily a writer, Chris has acted in several theatre productions in the New York/ New Jersey area, including two main stage productions with the Bergen County Players, Proposals and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. While teaching Creative Writing, Journalism, and English at Hackensack H.S. (where he still teaches, and has been named to Who’s Who in American Education), Chris took over the theatre department, directing students in well-received productions of Little Shop of Horrors, Tommy the Musical, West Side Story, and Arsenic and Old Lace. Soon after, he earned an MA and Rutgers University’s English Award for Highest Distinction in Literary Studies for his master’s “thesis” — a first novel. He is currently seeking representation for that work, CITY OF WOE, which features detectives Mallory and Gunner, who made their debut in the Nov/Dec 2007 issue of Crime and Suspense Magazine. Another Mallory and Gunner tale “Seven Days” has been accepted for publication in the venerable indy magazine Hardboiled. Most recently, he was honored twice by Writer’s Digest for an inspirational police story featuring the Mallory character, “Old Friends Long Apart” as well as a tongue-in cheek horror short “New Dad”. Chris lives in New Jersey with his wife and twin sons.