Bruce Crown's second novel, Forlorn Passions follows the story of a maladjusted fighter pilot who searches for truth in a generation of deceit. As his search intensifies and his relationship with the world worsens, the harmony of his identity clashes with the ideals of his physicality. He is ordered to strike down those he fights for, and the resulting ripple effect lives a heart shaped void on his essence. The complexities of the characters he encounters are fleeting and tangible, no longer leaving an impression on his mind. In the vapid bizarreness of a bitter world, his quirky...

The murder of a young woman triggers a series of events that pit a philosophical assassin, a charismatic detective, and the heir of a vicious mob family against each other. Bruce Crown's debut novel, Chronic Passions is a narrative about the lovelorn Clark desperately trying to keep the past at bay and the witty NiccolO investigating the disappearance of his childhood sweetheart. The novel bends the simple question of right and wrong by turning rich philosophical ideas into pragmatic actions in the modern world. A master of similes and allegories, Crown presents the plot outside...

An artist tries to paint his masterpiece; a detective tries to unweave a convoluted crime; a lawyer tries to undo his perfect lies. Based on actual events, how dim the promised land pits seemingly unrelated professions by the subtlest strings and dives into the relentless pursuit of meaning and beauty.

A physicist-turned-artist, a cynic-turned-detective, and a liar-turned-lawyer, all unsatisfied with their lives pursue the transcendental concepts that connect us to each other and tear us away from one another through the agony of their souls.

"Are those that pursue simple...