Baseball fans will understand the term: Designated for assignment.
That makes me, Mystery Writer, free agent.
But I don’t have to pass through waivers. The want ad says: Open to right offer.
This came about because the publisher of my five Frank Nagler Mysteries, Imzadi Publishing of Tulsa, Ok., is shutting down after than more than decade in business.
Thank you, Janice and Anita and Kay, their sharp-eyed copyeditor who mostly kept me on the straight and narrow.
You called up the rookie from the obscurity of nowhere in 2013 and let me play on the big stage. (And other sports cliches.)
So what’s in the duffle bag as I start over?
A saga of the city of Ironton, N.J. and it’s hero cop Detective Frank Nagler, called by Kirkus Review as “One of modern fiction’s expertly drawn detectives.”
Also, Book 6, of the series, NAGLER’S SECRET, which asks: What did Nagler do in 1995 that has come back to life in 2020 in a way that could threaten his reputation, and possibly his life?”
The Nagler books are available at Book & Puppet Shop in downtown Easton, Pa.
The Frank Nagler Mysteries:
The Frank Nagler Mysteries tell the story of Ironton, N.J. Detective Frank Nagler and his changing hometown.
They are a uniquely American saga.
The stories start with his first case, finding a serial killer named Charlie Adams, to a running confrontation with The Dragony, a shady and established gang of the thugs whose beginning harkens back to Ironton’s mining days.
Frank Nagler is an everyman, a creature of Ironton’s workers ghetto and changing economy. He grows and changes as the stories progress, aging from a kid to a man in his fifties, adding layers of personal grief and what seems like wisdom.
Ironton also changes, from a failed industrial city to one making a transition to a modern economy, one adding dimensions as the city takes the role as a character, not mere background.
The stories are filled out with memorable and important secondary characters integral to the tale-telling and the plot.
A reader’s thought, from an Amazon review: “I find myself bored easily with most of the new books erupting daily, but Michael Stephen Daigle knows what he is doing and is up to the task. His stories capture me, entertain and challenge me, and leave me wanting just one more of his books each time I finish one.”
The Books:
THE SWAMPS OF JERSEY: Frank Nagler is called to the Old Iron Bog where the body of a young woman was found after a weeklong tropical storm flooded the City of Ironton. A gold ring suggests that Nagler’s estranged girlfriend Lauren Fox might be a victim in this sprawling, disturbing case.
A GAME CALLED DEAD: The story introduces #Armageddon, a self-styled Internet terrorist who transforms an old-style video game into a real-life game that threatens the lives of students at the New Jersey State College of Ironton, the friends of Detective Frank Nagler, and Nagler himself. The story is structured like a game, with rules that change and spin-on-a-dime twists.
“A Game Called Dead” was named a Runner-Up in the Shelf Unbound 2016 Best Indie Book contest.
THE WEIGHT OF LIVING: Who is this young girl found standing in a Dumpster in a cold night wearing summer clothes? Finding the answer to that question leads Detective Frank Nagler down a dark path to deeply hidden secret held by a family, the revelation of which hatches modern threats. A reviewer said: “The narrative is a stunning and engrossing meditation of grief and survival.”
“The Weight of Living” was awarded First Place for Mysteries in the 2017 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards; Named a Notable Indie in the 2018 Shelf Unbound Book Awards; Named a Distinguished Favorite, 2018 Independent Press Awards; Named a Distinguished Favorite in the 2018 Big NYC Book Contest. Named a Finalist in the 2019 Book Excellence Awards; Named A Gold Star Award winner in the 2020 Elite Choice Book Awards; Named a Book Award Winner in 2021 by Maincraft Media Fiction Book Awards
THE RED HAND: This is the prequel to the Frank Nagler series. He’s rookie detective assigned to the most serious cases of murder in the history of the City of Ironton. Nine women are dead, their deaths spread over months, some with few clues. This is also the story of Martha, Nagler’s wife, whose illness hangs over every action taken by the young detective. The book weaves terror and grief in equal measure.
“The Red Hand” was named a Distinguished Favorite in the 2019 Big NYC Book Contest; Named Second Place winner for mysteries in the 2019 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards; Named a Notable 100 Book in the 2019 Shelf Unbound Indie Book Awards; Named a Distinguished Favorite in the 2020 Independent Press Awards;A Nominee in the 2020 TopShelf Book Awards; Named A Gold Star Award winner in the 2020 Elite Choice Book Awards.
DRAGONY RISING: The explosion that levels two blocks of downtown Ironton, N.J. is not the worst thing that Detective Frank Nagler investigates in this thrilling, wide-ranging and challenging story. The story introduced the Dragony, a sinister, shadow bunch of thugs whose beginnings range back to the mining days of Ironton and whose founders had issues with Nagler’s family back then, even as modern members challenge Nagler in their own times.
Dragony Rising was awarded First Place for Mysteries in the 2022 Royal Dragonyfly Book Awards; named a Notable 100 Indie Book in the 2022 Shelf Unbound Indie Book Awards; A Distingished Favorite in the 2023 Independent Press Awards; A Distinguished Favorite in the 2023 Big NYC Book Awards
For information:
Michael Stephen Daigle
Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
908-619-6393
I am a huge fan of Mr. Daigle’s works, always waiting for the next installment in the saga of Ironton and Detective Frank Nagler.
Thanks Jim….book six on the way …it’s somewhat of a mess at present but it’ll work out….the rest of this will settle…be well