Hidden behind dark sunglasses, long hair, and a beard, a mysterious young man in shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt runs the streets of a small town in Middle America. Storefronts are closed.

The unemployed, like Darwin Charles, sleep on bus benches no longer on bus routes. The factory around which the town has grown now struggles to stay open.

So why has the runner returned when so many others are escaping? At the park, he meets Willy Wood, a fatherless little leaguer who, like his teammates, can’t catch the baseball. When pressed for information, the runner remains elusive, like the answers to the town’s economic woes.

Already anxious about her job at the factory, Mary Wood worries about this stranger, who now coaches her son and the winless Dodgers, even when his methods inspire a mid-season winning streak. Paige Parker Jr.

, who inherited the factory, runs it with the aid of his most competent but under-appreciated secretary, Connie Walls. He also manages the rival Giants with “Grub” Weisel, a disgraced coach formerly linked to PEDs.

Paige’s son is their star pitcher. Parker will go to any means to keep the factory open—breaking the union, committing environmental felonies, and if necessary, even sacrificing a few lives along the way.

Smitten with his employee Mary, he promotes her as his protégé. Can one damaged man really make a difference in so many lives? Can the factory survive a worldwide recession? Can two aspiring women break the glass ceiling? Can the stumbling, bumbling Dodgers beat the big, bad Giants? When plans go amiss—and goals unachieved—can we still realize the dreams of our youth? In Giant Killers, perhaps we can.

Praise for Giant Killers - "Having read Mark's work in various mediums over the years, I'm happy to see his talent in the form of a novel that has memorable, multi-faceted characters and poignant contemporary themes. In the tradition of authors such as Twain whose works spoke to their age and audiences young and old, this novel speaks to the triumphs and trials of our time across various age demographics.

" -- Nicole Bouchard, Editor/Publisher, www. thewriteplaceatthewritetime.

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