Betsy Town

Three decades ago, a distraught woman stared down an approaching train from the tracks in Elizabeth, New Jersey, infant son in her arms. The baby survived. Growing up in foster care when his father could not shoulder the burden, David Campion has managed to mostly hold it together. But recent developments, including his pending wedding, have compelled David to dig into his mother's past through those who knew her. David is combating his own grave psychological challenges, and is desperate to hide his increasingly bizarre behavior, including his involvement in the kidnapping of a prominent New York athlete, from his fiancée, Gracie, as their wedding day looms. Darkly humorous and slyly inspiring, the final installment of Michael J. Malone's Tompkins Trilogy captures both the colorful characters in New York's East Village, and the disarmingly appealing city across the Hudson where David was born and raised. "Betsy Town" depicts one man's struggle for psychological wholeness, and a couple's efforts to overcome the considerable perils that threaten their partnership. Says John Roche, author of "Bronx Bound": "From the first page to the very last, readers feel as though there's a speeding train heading right for us as we accompany David Campion on his complicated quest for sanity, happiness and wholeness. Michael J. Malone's gift for dark humor makes this madcap journey even more worth the ride."