Nearly five years ago, readers of Illinois Times and residents of the Midwest met Francis Lenihan, affectionately known to his friends and acquaintances as St. Francis. Truthfully there is not very much “saintly” about Lenihan; his main job in the St. Louis Metro area is that of process server. He roams Missouri and parts of Illinois serving various types of legal documents for lawyers and government officials. On occasion some of his clients or acquaintances seek out his services for work as an investigator. As a detective, Francis is mundane. He is not a hard-boiled tough guy in the Sam Spade mode, nor is he a former police officer turned private eye. He is simply St. Francis of Dogtown, named for his kindness and the community in the St. Louis area where he spends most of his time. Author Wm. Stage introduced readers to Francis in 2020 in an entertaining mystery novel, St. Francis of Dogtown. An enjoyable mystery often creates an environment for becoming a series. Stage has created that atmosphere in his Dogtown mysteries, and Down and Out in the River City is a seamless and entertaining sequel.
Wm. Stage brings many varied experiences to his writing. He served in the U.S. military in Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm. After graduation from college, he was an ambulance driver in Grand Rapids, Michigan, when he was recruited by the Centers for Disease Control and relocated to St. Louis, where he became a public health officer. In St. Louis he began a career as a writer for local newspapers and magazines and eventually became a full-time journalist and photographer. Down and Out in the River City is his 16th published book and fifth novel. It continues the adventures of Francis Lenihan in a seamless and unspoiled sequel that offers readers additional insights into Lenihan’s life, work and community. As a stand-alone story it is an engaging plot with several twists and turns. It includes an evil villain and some social commentary on contemporary issues. Stage does not resort to fusillades of gunfire or other violence to tell his story. It is refreshing to meet a man like Lenihan, who never relies on super-human behavior to extricate himself from danger. Francis is a hard worker and a nice fellow.
Now 56 years old and enjoying some success as a process server since 1988, Lenihan has taken on an associate, Cale Twohey. They met at the Cochran VA Hospital and Lenihan broke him into the trade of process-serving. The two work together on occasion and Lenihan enjoys Twohey’s company. Down and Out also introduces readers to Martha, Lenihan’s wife. As Francis observes, before he met Martha he would spend a great deal of time in the bars, stumble home and start work the next day. But as a married man, he would drink for an hour or so and then make it home in time for dinner. They often share leftover food from the restaurant where Martha works. Their conversations during those dinners provide readers with more insight into Lenihan’s foibles and dreams, including Martha’s wish for a visit to Italy.
Down and Out centers on Lenihan being contacted by a well-heeled St. Louis physician who asks Francis to investigate the death of his son. Austin Lambert’s body had been found in a St. Louis homeless community, with the cause of death deemed to be a fentanyl overdose. The father does not believe his son would have taken the drugs that ended his life. When authorities found the body, one of Lenihan’s cards was in Austin Lambert’s pocket. The father hopes that Lenihan might investigate what was happening in his son’s life during the final months of his life. Lured by a sizable fee, Francis agrees.
Cale Twohey is recruited to assist, and the details of the investigation provide readers with a poignant, as well as distressing, view of life for the less fortunate of urban communities. There will be more tragedy and some very evil characters along the way, but in the conclusion, there is an ironic sense of justice achieved by Francis Lenihan.
Down and Out is a heartfelt and thoughtful mystery. One of the pleasures of these adventures is the vast group of St. Louis characters that Stage portrays. His writing is old-fashioned in a good way. The story proceeds at an unhurried pace. It is another enjoyable return visit to the St. Louis area and another adventure with St. Francis of Dogtown, a man with a sense of justice and a good soul.
Author to sign books in Springfield April 16
Wm. Stage, St. Louis author, will sign copies of his new novel, Down And Out In The River City, at Trish and Mary’s Public House, 107 W. Cook, Springfield, Illinois 62704 on Wednesday, April 16, from 4 to 7 pm.
This article appears in From bedsides to the boardroom.
