Riley Stephens

The Shadow of a Man Riley Stephens

Benedict Trius is a detective with a dark past, operating in Baltimore in the early 1950's, slouching from bar to bar and case to case, living off drawn out adultery jobs and low-yield blackmail schemes. It's a shitty way to live, but he's never had much choice in the matter. Then, in less than twelve hours, his existence is cast into turmoil. Ben's presence at a hold-up gone bad puts him on the radar of some bloodthirsty corrupt cops. A woman with a banal case gets brutally murdered shortly after Ben declines to take her seriously. Some local racketeers stop by his office, and set the stage for a tale of revenge gone wrong, passion, freedom, and greed. The shadows cast by this net of deception will test Ben's soul, as we gaze upon the soul of someone who could only ever be described as the Shadow of a Man.