South Side stars in local author’s thriller
BY MIKE DEACON mdeacon@southtownstar.com June 22, 2011 9:40PM
Pascal Marco. Supplied photo
Synopsis
It’s July 1975, and an overworked Chicago police force receives a report that an 85-year-old white man was attacked and killed by a gang of black youths in bucolic Burnham Park. Amid public outrage, Mayor Richard J. Daley commands the police to find the killers fast and make the park safe again.
Fortunately for the police, James Overstreet, a brave 12-year-old boy, steps forward and identifies five of the six assailants and arrests are made. But the detectives bungle the case, leaving the judge no choice but to release the accused. This startling turn of events jeopardizes the young witness’ life, forces the Overstreet family into witness protection and creates a nightmare that will haunt James forever.
Fast forward 30 years. The young man is now Maricopa County’s most feared prosecutor. But his life is about to be turned upside down when paths from the past cross into the present, veering toward a shocking climax. In the end, will justice be served or will revenge prevail?
Updated: October 26, 2011 1:54AM
It might seem a bit ironic that the first novel written by native Southlander Pascal “Pat” Marco is titled “Identity: Lost.”
Marco lives in Tempe, Ariz., but his Chicago-based thriller offers evidence aplenty that he has never lost the identity he formed during his South Side upbringing.
Although it’s not a sports book, Marco, 59, a self-described “diehard White Sox fan,” borrows from the team’s history for his story’s murder victim (a fictional player from the 1919 “Black Sox”) and the murder weapon (an authentic Dick Allen Louisville Slugger). There are South Side settings, characters who couldn’t hail from anywhere else, and to authenticate the police work done throughout the novel, Marco consulted with retired Chicago police Detective Andy Abbott, who lives in the southwest suburbs.
“I’m still quite proud of my South Side Chicago roots,” Marco said.
The 336-page work was released June 14 by Oceanview Publishing. Marco has been making the rounds at Chicago-area book signings and library discussion groups, three of which are scheduled for this weekend in or near the Southland: 1-3 p.m. Saturday at the Lansing Public Library (2750 Indiana Ave.); 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Marco’s alma mater, St. Francis de Sales High School (10155 S. Ewing Ave., Chicago); and 3 p.m. Sunday at Trio Bar (11845 Southwest Highway) in Palos Heights.
“Coming back home under this ‘mission,’ promoting the book, has been a really euphoric experience,” Marco said Tuesday while on his way to a promotional event. “Everyone who has read the book, they say they really love it. People are really connecting with the characters I’ve created. And from what I can tell, the comments are genuine.”
It’s been like “old home week” for Marco, who was born in Evergreen Park.
His wife, the former Karen Cronin, grew up in Chicago’s Beverly community, and both still have family here. And before he moved to Arizona in 1994, Marco’s resume resembled a tour of the Southland: He did media work for the SPEED school district in Chicago Heights, the Howe Developmental Center in Tinley Park, St. Francis Hospital in Blue Island and a video production business in Oak Lawn.
Marco was inspired to write the book after attending the Sox’s American League Championship Series clincher in Anaheim, Calif., in 2005. He won tickets for the game in a lottery the morning of the game, drove to Anaheim from his Arizona home and was overwhelmed with memories of his father, a longtime Sox fan, when the Sox won.
“It brought up all the emotions of being a longtime Sox fan,” Marco said.
He was moved to write an essay about the experience, showed it to friends who thought he should get it published and was asked to start writing articles for whitesoxinteractive.com. That rekindled his interest in writing, and he joined the Scottsdale (Ariz.) Writers Group, where he was encouraged to write fiction.
A chance meeting with Abbott in a bar in Scottsdale during a Sox game — Abbott was wearing a Sox shirt, so Marco invited him to his table for a better view of the TV screens — led to a friendship and an offer by Abbott to provide expertise on police matters in the book about a South Side murder.
Abbott’s involvement is also why a portion of the proceeds for Sunday’s event at Trio Bar will go to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation to help the families of fallen officers.
The book has gotten good reviews, with Brad Thor, a New York Times No. 1 best-selling author, saying Marco’s debut “puts him firmly in the hunt to succeed John Grisham.” It’s also been endorsed by former Chicago police Supt. Philip Cline, who said Marco captured “so well the spirit of big city detectives” and kept his interest from the first chapter to the surprising ending.
“I’m a late bloomer,” Marco said of his so-far successful debut. “So hopefully I’ll be an inspiration to people who say they’re too old to do something.”
The hardcover book costs $25.95 and can be found at amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders and other bookstores, as well as at the book-signing events.
For more information, visit www.
pascalmarco.com
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