The Traveler

by Ron McLarty

audio

I'm pretty impressed by this author. A career actor and theater professional, he writes a good story and even better characters. 

A bit of a 'coming of age' and a bit of a mystery, the story follows a full-time bartender and part-time actor in New York City, flashing back to his childhood in Rhode Island. A friend's death takes him back to his hometown, prompting all kinds of flashbacks into his life as a working class kid in a working class town. 

There's a bit of a mystery tossed in for good measure, that jumps from modern day to his childhood, but really it's incidental to the story, which was compelling without being sensational. 

McLarty has another book out, I think I'll look for it as well.