It's summer, 1972, and Atlantic City psychic and part-time amateur detective, Stan Luca, knows the Boardwalk is anything but boring. How could it be when tacky tourists, looney locals, and the spirits of the dearly departed are as plentiful as shells on the beach.

But it's not all fun in the sun. An ex-con from Philly is in town seeking revenge on an acquaintance of Stan's named Pinky. At the same time, he's working on a scam - and he's reached out to the darker side of the psychic community for help.

Stan reluctantly gets involved, as does his girlfriend, Maureen "Mo" Kelly and her alter-ego of a 1940s hard-boiled detective. She's as quick to spot a clue as she is to spout noir-parody one-liners. Also on the case is Stan's spirit-helper - the ghost of the wildly popular 1960s Top-40 DJ Fabulous Frankie. Frankie only speaks in rhymes, and his clues are given as riddles.

As the case turns personal, Stan calls on his group of psychically gifted friends to help before everything he loves goes out with the tide.




Silver medal winner, Fantasy/Sci-Fi  
Royal Palm Literary Awards, 2025.

Atlantic City's packed as the summer of 1972 is in full swing. Boardwalk psychic Stan Luca  alternates  between conversing with the dearly departed and involving them in his part-time amateur detective work, fulfilling his promise to his father to use his gift to "help everyone, every-where, every time, no questions asked

Stan's longtime girlfriend, Maureen "Mo" Kelly, waits tables at Joey's Italian Bar and Grill, but moonlights as a hard-boiled private eye helping Stan with his cases.

When a young woman seeks Stan's protection against a ghost she claims haunts her day and night, Stan and Mo take the case. So does Lyzander the Luminar, the spirit of an inaccurate weatherman, who's returned to earth as a snarky, antique coin-operated fortune-telling machine that dispenses clues a dime at a time.The disturbing "fortunes" suggests the ghost in question is that of Mo's ne'er-do-well father...and he's not resting in peace.

With hard-boiled parody wisecracks flying and otherworldly clues mounting, the situation is as sticky as a piece of saltwater taffy melting on the vinyl seat of a '65 station wagon. Solving this might require everyone of Mo's noir one-liners as well as Stan's last dime.

Atlantic City, 1972: The Boardwalk’s buzzing, the sausage is sizzling, and Stan’s promise to use his gift of speaking with the dearly departed to “help everyone, everywhere, every time,” is being put to the test by two sets of identical twins—one pair from this world, and the other from the hereafter.

Twin sisters are at each other’s throats over an inherited racehorse. One wants to keep racing it; the other wants to sell it. And you can bet they both have secrets.

Fortunately, Stan has help. Sort of. Mo, his pulp-detective-addicted girlfriend with a 1940s hard-boiled private-eye alter ego, applies her pulp heroes’ techniques to help Stan, while delivering lines like she’s auditioning for a noir film. Pinky, a five-foot-two who is sure every woman wants him, has a knack for “helping” in ways that usually blow up Stan’s efforts. And then there are the Fighting Dougherty twins—ghosts of identical twin brothers not reincarnated as seagulls—whose squawking rivalry is almost as obnoxious as their dive-bombing antics and their dumpster-raiding.

But when people around the horse vanish, Stan and Mo must uncover tightly held secrets, navigate sibling and seagull drama, and keep one step ahead of the shady characters who want to make sure Stan and Mo will have run their last race.

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