Memorial Day and the One-Armed Detective Series

In The One-Armed Detective series, military experience plays a large factor. In the first book, An Angel and a One-Armed Man, there are two main characters whose life experiences are directly traced to military experiences. One who served and one who had a family member who served and had a big influence on the character’s life. In The Coyote and a One-Armed Man, we learn about another character’s military background. This character is in both books. His military experience plays a big role in rescuing girls in trouble in Coyote. You will also meet a new character in Coyote with an extensive military background.

Lefty Bruder, the one-armed detective in the series, was not in the military, but his father served in the Navy. As a child, Lefty often moved with his family, as many military families do. Lefty recounts one place he stayed in An Angel and a One-Armed Man.

“When I was eight, (my dad) was transferred to Manila. Lived there for five years. I used to get beat up all the time by the locals. As you can see, I’m not that big.” He smiled. “My dad enrolled me in a martial arts class.”

This is where Lefty initially learned his martial arts skills from, which he honed over his early life and used as a teenager and young adult to fight in MMA fights, eventually becoming the best in the St. Louis area. These martial arts skills prove essential in his quests to rescue Angel, Talia, and Consuela. Since losing his arm to a vigilante (see The Vigilante and a Two-Armed Man), and becoming a private investigator, he’s abandoned carrying a gun. Thus, Lefty relies on his hand-to-hand fighting skills, which his military father encouraged him to learn.

In both An Angel and a One-Armed Man and The Coyote and a One-Armed Man, Lefty demonstrates his fighting skills several times. Here is a taste from each book.

From An Angel and a One-Armed Man:

He turned to leave and found himself face-to-face with the black bouncer blocking his way out. Crew Cut watched from the shadows, grinning.

Lefty sighed, then rammed his fist in the man’s throat. The bouncer issued a strangled gurgle. Lefty then put his knee in the man’s groin. He shoved him aside and just about made the door when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He stepped forward fast, whirled and planted his right foot on Crew Cut’s cheek.

Not waiting to see the effect, he moved in and slugged the bouncer in the solar plexus, brought his arm back and elbowed the man in the temple. He went down hard.

From The Coyote and a One-Armed Man

Lefty turned sideways, as if he was going to leave. He bent his right knee and kicked sideways hard, landing his foot in Hanson’s stomach. The air expelled from the man’s lungs. He bent over, grunted, and staggered back. Lefty pivoted, entered the house, and clubbed Hanson on the back of the head, driving Angel’s stepfather to his knees. Lefty brought his knee up into Hanson’s face, lifting him backwards. Hanson landed on his backside, then collapsed sideways, holding his hands over his face, squealing like a stuck pig.

Given the shady characters Lefty deals with, he is thankful for his father’s insistence that he learned to defend himself.

Another tidbit you’ll learn about Lefty reading these books is his distaste for getting up early in the morning. Being the son of a Navy officer made his childhood difficult in some ways. No teenager likes strict discipline and Lefty was no different. Here is an excerpt from The Coyote and a One-Armed Man.

Lefty’s dad had been in the military and thus had been an early riser. Lefty had never been in the military and didn’t like rising early. All through his teen years, he’d fought his dad for an extra ten minutes, over and over. Usually getting about thirty minutes before his dad threatened to throw cold water on him. His dad did that once. The first time he threatened it. And after that, Lefty knew once the threat came, it was real, so he got up.

Another character in An Angel and a One-Armed Man is Manuel Rodriquez. Detective Fischer has this to say about Rodriquez:

“The guy with (Jackson McCormitt) is Manuel Rodriquez. He’s McCormitt’s bodyguard. Ex-ranger. Suspected for several hits, but nothing has stuck. Again, nothing registering under his name locally.”

Rodriquez does the dirty work for the human trafficker Jackson McCormitt. He’s a formidable match for Lefty Bruder. You’ll have to read the books to see when and how they interact. But I will tease you with this: Rodriquez plays an integral role in both books giving Lefty plenty to worry about.

In An Angel and a One-Armed Man, we meet Lewis Wilson. Calvin Rockport’s righthand man, Chester Henderson, has some complimentary things to say about Lewis Wilson in An Angel and a One-Armed Man.

Chester added, “There’s only one person (Lewis) fears more than me and that’s his mama. And I’m not sure that’s the right order. Besides, I think you know, he came to Christ in prison a few years ago. He’s a changed man.” They drove awhile. “And if that ain’t enough, you’ve been good to him. He’s not about to bite the hand that feeds him.” He glanced at Rockport. “And he digs this sort of thing. I’m sure this was the most fun he’s had in some time.”

To find out what kind of thing Lewis digs and the fun they had, you’ll have to read An Angel and a One-Armed Man. However, in this book, there’s no mention of his military experience. He is known as the ex-leader of the worst gang in St. Louis. In The Coyote and a One-Armed Man, we find out a little more of his background from a new character we meet, Dave Myers.

“Mr. Henderson is right. I only know Mr. Wilson by reputation. And I’m not speaking of his gang activity, but his sniper record in the army.”

Both Lewis Wilson and Dave Myers were also ex-Army Rangers. These two play crucial roles in helping Lefty rescue two girls in The Coyote and a One-Armed Man.

Most of us have family or friends that have served or are serving in the military. Many of you have suffered losses of those family members and friends during their service. These sacrifices are what have made this country a great country and what have given us the freedoms we have. I praise the Lord for the service and sacrifice of our men and women in all the military branches and pray that we will continue to honor those who have served. I hope you and your family have a good Memorial Day and that the Lord comforts those who have suffered loss.

I also hope these small glimpses into The One-Armed Detective series have inspired you to check them out. Human trafficking is a scourge on our world. It’s the removal of freedom from young, innocent children. With each book sold, a portion is being given to The Phoenix Dream Center, an organization that fights human trafficking and helps restore those rescued from the life. I thank you in advance for your contribution to this ongoing fight.