After graduating from the Massachusetts College of Art, David Random spent his career as an Art Director and Creative Director at Boston- and New York-based advertising agencies where he created national TV commercials and magazine ads for products ranging from cat food and life insurance companies to bottled water, brand name foods and airlines. Since his retirement, he has become an award-winning author and also a creator of Steampunk rocket ships that have been featured in galleries and museums from Maine to Florida. David currently lives in the seacoast area of New Hampshire.
David Random LitFire (Mar 9, 2017) Softcover $19.00 (292pp) 978-1-63524-834-0
Connected is a wholly absorbing and spellbinding mystery from the start.
A unique spin on the common police procedural, Connected: A Case of Unique Proximity by David Random is an exciting page turner. Harvard psychology professor Olek Janko has been brutally murdered. It is seemingly an open-and-shut case: the murderer has confessed, and an eyewitness has corroborated his story. Initially unsure why he is summoned for the case, veteran police detective Joe Antonelli, better known as “The Bull” because of his large stature and tenacity, discoveres that the murderer and the eyewitness have a special bond: Gary and Maynard Vaughn aren’t just brothers.
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Two brothers are connected to a murder—in divergent ways— in this novel.
At the beginning of Random’s tale, there’s a body, a weapon, an eyewitness, and a confession. Harvard psychology professor Olek Janko died in his apartment from knife wounds inflicted by Gary Vaughn. Gary confesses to the homicide, which his brother, Maynard, witnessed and reported to the authorities. What veteran police lieutenant Joe “The Bull” Antonelli thinks will be a clear-cut case turns bizarre when “attractive and ambiguously ethnic” Detective Cassandra “Cassie” Navarro reveals that the Vaughn boys share a connection more profound than brotherhood: they are conjoined twins. Maynard is a soft-spoken, articulate, and presumed innocent witness to a murder, and Gary is the coldblooded killer. The Vaughns, joined at the abdomen, abdomen, had been part of a twin study Janko was conducting; now Antonelli sumarizes: “We have a confessed murderer, but we have an apparently innocent man attached to him.” Courtroom scenes present a riveting.
Hollywood Book Reviews
It is increasingly difficult in the information age to tell a crime story which is both original and captivating. David Random has pulled off such a daunting task with great success in his work Connected. What seems to be a typical detective story turns into a complicated narration of ethics and survival. The plot is anything but overused or tired. There’s been a murder and the main suspect is in custody and has confessed to the killing. It seems like a cut-and-dry legal case. The problem? He is a conjoined twin and the other brother has claimed innocence. Facing a moral dilemma, Random takes the reader deep into the legal system and exposes some harsh truths of true bodily autonomy.
David Random LitFire Publishing Fiction / Mystery / Crime Jake Bishop
Some murder mysteries are entirely focused on finding out who the real killer is. That’s why they’re called whodunits. Others are focused on just how the crime was committed. While still others are intent on creating the seemingly perfect crime, then proving it wasn’t perfect. David Random’s Connected doesn’t make any of the above techniques the crux of his narrative. Rather, he has created a compelling mystery that seems to put justice under the microscope by asking the question, is it sometimes impossible to punish the guilty without also punishing the innocent?
read more“David Random’s Connected isn’t your average thriller. Unlike other mystery books out there, this one has an unusual storyline. The tale of conjoined twins—one, a killer; the other, an eyewitness—caught in a nasty predicament is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats as they keep reading.”
“David has the ability to take you back to simpler times, growing up in small town New England, he makes you laugh, and in some cases, brings you to tears, for a way of life that was gone long ago, existing now only between the pages of Gullible’s Travels. Thank you David for the vivid and wonderful memories.”
“I loved the book Gullible’s Travels! It was funny and sweet and dear to my heart. I know the book will bring back your own fond memories of childhood.”
“Having worked in the Boston advertising community for many years, I found David’s book to bring back fantastic memories of advertising in the good ol-days when it was a creative guy’s domain. Reading these stories reminds me that there are many more untold! I couldn’t put the book down. You won’t believe some of it, but I must say it’s all true! Thanks for putting it in writing David!”
“A great book. This collection of short stories is both hilarious and thoughtful. A treasure trove of anecdotes from life in the mad-man world of an ad agency in the ‘60s-’90s. Filled with laugh-out-loud stuff you never knew about advertising. You’ll find it here, and you’ll never look at an advertisement in the same way again! ‘The Retail Slut’ is my favorite entry in Random’s collection, but it wasn’t an easy choice—the 22 other essays equally match that wonderful story. If David releases his 2nd book tomorrow, it won’t be soon enough!”
“I just ordered three copies for gifts because I want to share the enjoyment this book gave me. Beyond the humor that brought smiles, chuckles and laughter to each page, my heart warmed with appreciation for the author’s delightful way with words as I reread sentences just for the pure joy of it. Every time I opened this book, I felt like a little kid diving into a big bowl of ice cream!”
“This is a fabulous read! Hysterically funny in parts; very interesting throughout. I loved it and have read a few of the stories to other people. I’m glad Mr. Random took the time to recall and record his life in advertising!”
