On Wednesday, February 18, the VCC Bookies hosted author Michael Springer at their monthly book club meeting. Members of other VCC book clubs were also invited to attend. This is the second presentation Mr. Springer has given for VCC. Following is an overview of Springer’s second novel, Throwaway Boys.
On a quiet Sunday in 1955, three boys set out from their suburban homes to see a movie in downtown Chicago. They don’t come home that night. Two days later their bodies are found in a local forest preserve. The brutal murders stun the city, shattering the myth of suburban innocence. Police launch a massive search for the killers, but infighting and incompetence hamper them. The trail eventually leads to a stable owned by Cyrus Caine, the Godfather of the Horse Mafia (UNBRIDLED). But it will be forty years before the case is solved and the killer is brought to justice.
THROWAWAY BOYS is the second in a series of novels about the Equestrian Mafia of Chicago. It is a prequel to UNBRIDLED, Michael Springer’s debut novel, which tells the story of two brothers who ruled the horse world in the Midwest in the 1950s and 60s. Morgan Caine was a respected businessman, a war hero and a family man. His older brother Cyrus was cut from a different cloth. Raised on the mean streets of Chicago, Cyrus learned to play rough. His methods of choice were arson, insurance fraud and even murder. A bitter feud developed between the brothers and resulted in Cyrus arranging a hit on his brother.
The second novel begins in the 1950s, when the Caine brothers are establishing their dominance. The murder of three boys – two were 13, one was 11 – horrified the city of Chicago. After years of false starts and blind alleys, a tip from a confidential informant offers a new theory of the crime and a trail that leads to the Horse Mafia. In THROWAWAY BOYS, major characters from UNBRIDLED are supporting players and minor characters move to the center of the story.
Both novels in the Equestrian Mafia series have been enthusiastically reviewed. Kirkus Reviews called UNBRIDLED “an engrossing novel that ambitiously tackles big moral and philosophical issues.” The novel was recently selected as one of the Top 25 Indies Worth Discovering for 2025. Likewise, Kirkus said that THROWAWAY BOYS “delivers an engrossing blend of crime, history and moral reckoning.”
Both books are available in e-book or paperback format on Amazon at THROWAWAY BOYS: A Novel – Kindle edition by Springer, Michael. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Springer is originally from the Chicago area, where the Horse Mafia novels are set. He divides his time between Estero and the south of France. He is a popular guest speaker at regional book clubs, including Country Creek.
