The Man, The Myth, The Legend

“Chris Orcutt serves up a deliciously cheeky and ironic collection of short stories that offer glimpses into the perilous lives of ten men from vastly different walks of life and eras.”* An IndieReader Best Book of 2013.

From the emotionally poignant to the outrageously humorous, this varied collection of stories dramatizes the lives of a wide range of fascinating men including

The Last Great White Hunter…
learns that on the African savanna, the most dangerous predator is Woman.

The Bootlegger…
goes to extraordinary lengths to provide for his family during the Great Depression.

The Speechwriter…
contends with something all men have since the beginning of time—gut-wrenching temptation.

The Dogcatcher…
earns his living finding the lost dogs of uber-wealthy clients.

The Civil War General…
reveals the pitiful but hilarious depths of his own self-deception.

Brimming with action-adventure, ample humor, and clean, picturesque writing, The Man, The Myth, The Legend combines the compelling narrative drive of great movies (“What happens next?”) with the gemlike beauty of the short story form.

Readers Say:

“Chris Orcutt’s writing is a surprise at every turn of the page. The writing is impeccable and filled with underlying humor and wit.”

“I would recommend The Man, The Myth, The Legend to anyone who enjoys suspense, romance, intrigue and humor. So, pretty much anyone.”

“Orcutt’s glib use of language and deft ability to switch into multifarious voices and writing styles captures the nuances of time, setting and mentality of each protagonist…making each story unique, engaging and insightful.”

“I absolutely loved this collection of short stories. Each story is unique and has a different feel to it. I personally loved the story ‘Seven Whole Grains on a Mission.’ It’s just incredibly clever and made me laugh out loud through the entire thing.”

“Again, I was thoroughly engaged in Chris’s beautiful use of our language.”

“Let this book take you away from the ordinary and whisk you away to other worlds of interesting lives. You’ll find yourself engrossed in every chapter, thinking about the stories you’ve read days later.”

“This book is like a mahogany box of sample liquors and cigar on the side, each bottle providing a new flavor and a memorable aftertaste.”

Author Biography

CHRIS ORCUTT has written professionally for over 20 years as a fiction writer, journalist, scriptwriter, playwright, technical writer and speechwriter. He has also taught high school U.S. history and college writing. At Baruch College, City University of New York, Chris received the Distinguished Teaching Award, and as a newspaper reporter he received a New York Press Association award. Chris is the author of the critically acclaimed Dakota Stevens Mystery Series. The first novel in the series, A REAL PIECE OF WORK, achieved a #1 top-rated ranking in Literary Fiction for Kindle, and #4 in Mystery. IndieReader writes of the novel, “Action, lust, danger, style and witty repartee, Orcutt’s A Real Piece of Work is a work of art.” The novel received similarly strong critical acclaim from other reviewers, as did the sequel, THE RICH ARE DIFFERENT. The third installment in the series, A TRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION, debuts on January 1, 2015. Chris’s short story collection, THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND, was selected by IndieReader as one of the Best Books of 2013. And his modern pastoral novel, ONE HUNDRED MILES FROM MANHATTAN, was selected by IndieReader as a Best Book for 2014. In a review of the novel Kirkus Reviews favorably compared Chris to Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Cheever. For more about Chris, visit his website: www.orcutt.net. For more about the Dakota Stevens Mysteries Series, visit www.orcutt.net OR www.dakotapi.com.