An Excerpt – Sneak Peek

I came by my dishonesty honestly.

My great-grandfather was a horse thief. My grandfather was a tax cheat. My uncle was a real estate swindler. My father was a con man, a grifter.

And my mother? A real piece of work.

That’s all in my rearview mirror now. I’m a changed man. Have been for coming up on three years. In fact, today was my one thousandth day out of the life. A milestone, of sorts. And I was celebrating like I had for the past five months. I was driving for Ryde, the fourth-most popular ride-sharing service in the country. I didn’t much like the job, but I liked it better than getting evicted. It was one of the more lucrative side-hustles I’d had, at least among the legal ones.

I was trying very hard to keep my life going in the right direction, and if I had to work some dead-end jobs in order to achieve that, then so be it. Anything beat prison.

I glanced into the back seat where my latest fare, a drunk twenty-something, belched loudly as he listed to one side, shoulder coming to rest against the door.

“You okay back there?”

No answer.

“You need me to pull over?” About three weeks ago, a freckle-faced boy had puked in the back seat. It stank for days, and that was just from too much Mountain Dew and birthday cake. Beer and burgers would smell a lot worse, for a lot longer.

“You awake back there?”

Still no answer, unless you counted a boozy hiccup.

I slowed and waited for a car to pass before pulling into the right lane, then further onto the shoulder. We were on I-66, heading west into the Virginia suburbs, where someone losing their lunch on the side of the highway wasn’t as commonplace as it was in other parts of the DMV. Not unheard of, though.

I brought the car to a stop and, checking to make sure it was safe, scrambled out of the car and hustled around to the back passenger-side door. Opened it carefully, not wanting to dump my rider onto the ground. Gently, I hauled him out, supporting him under one arm. “Hey, buddy. You don’t look too good. I thought maybe some fresh air might help.”

Dusk had fallen, and the dim light wasn’t helping his gray-green complexion.

“What’s your name?” I pinched his upper arm.

His eyes fluttered open. “Whazzat?”

“You going to be sick?”

He exhaled and it smelled like a beer truck had overturned. “Where are we?”

I shifted him to one side so he no longer faced me. “I’m taking you home, but it seemed as if you needed to…”

“What? Needed to what?” Needed sounded like needled.

“You know. You look a little ill. I thought you might need to… You know, feel better.”

He finally took my hint and puked all over his shoes, but not before spinning around to face my car. I jumped back to avoid the spatter. I succeeded, but my Camry wasn’t as lucky.

He hurled again, then straightened and turned around. Looked me in the eyes. “Thanks, man. I needed that.” He attempted to wink at me, but it just looked as if he had a piece of dirt in his eye. “Now, can you please take me home?”

“Of course. Sir.” I wanted to yell at him for messing up my ride, but I bit my tongue. Bad reviews weren’t good for business.

I eased him back into the car, made sure he was buckled in. Then I drove him to his home in Vienna, glancing in the mirror every so often. If he was going to hurl again, I wanted to act quickly. We made it there without further incident, and he managed to get out and to his doorstep on his own. Didn’t even thank me for the ride.

I deserved a damn good tip, but I had a strong feeling I was going to get shafted.

The glamorous and rewarding life of a Ryde driver.

At least chauffeuring drunks around wasn’t going to land me back in prison. I’d done my time.

I’d learned my lesson.

THE FAMILY BIZ
Genre: Heist Caper
Release: April 2026
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Ex-con Chance Winston has been out of prison and on the straight-and-narrow for one thousand days, now making ends meet driving for a ride-sharing company. So, when he picks up a fare who threatens to upend his entire life, he’s a bit skeptical. But a family member is in trouble—serious, kneecapping trouble—and he reluctantly gets sucked back into the family business. Can he and his band of grifters pull off one last job to save the day? Or is Chance the one being scammed? In a family of con artists, where honesty is but a passing fancy, it’s really hard to tell.

About the author
Alan Orloff has published fourteen novels and more than sixty short stories. His work has won an Anthony, an Agatha, a Derringer, and two Thriller Awards. He’s also been a finalist for the Shamus Award and has had a story selected for The Best American Mystery Stories. Alan lives and writes in South Florida, where the examples of hijinks are endless. www.alanorloff.com