Barstools Full and Empty

Raymond Cole is dead. Born to privilege, blessed with charm, magnetism and wit, Raymond defied doctor's warnings and dared one last run through Central Park. His heart quit on a perfect spring morning.

Many grieved his death, but no one more than Ben Gold. A watcher. A listener. A kid from modest roots, he'd never anticipated friendship with the likes of Raymond Cole. But in 1965, in a Berkeley lecture hall with hundreds of seats, Raymond drops into the seat next to Ben and a twenty-year brotherhood begins. Ben is drawn into a magnetic new world of wealth and swagger-and toward Rosanna Harwick, the woman on Raymond's arm.

Ben becomes the one person Raymond never has to perform for-the keeper of his honest self. It is a pact of truth between two men who share nothing else: not money, not faith, not luck. For years the bond survives distance, jealousy, ambition, love affairs and grief. Until one day, Ben finally asks the question that has burned within him for years. Raymond refuses to answer. Something cracks between them-something even Ben's fierce loyalty cannot fully mend.

This is a novel for readers who want to live inside a story. The prose is rich and unhurried, in the tradition of the great twentieth century storytellers. It captures the pathos of loyalty tested, love deferred and those fleeting moments that can change everything. By the final page, you'll forgive, grieve and rejoice with these characters and you will carry them with you.

"A sprawling family saga..."-Kirkus Reviews