The murder of a young woman triggers a series of events that pit a philosophical assassin, a charismatic detective, and the heir of a vicious mob family against each other. Bruce Crown’s debut novel, Chronic Passions is a narrative about the lovelorn Clark desperately trying to keep the past at bay and the witty Niccolo investigating the disappearance of his childhood sweetheart. The novel bends the simple question of right and wrong by turning rich philosophical ideas into pragmatic actions in the modern world. A master of similes and allegories, Crown presents the plot outside our traditional concept of time and builds a narrative that inquires about what it means to love a woman or fight for justice.