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The Potato Thief: A Mercy Row Prequel
An Action Adventure/Crime Novel
The Potato Thief- A prequel to the Mercy Row Series of Crime Fiction Novels. 1881 and eighteen-year-old Irishman George Graham steals a bag of potatoes to feed his starving family. This simple act of desperation sets him on an epic journey to lands he never knew existed. George endures the sweltering Jungles of Indochina, faces bloodthirsty pirates in the South Atlantic, fights a war in Cuba, and finally makes it to the land of milk and honey, America. After he lands on the gritty streets of Kensington, the Irish section of Philadelphia, he finds the milk spoiled and the honey not so sweet. Prejudice and hatred for all immigrants, especially Irish Catholics, still thrives in the hearts of the rich and ruling class. To survive and prosper George and three other Irish immigrants join forces to supply weapons to both Irish and Cuban rebels. Teenager Charlie Byrne joins them, and together they build the beginnings of what one day will be one of the most successful Irish criminal organization in the City of Brotherly Love.
The Potato Thief- A prequel to the Mercy Row Series of Crime Fiction Novels. 1881 and eighteen-year-old Irishman George Graham steals a bag of potatoes to feed his starving family. This simple act of desperation sets him on an epic journey to lands he never knew existed. George endures the sweltering Jungles of Indochina, faces bloodthirsty pirates in the South Atlantic, fights a war in Cuba, and finally makes it to the land of milk and honey, America. After he lands on the gritty streets of Kensington, the Irish section of Philadelphia, he finds the milk spoiled and the honey not so sweet. Prejudice and hatred for all immigrants, especially Irish Catholics, still thrives in the hearts of the rich and ruling class. To survive and prosper George and three other Irish immigrants join forces to supply weapons to both Irish and Cuban rebels. Teenager Charlie Byrne joins them, and together they build the beginnings of what one day will be one of the most successful Irish criminal organization in the City of Brotherly Love.
320 pages, Paperback
Published February 6, 2018
46 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Harry Hallman
12 books4 followersHarry Hallman www.facebook.com/mercyrow
Harry Hallman
Hallman was born in 1944 and raised in the Kensington section of North Philadelphia. That was a year before World War II ended. He was influenced by the stories told by returning servicemen and the proliferation of war movies that were shown on the then new invention of the television. With the influence of movie heroes such as John Wayne, and real heroes like Audie Murphy, he gained a healthy respect for his mother and father's generation and their sacrifices. His uncles on his mother's side both served in WWII, one in the Army and one in the Navy.
Hallman's father was Harry Hallman, Sr., a champion billiards player who also owned a poolroom called Circle Billiards, located at Allegany Avenue and Lee Street. The younger Hallman spent many hours after school at his father's poolroom and watching his father play in other poolrooms in Philadelphia and New Jersey. The people he met, some belonging to the real K&A Gang, influenced his writing of the Mercy Row series.
He served four years in the U.S. Air Force, including two tours in South Vietnam, as a photographer. He is married to Duoc Hallman, whom he met in Vietnam, and has two children, Bill and Nancy, and one grandchild, Ava.
Hallman is a serial entrepreneur who has created several marketing services and digital media companies and continues to work as a marketing consultant.
Harry Hallman
Hallman was born in 1944 and raised in the Kensington section of North Philadelphia. That was a year before World War II ended. He was influenced by the stories told by returning servicemen and the proliferation of war movies that were shown on the then new invention of the television. With the influence of movie heroes such as John Wayne, and real heroes like Audie Murphy, he gained a healthy respect for his mother and father's generation and their sacrifices. His uncles on his mother's side both served in WWII, one in the Army and one in the Navy.
Hallman's father was Harry Hallman, Sr., a champion billiards player who also owned a poolroom called Circle Billiards, located at Allegany Avenue and Lee Street. The younger Hallman spent many hours after school at his father's poolroom and watching his father play in other poolrooms in Philadelphia and New Jersey. The people he met, some belonging to the real K&A Gang, influenced his writing of the Mercy Row series.
He served four years in the U.S. Air Force, including two tours in South Vietnam, as a photographer. He is married to Duoc Hallman, whom he met in Vietnam, and has two children, Bill and Nancy, and one grandchild, Ava.
Hallman is a serial entrepreneur who has created several marketing services and digital media companies and continues to work as a marketing consultant.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 7, 2024
Liked this book and am eager to read the three following novels. A five star book reduced to four stars due to the grammatical errors in the book. I’m no English major and sure many books have either grammar or type issues. They probably pass me by but these were obvious to me. Certainly not the authors fault but surprising. The story itself is good, the characters likable and the plot speaks of good things to come. As a close by resident of Southern New Jersey who spent a lifetime working in the Philadelphia areas described in the book, it is a ride back in history. Many traffic light stops on Allegheny Avenue, Kensington Avenue and all the ‘letter’ streets in the neighborhood. On to book number 2.
June 1, 2022
Interesting Irish immigration into my old neighborhood. My personal connection likely forms a bias.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews