Melvin Marcus is an evil man. Violence begets violence. Mel is miserable through his young life. Tormented and beat by bullies, too small to fight back. Once reaching puberty Melvin's physical characters change and he becomes a man too quickly. The story reflects the hardships of marriage and fatherhood as a farm worker in the Southern California desert. From there Mel goes on to become a police officer then solder. Jail and homelessness only exacerbated his iniquitous behavior. Melvin Marcus is the pre-sequel to the Jake Smith Mystery series. The novella ends where BANG STICK starts.