Written by Luke Sweeney,
After losing their house to foreclosure, Edwin and his wife, Mallory, abandon their artistic lives and move to Richmond, Virginia. This fresh start proves challenging when Edwin is hired as an entry-level corporate insurance employee and is paired with a new field representative named Anton Spiros, who hates their company’s role in the exploitation of laborers. Eventually, Spiros’s erratic behavior and sense of justice envelop the two men in a dangerous scheme to avenge the working class. While Edwin tries to stop Spiros from exacting violent revenge, his marriage stretches to a breaking point. Combining love, death, and kidnapping, this story’s surprising and suspenseful climax asks the question how far will someone go to determine his place in life.
Price range: $4.99 through $18.95
Luke Sweeney is a writer originally from Maine who resides in Richmond, Virginia. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. He taught English as a Second Language in Peru, and his short stories have appeared in several literary journals.
Format: Paperback, E-book
ISBN Paperback: 978-1-966369-52-3
ISBN E-book: 978-1-966369-53-0
Pages: 215
Release date: 8/18/2026
“Gruntwork is a serious (and humorous) illumination of love and work, reminiscent of the best of Richard Yates and Joe Meno. In prose that sings and with a rare intelligence, Luke Sweeney tells the story of a troubled marriage, and through it of a generation searching for meaning in an age dominated by materialism and deadened by thwarted expectations. Will the couple at the heart of this story achieve the American dream or find meaning on a higher plane? Read this riveting tale and find out.”
—Sterling Watson, author of The Committee and Night Letter
“Gruntwork tells the story of a man redefining his life amidst the upheaval of everything he had built and trusted. Luke Sweeney’s novel is vividly rendered, astonishingly well-written, visceral, unflinching, and empathetic. An engaging and compelling read, not to be missed.”
—Gale Massey, author of The Girl from Blind River
“I was immediately drawn into Gruntwork, a fresh and wonderfully vivid novel that hits the ground running. If you have ever worked in a corporate cube farm (and I have), the protagonist’s struggles in his stultifying insurance company job will ring true. The book is just long enough, and unlike many contemporary novels, not bloated. The action accelerates in the last part of the novel and sustained my interest all the way. This book engages with themes of work, class, geography, ambition, artistic talent, addition, and marriage. No easy answers are provided, just as in messy real life.”
—Alice Persons, Publisher and Editor of Moon Pie Press
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