Over two decades, Michael W. Corcoran met people from all walks of life while living at the Baltimore Hotel in LA's Skid Row neighborhood. Inspired by these encounters, the author has written an engrossing short story collection in Eddie the KIng. A recent hire at King Eddie Saloon assesses the various types of customers who visit the historic bar each morning. After being offered a chance to upgrade his room, the narrator recalls the opportunities for "sliding" that the employees get every time guests leave the hotel. An old war veteran regales the regulars of King Eddie Saloon with wild tales from his past, unbothered by the fact that they don't believe his stories. The narrator unexpectedly discovers the hidden life of one of King Eddie Saloon's employees, known in the hotel as the resident tough guy.

Layered with heart, humor, and sorrow, Eddie the KIng is a riveting anthology for short story lovers. The book is hilarious at times. However, there's also an underlying tragic tone to author Michael W. Corcoran's tales that brings a sense of authenticity and realism to the narratives. It makes the setting even more immersive for the reader. The inspiration from his years spent in Skid Row is evident. The book takes you back in time to a place that showcases life in all its varied flavors, featuring both highs and lows. These stories are narrated through the point of view of a bartender at the King Eddie Saloon, who is the common link between the characters featured. All in all, I found it to be a captivating anthology and highly recommend it.

Eddie the KIng: Stories of LA's Skid Row by Michael W. Corcoran is told through the perspective of a longtime Skid Row resident and bartender, unfolding in and around Los Angeles’ Skid Row, especially the Baltimore Hotel and the King Eddy Saloon. Through short, interconnected stories, Corcoran introduces many people whose glory days are seemingly far behind them or, in some cases, entirely made up. Many have been through the rigors of life, trying to survive the mean streets of L.A. Some of the vignettes feature veterans, barflies, hustlers, and even dreamers as they navigate the daily grind, including negotiating the pecking order among crews, trying to pay the rent, and hearing tall tales about those who’ve passed, some with dignity and many without. Each chapter shines a little light on small, everyday moments, some funny, some heartbreaking, and some right on the edge of both.

The more I read Eddie the KIng, the more it felt like someone was talking to me. It’s not fancy, but engaging nonetheless. Michael W. Corcoran doesn’t try to glamorize anything; he just tells it the way it was, like when he writes, “You’re broke. No phone, no car, no job. And you’re a white guy—rock bottom status in this part of town.” Every so often, a quick, sharp line of humor pops up and catches you off guard. Some accounts stay messy or unresolved, which honestly feels right for the world he’s writing about. From the half-warm lobby coffee to the stories no one else would bother recording, the whole collection comes across as realistic. Ernest Hemingway’s quote, “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places,” pretty much sums up this book to a T.