Who is Miles Darien?

Miles Darien was born and raised on the Upper West Side of New York City. He and his childhood friend, Ryan Duffy, who he always calls “Buddy Boy”, grew up playing kick-the-can and stick ball in the street with the neighbor kids. The first time Ryan was invited over to play, he questioned Miles about that metal thing which was nailed to the doorway entrance to the Darien’s unit. The explanation of the significance of the Mezuzah was Ryan’s first lesson in Jewish customs. Miles would further Ryan’s Jewish education frequently over the years, particularly the food culture. The fact that the Darien family’s religious affiliation was much more ethnic than religious mirrored Ryan’s own religious experience. The Duffy’s Irish Catholic heritage showed up mostly symbolically, like having a Christmas tree, but not ceremonially, like seldom attending church services. Bolstered by the fact that they were not attracted to people of the same gender, their teenage years were free of romantic conflicts.

Ryan went on to become a highly respected free-lance investigative journalist while Miles opted for a more scientific form of investigation, graduating from Drexel University in Philadelphia with a degree in forensic science. After graduation, he took an internship with the NYPD crime lab which later developed into a full time position. After several years there, he went out on his own doing forensic investigations on a contract basis for a number of police departments around the country. His last such contract was for one year with the police department in Lakeville, Wisconsin where he augmented their staff while they sought a permanent hire.

Despite his being Jewish, gay and very much a New Yorker, it turned out the lifestyle and people in Lakeville and Wisconsin, in general, were a perfect fit. He found the people he met there proved there really is something to that “Midwest Nice” moniker. Unfortunately, Miles background and gender preference did not sit well with one of the department’s administrators, however, so he was not considered for the permanent position.  When his job with the department ended, he decided to stay in Lakeville and set up shop as a private detective.  

His big break came a couple of years later as a result of his work on a very high profile case. He was hired to find the evidence exonerating Jack McKay, a political kingmaker, who had been framed for a crime he didn’t commit by a vengeful and corrupt political party. Thanks to his successful resolution of that case and the large number of other ones that followed, he became the go-to private detective in Lakeville and beyond. Often those cases were solved in in concert with law enforcement and with the invaluable expertise of his old friend, Ryan Duffy. 

Those adventures are chronicled in the books that comprise The Miles Darien Detective Thriller Series.