The Downsized Dude

When an odious co-worker is found with a tomahawk buried in his chest, irreverent Jared Wagner finds his idyllic life of enjoyable work, fine wines, beautiful women and outrageous ties completely disrupted when he's fingered as the primary suspect.

With his penchant for autocratic management, and his habit of calling everyone "dude", the lending manager at Saguaro Community Bank is everyone's least favorite person. It's no wonder, when he's found brutally murdered, that the list of mourners is short and the list of suspects long. No one could be less saddened by the death than Jared Wagner, retired Army veteran and current vice president of human resources; that is, until Jared finds himself atop the suspect list. When a second body is found in an area that Jared's key card had recently accessed, Jared finds himself ousted from the bank and hounded by the police. Convinced that the murders were due to some sort of nefarious lending scheme, Jared temporarily sets aside his perennial glass of wine and bon vivant attitude. Using his charm, HR skills and just plain luck, Jared, aided by fellow employees and loyal friends, uncovers a path of corruption that meanders from an Indian gaming establishment to small businesses populated with colorful characters. Hot on the trail, Jared discovers motives strong enough for murder - and finds himself the next employee targeted to become 'downsized.'