On the twenty-fifth anniversary of opening their nightclub Local Beats, owners Ray Reynaud and Ambrose Desmet agree to give an interview. Ray, a stoic former war correspondent, isn’t happy about it, but Ambrose, a wise, graceful creature, thinks it will be fun. With every question about whether the wild stories they’ve told their staff and best customers are tall tales or the plain truth, the two men share tiny slivers of their lives. Will the reporter get the full scoop on how they feel about each other? Syncopated is set in the world of the Local Beats series, but is a standalone 7,000 word short story about a stern silver fox and a delicate possible-spy with mysterious pasts, the best club in Chicago, and too many stories to fit into one interview!