various e-books by Stan Singer a.k.a. Squirrel

[A] Prisoner of Cell 21 also titled Con Game, Stan Singer. self-published, classics reborn or [an Amazon company] Create Space, 2011. e-book, 297 or 281 pps.

Squirrel's Guide to Surviving Jail and Innocent Inmate Stories, Stan Singer. self-published: classics reborn, 2012. e-book, 32 pps.

Sketches From Behind Bars, Stan Singer. self-published: classics reborn, 2013. e-book, 2 pps.


Stan Singer self-described as an inmate serving time in Orange County jail in downstate New York. [His bio from one site notes that he is out now and living in another state]. This is a man with an imagination and talent. He has written a variety of e-books [and at least one paperback]. Stan Singer writes both fiction and memoirs with ease. He also has some excellent drawings of dragons.

Prisoner of Cell 21 includes the same writing as Con Game. I will refer to the story as Prisoner of Cell 21. It is semi-autobiographical with some twists. Names have been changed and situations altered to protect the innocent from the criminal justice system.

In Prisoner of Cell 21, Singer takes on a persona by the name of Eli Epstein. Like Singer, Epstein was forced into a plea bargain for a crime that he did not commit. Epstein gets out and is soon bored by the flunkie job at a superette that the release counselor of the jail got for him. But he is not bored by Angela who is a very pretty young woman. One thing follows another and soon they are deeply involved. 

Epstein locates a variety of gigs and starts thriving. He's got associates, a hot woman, money, and fun going on. But his parole officer is not part of the fun. I will not give anything away here. I do have to say that the conversations between him and a hapless gentleman by the name of Hatfield [a.k.a. Hatface] are not to be missed.

The entire book is full of wit and action. I liked it a lot.



Squirrel's Guide to Surviving Jail and Innocent Inmate Stories is a series of tips and how-tos which are valuable to both the first time inmate and those friends on the outside with no experience in visiting someone in jails or prisons. He covers various topics thoroughly and is a must-read for new fish.



Sketches From Behind Bars is a collection of lined paper with pencil drawings on them done while serving time. The dragons are detailed. Each is unique in some way. If you are interested in folk art, raw art, self-taught artists, or inmate art then Sketches From Behind Bars is a good one for your collection. Guards are notorious for destroying creative works of prisoners during cell searches. I am glad that these drawings survived.


sapphoq reviews says: Stan Singer has an active imagination and the wit to make a story hum. People who watch those cop and detective shows on television will find Prisoner of Cell 21 to be better than those sorts of shows. Squirrel's Guide to Surviving Jail and Innocent Inmate Stories is a good short book with a realistic glimpse into life on the cell-block. His artwork in Sketches From Behind Bars displays much creativity. I wish him the best in his future endeavors. Readers who like fantasy novels will be pleased by some of Singer's other works [not reviewed here].  I recommend Stan Singer as an up-and-coming Indie author.

Search for a Silver Lining by B.C. Murray

Search for a Silver Lining: One Man's Life Inside the Bizarre World of Prison, B.C. Murray. Portland OR: BookBaby, 2013. e-book, 309 pps.

B.C. Murray is currently incarcerated. He is from the South and has done his time primarily in southern jails and a hub (a prison where an inmate waits with other inmates until there are adequate numbers to justify the use of transport dollars to transfer an inmate to wherever he is going within the system). He has landed at a fed pen in Arkansas. Search for a Silver Lining is primarily about the social aspect of his experiences as a prisoner.

sapphoq reviews says: B.C. Murray admits near the end of his book that his motives for writing it were unclear. Certainly, he recounted some humorous tales of various cellies. He also had a few things to say about prison jobs-- food service jobs are the worst-- and he busts a few racially-based myths along the way. Unfortunately, his writing suffered from his lack of purpose. There is a weak argument that after being through the humiliation of arrests, court dates, trials and public media, prison is almost a relief. There is also the unconvincing argument that it makes more economic sense to give non-violent prisoners house arrest. I don't know if it makes more economic sense or not. I do know that his arguments were not backed up by any evidence. I did enjoy the variety of quotations that B.C. Murray used to set off each chapter. Any monies received will go to his two sons, he says. Not really recommended.