Lina Patton

In Leave the Troubled Skull Behind, Lina Patton crafts a haunting, darkly funny pastiche inspired by Tobias Wolff’s Bullet in the Brain and true stories from the life of her father, audiobook narrator James Baxter Patton. When Baxter, a sharp-tongued, tech-weary octogenarian, finds himself in the middle of a surreal bank robbery, his final moments become a kaleidoscope of memory, irony, and revelation.

As the bullet slows through his brain, Baxter doesn’t recall his career, his family, or the world’s unraveling headlines. Instead, he returns to a racetrack in childhood—blue sky, horse hooves, and the fleeting magic of feeling the universe on his side.

This poignant, satirical short story explores what truly matters when everything else falls away. Perfect for fans of literary fiction, character-driven narratives, and stories that blend humor with heartbreak.