Uncover Urban Tales in South Jersey
Gritty Stories of Hustle, Heart & Redemption
A pool hall full of hustlers. A father shaped by war. A son searching for who he really is.
The Houseman is the true story of Rick DiMedio, the man behind the counter at Kings Row — a gritty South Jersey poolroom where gamblers, hustlers, pimps, and wanderers crossed paths every night. What began as a family business became a life-defining journey through loyalty, survival, betrayal, and unexpected lessons found in the shadows of a neon-lit room.
Raised in a proud Italian American family. Rick's earliest influences came from a grandfather who built a legacy from nothing and a father forever changed by the trauma of World War II. Their triumphs, flaws, and contradictions shaped Rick long before he stepped into the pool hall that would become his world.
For more than thirty years, Kings Row was his classroom in human nature. He saw lives rise and fall across green felt tables, broke up fights, spotted hustlers before they made a move, and learned who to trust-and who to stay far away from. In the chaos, he discovered who he was and who he wasn't.
Raw, honest, and unforgettable, The Houseman is a memoir about family, survival, street wisdom, and the powerful lessons earned from a lifetime around the characters most people only hear stories about.
If you ever wondered what really happens behind the counter of a pool hall, step inside Kings Row. The truth is wilder than fiction.
About the Author
The Houseman is the debut work of Rick DiMedio, a writer whose life experience forms the backbone of his storytelling. As a graduate of Villanova University, DiMedio built a successful career as an entrepreneur, owning and operating four businesses over the course of his professional life.
After retiring from business, he turned his focus to writing—drawing on decades of personal experience, family history, and hard-earned insight. The Houseman is a true story rooted in Kings Row, a gritty South Jersey pool hall where lessons about loyalty, survival, responsibility, and identity were learned the old-fashioned way—through experience. His straightforward and honest voice reflects the authenticity of a life fully lived.
Rick is currently married to his wife, Lisa of thirty plus years. He is the father of three children—Jordan, Jillian, and Jason—and the proud grandfather of five grandchildren: Samantha, Ryan Wyatt, Sierra, and Isaac.
He currently resides in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he is at work on his second book, a murder mystery that marks an exciting new chapter in his writing career
