Hardboiled Histoires

In 1950s Los Angeles, prolific "people-finder", RICK YOUNGE must find an embezzling mob accountant, a missing dead husband (who might not be so dead after all), a mystery by-mail 'secret admirerer', and his own kidnapped dog, all while trying to keep the lights on for another month and stay sober long enough to ponder what life's all about in this debut adventure for L.A.'s most 'by-the-seat-of-his-wrinkled-pants' private detective.

Allow me to introduce myself: the name's Dylan Neville. I'm a decent writer, a good cook, and (if I do say so myself) the sharpest shot in the City. Nice to meet you all. Well, I found out the hard way that there's only so many bridges you can burn before you've got no more places to run. So I had to turn to my brother, currently sitting on his newly minted detective agency and looking for assistants. Ryan spent most of our childhood as an amateur sleuth. But I'd say there are significant differences between being a kid detective and doing the business as an adult. For instance; your name gets stamped above the door for the mighty convenience of anyone who wants you dead. Can't say this is how I imagined spending my twenties. But hey, I've got nowhere else to go. Might as well make the best out of it.

In 1915 an unsuspecting passenger ship sails through treacherous waters toward a doom that was ordered from the highest authorities. For Jacob Blankfield, a thirteen-year-old boy dependent on leg braces and crutches, coming of age will come early, aboard a ship on its final voyage across the Atlantic, amidst explosions and torpedoes, battling forces unleashed by Great Powers in a Great War. After witnessing a murder, Jacob is thrust into the center of a conspiracy that threatens his own life and that of two thousand passengers. Forming alliances with friends and enemies, he digs to uncover the expansive details of a plot and the coconspirators before it is too late, standing in the way of secret plans and nefarious men, ultimately pushed to overcome his fear and handicaps to take matters into his own hands. As the ship approaches its destiny, Jacob closes in on a final duel of arms against an experienced and sinister opponent, learning that even his friends can be enemies. An introduction to arms, action and courage that promise to change his life forever and permanently forge his character, for better or for worse.

*NEW CHAPTERS EVERY MONDAY* Detective Earl Cullimore navigates an architectural mystery to answer the call of a potential client... Note: This is a first draft that I'm writing on the fly each week. (Started August 3rd, 2021)

Daniela Moreno wakes up one morning with her eyes gouged out. No blood, just two empty sockets left behind. I may not have any memories of the incident, but I will find out what happened. * * * Ranking: #3 in mysterycontest

In the shadowed depths of the Louisiana bayou, necromancer Simon Van Hadley faces an eldritch terror unleashed by a fanatical cult. As Simon fights for survival, long-buried memories claw their way to the surface, forcing him to confront the haunting truth of his shattered past. Bound to a dark entity known only as "Lilith," Simon must grapple with the choices that destroyed his family-and his soul. Will his dying revelations bring redemption, or will they cement his descent into darkness?

"Holiday, ha!" spat James Bond "What was I thinking?" When James Bond is sent to Vienna to attend a meeting at the UN, he realizes that M is merely trying to get him out of the way until things cool down at MI6. Although it is meant to be down time, in James Bond's world trouble is never far behind. Soon after his arrival, James is being pursued by members of the European underworld and is caught in the deadly clutches one of the most vicious killers he has ever faced. James Bond discovers that sometimes the greatest criminals can hide in plain sight and uncovering the truth could have consequences he could never have imagined. A man of honour gets his job done, but at what cost?

It usually took more than a pretty face and a tight skirt for Caleb Joyner to take a case. But when it’s your first love coming back for seconds it’s hard for a private eye to say no. Joyner soon finds himself on the trail of a wayward husband, slithering through the sun-baked streets of the Silicon Valley. Along the way he finds a decomposing body that leads him to confront a gang of killers. Then a real sweetheart of a girl with an outrageous body and an ax to grind comes to his aid. If only he could figure out if she is a friend or a murderess in disguise.

Meet Miles Franco, but make it fast. If the cops have anything to say about it, he'll be dead by morning. Miles used to make a living illegally smuggling people between dimensions. That was until the cops caught up with him and made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Now he's chasing an interdimensional drug smuggler across worlds. Gangsters are trying to kick the shit out of him and the cops want to put a leash on him. These days it seems like everyone wants a piece of Miles Franco. But you can only push a man so far before he starts pushing back. And self-control isn't Miles' strong suit. Raw, insane, and hard-boiled as hell, The Man Who Crossed Worlds is a violent fever-dream for those who like their urban fantasy to kick them in the teeth. Note: This novel contains strong language, violence, and sexual situations. ~~~ This book and its sequel, The Man Who Walked in Darkness, are available now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords. Visit www.chris-strange.com for more information.

“Yet man will never be perfect until he learns to create and destroy; he does know how to destroy, and that is half the battle.” -- Alexandre Dumas "The Count of Monte Cristo"

Jade and Blood is the first mystery featuring Detective Samuel Sloan, a hardboiled private investigator in Los Angeles 2107 and his holographic secretary Sarah. One Arthur Dowles has contacted Mister Sloan. A valuable jade frog has gone missing from his private collection and he wants it back before the theft goes public.

Commissioner Ajay Singh Guha is the intelligent, power-hungry head of the Grayham City Police Department. He rules the city with an iron fist and does not hesitate to kill anyone who may slip through the cracks of the justice system. His main weapon is a secret organization of police officers, who, like him, are frustrated at the sheer amount of criminals that do not receive justice. Commissioner Guha feels his steel grip soften when he starts pursuing Veteran, a rising drug dealer tied to the escape of two hundred patients from various asylums across the city. Guha's panic rises as the bodies of these patients are uncovered in remote parts of the city. Each of these patients is killed in a different manner, and Guha finds himself scrambling to put the pieces of the puzzle together. While Guha begins to confront Veteran, Jason Gravano, son of notorious drug lord Favio Gravano, starts to tire with his life of endless partying. His friend Jack tries in vain to help Jason regain his spirits, only to find out that Jason craves danger. The two begin to slowly put themselves in increasing danger until Jason finds himself in the middle of a drug deal gone wrong. He kills the three gangbangers who cross him and marvels at the incredible power that he feels from fighting people. In pursuit of this ecstatic feeling, he uses the enormous funds from his father to form a biker gang dedicated to killing the scum of the city. Soon, Jason, Guha, and Veteran find themselves fighting each other for control of Grayham. In the relentless effort to win this game of wits, the three men lay waste to the city of Grayham. At the end of the day, the ruins can give birth to only one victor.

One of Hollywood's elites has been murdered, the accused her estranged husband. The situation doesn't look good for the husband, whose appetites for booze, gambling, and extramarital sex are as outsized as his ego. To make matters worse, he is on the hook to his bookie for a quarter million bucks, and with next to no alibi, multi-million reasons to kill his wealthy wife.

**short stories** The life of a working private detective doesn't leave a whole lot of downtime, and nobody knows this better than Holden Burke. Collected here are a series of his professional adventures, exploits, and other odd tales from the depths of his motley case files.

A directionless former Military Intelligence analyst is contacted by an old comrade and follows his own path to find out why a lost friend died. Feedback greatly appreciated.

Several years ago, a brilliant but short-lived webzine titled Flashing in the Gutters featured crime fiction in the form of short-short stories—also known as “flash fiction.” This was the first story I published with them. (“Mind Your Own Business” copyright 2006, originally appeared on the blog Flashing in the Gutters.)

Khail Crestwell is a medium living in NYC. He has had his fill with the supernatural after a bad run in with a spirit unlike anything he has ever face before but when his twin sister comes to him needing assistance with solving the murder of vampires he can't refuse. Kale is thrust into the seedy underworld of LA's largest coven and all the deeds they have their hands in.