Clark Hays's Blog - Posts Tagged "mystery"
Punching the Night in the Teeth: A Crime Scene Mystery
Note: This is a post we wrote for our friends over at OmniMysteryNews.
"Something terrible happened here."
The detective was talking mostly to himself, because the two patrol officers — fresh-faced rookies barely out of the academy and bursting with professional pride — were staring at the carnage, their mouths hanging open like the swinging doors of an abandoned saloon.
After 20 years on the force, the detective had seen a lot, too much, but this was the worst so far. It was 10 in the morning and he needed a drink. Another drink.
He scratched at the salt and pepper stubble on his cheeks and then reached under his rumpled trench coat to adjust the Colt .45 nestled in his shoulder holster. The gun had a name — Brenda — and she was always ready to dance, but this wasn't a shooting thing. Not yet anyway. But the day was young.
Instead, he pulled out his battered notebook, flipped it open and grabbed the dusty pen jammed into his shirt pocket. He clicked it to life, dotting his tongue to start the ink flowing, and then held it like a club over the sweat-stained paper.
He was probably the last cop in America who even used paper, a renegade, a rebel who couldn't play by the rules, even if those rules made entering, storing and retrieving data so much easier.
All the whiskey and divorces and fights and nights alone came crashing down around his shoulders and he lashed out to avoid even one second of introspection.
"What do you see?" he shouted at the youngest of the rookie cops, a boy in the knight blue armor of all the men who came before him, a child who picked up the badge reluctantly and only to appease his father, the cold and distant commissioner.
"I don't know," the boy said, shrinking back.
The detective grinned like a wolf over a lamb, revealing a row of even, white teeth — even rebels could practice good oral hygiene — and a deep-seated mean streak.
"Useless. How about you toots?"
She bristled at the diminutive hurled at her from the washed-out detective, and raised her chin higher defiantly. She couldn't know it yet, but they would be lovers before the sun came up again.
"I can't explain it," she said. "But with all your many years of experience, you must know what's going on. Enlighten us."
This one had fire, he thought. He couldn't know it, but she would break his heart into 18 pieces and flush them, one at a time, by the end of the week.
His eyes narrowed like a hawk circling a field of blind mice. "They stopped cleaning, that's for sure," he said, pointing at to the dishes mounded and molding in the sink. "A long time ago."
The floor was littered with discarded clothes and empty glasses and the drained corpses of vodka and whiskey bottles that clinked together as he paced though them.
"Looks like they were working some angle." Every flat surface was littered with hastily scribbled pages of text and open books, the pages dog-eared and marred by frantic writing in the margins.
"It's like some kind of horror movie," she whispered.
"Yeah, that's right, only this time it's real," the detective said. "There are no sparkling vampires here, no cowboys to ride in and save the day."
He leafed through his notes. "I called around before we got here. They don't have many friends, but the few people who even called themselves casual acquaintances said they hadn't seen these two in months. The last person to see them alive was the bartender at the local gin joint."
He lit a cigarette.
"You can't smoke at a crime scene," the young cop said. His name was Bart and he was still a virgin.
"The dead don't care about smoke," the detective muttered.
"But it's against regulations."
"Screw your regulations," he said with grimace. "All I care about is closing cases."
"And getting bombed," the beautiful rookie muttered. Her name was Tanya and her eyes were the color of jade at night. He imagined her in candlelight, shaking her hair loose and laying her service revolver on the night stand and handing him a drink.
"Until you've walked these streets as long as I have, seen the things I've seen, don't you dare judge me," the detective said.
He touched the computer. "Still warm. I bet that one is too."
She touched it and then jerked her hand back, frightened, nodding that his hunch was right.
"What does it mean?" Bart asked, his voice on the edge of breaking.
The detective spun to face him, his face contorted in rage and anguish. "Haven't you figured it out yet, junior? Can't you see what's going on here? They're writers and they are so far into their project, they've disappeared from the world."
Tanya gasped and held her hand over her mouth, eyes wide with fear. Bart couldn't hold it together any longer. He snatched an ancient and half-full container of now-petrified Kung Pao and retched violently into it.
"What can we do?" Tanya asked, pale, almost translucent, and shaken — like a martini.
"Nothing," the detective said. "They're beyond all hope now." He snapped his notebook closed. "Let's go get some pancakes."
Note: Kathleen McFall and I are starting book four, so things are about to get weird...
Book One: The Cowboy and the Vampire: A Very Unusual Romance
Book two: The Cowboy and the Vampire: Blood and Whiskey
Book three: The Cowboy and the Vampire: Rough Trails and Shallow Graves
"Something terrible happened here."
The detective was talking mostly to himself, because the two patrol officers — fresh-faced rookies barely out of the academy and bursting with professional pride — were staring at the carnage, their mouths hanging open like the swinging doors of an abandoned saloon.
After 20 years on the force, the detective had seen a lot, too much, but this was the worst so far. It was 10 in the morning and he needed a drink. Another drink.
He scratched at the salt and pepper stubble on his cheeks and then reached under his rumpled trench coat to adjust the Colt .45 nestled in his shoulder holster. The gun had a name — Brenda — and she was always ready to dance, but this wasn't a shooting thing. Not yet anyway. But the day was young.
Instead, he pulled out his battered notebook, flipped it open and grabbed the dusty pen jammed into his shirt pocket. He clicked it to life, dotting his tongue to start the ink flowing, and then held it like a club over the sweat-stained paper.
He was probably the last cop in America who even used paper, a renegade, a rebel who couldn't play by the rules, even if those rules made entering, storing and retrieving data so much easier.
All the whiskey and divorces and fights and nights alone came crashing down around his shoulders and he lashed out to avoid even one second of introspection.
"What do you see?" he shouted at the youngest of the rookie cops, a boy in the knight blue armor of all the men who came before him, a child who picked up the badge reluctantly and only to appease his father, the cold and distant commissioner.
"I don't know," the boy said, shrinking back.
The detective grinned like a wolf over a lamb, revealing a row of even, white teeth — even rebels could practice good oral hygiene — and a deep-seated mean streak.
"Useless. How about you toots?"
She bristled at the diminutive hurled at her from the washed-out detective, and raised her chin higher defiantly. She couldn't know it yet, but they would be lovers before the sun came up again.
"I can't explain it," she said. "But with all your many years of experience, you must know what's going on. Enlighten us."
This one had fire, he thought. He couldn't know it, but she would break his heart into 18 pieces and flush them, one at a time, by the end of the week.
His eyes narrowed like a hawk circling a field of blind mice. "They stopped cleaning, that's for sure," he said, pointing at to the dishes mounded and molding in the sink. "A long time ago."
The floor was littered with discarded clothes and empty glasses and the drained corpses of vodka and whiskey bottles that clinked together as he paced though them.
"Looks like they were working some angle." Every flat surface was littered with hastily scribbled pages of text and open books, the pages dog-eared and marred by frantic writing in the margins.
"It's like some kind of horror movie," she whispered.
"Yeah, that's right, only this time it's real," the detective said. "There are no sparkling vampires here, no cowboys to ride in and save the day."
He leafed through his notes. "I called around before we got here. They don't have many friends, but the few people who even called themselves casual acquaintances said they hadn't seen these two in months. The last person to see them alive was the bartender at the local gin joint."
He lit a cigarette.
"You can't smoke at a crime scene," the young cop said. His name was Bart and he was still a virgin.
"The dead don't care about smoke," the detective muttered.
"But it's against regulations."
"Screw your regulations," he said with grimace. "All I care about is closing cases."
"And getting bombed," the beautiful rookie muttered. Her name was Tanya and her eyes were the color of jade at night. He imagined her in candlelight, shaking her hair loose and laying her service revolver on the night stand and handing him a drink.
"Until you've walked these streets as long as I have, seen the things I've seen, don't you dare judge me," the detective said.
He touched the computer. "Still warm. I bet that one is too."
She touched it and then jerked her hand back, frightened, nodding that his hunch was right.
"What does it mean?" Bart asked, his voice on the edge of breaking.
The detective spun to face him, his face contorted in rage and anguish. "Haven't you figured it out yet, junior? Can't you see what's going on here? They're writers and they are so far into their project, they've disappeared from the world."
Tanya gasped and held her hand over her mouth, eyes wide with fear. Bart couldn't hold it together any longer. He snatched an ancient and half-full container of now-petrified Kung Pao and retched violently into it.
"What can we do?" Tanya asked, pale, almost translucent, and shaken — like a martini.
"Nothing," the detective said. "They're beyond all hope now." He snapped his notebook closed. "Let's go get some pancakes."
Note: Kathleen McFall and I are starting book four, so things are about to get weird...
Book One: The Cowboy and the Vampire: A Very Unusual Romance
Book two: The Cowboy and the Vampire: Blood and Whiskey
Book three: The Cowboy and the Vampire: Rough Trails and Shallow Graves
Review of Scorched Earth
This review originally appeared on Chapter Break Book Blog for Scorched Earth, the second book in our new Halo Trilogy.
Thanks for the review, Lynn!
Review
What I really enjoy about the Halo Trilogy series, and Scorched Earth in particular, is the mash-up of hard-boiled detective with science fiction. Crucial is detecting and crime solving across two planets! If you are asking yourself how is it possible to mash together two very different genres, let me provide some examples.
On the hard-boiled detective side:
* Over on Mars, Crucial is tasked with solving the murder of one of the First Five Families. And oh yeah, his ex’s fiancée is charged with the crime. No conflicts there, that’s for sure!
* Also, what’s with all the brains in blue goo?
* Back on Earth, who are the ‘fake’ resistance fighters? And what are they doing in the Sunbelt – that dried out middle of the continent?
On the Sci Fi side:
* Halo, the sentient AI in the series, is still there, tracking every movement, every thought, reminding me more of Thunderhead from the Scythe series this time around. I love this quote from Essential:
“AI is built by humans, an as long as we can control it – which isn’t necessarily for much longer – it’s anchored in human values. And right now, those values are defined by the Five Families.”
* Sanders, the cybanism (cybernetic humanoid type), is learning to be “more human”, including drinking alcohol. He even tries switching his blue blood (so no one thinks he’s human at an accident) to red.
* Nanites. So many nanites.
We meet the Saurians, a race of humans who were genetically crossed with lizards and now live in the Sunbelt. With tails, scales, third eyes, and the ability to camouflage themselves, they are thriving while Halo cannot see them.
McFall and Hays show some serious writing skills in blending these genres and ideas.
On a personal note, I’m on the fence about having an OCD (ocular communications device). Sure, it would be cool to have the internet ALWAYS there. But also, always there seems loud and invasive. If the recent pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that I do not always need to be connected to the internet. I need a break sometimes. And the interesting fact that we learn in Scorched Earth about the OCDs – they are implanted on day two of a baby’s life. DAY. TWO.
The pacing of Scorched Earth is fast and page turning. From the opening scene (a shoot-out, btw), I was engaged and following along, like I was there with Crucial. From the baking heat of the Sunbelt to a q-rocket that somehow MISSES Earth on the way back, I was turning pages as fast as I could. I read most of the book in one day because I HAD to find out what was going to happen next!
I genuinely like the characters in these novels. They are well-written, believable, and flawed. I found myself attached and worried about each one of them when they are put in peril by the authors. Crucial is cranky, disillusioned, and a brilliant detective. Essential is the activist we all want to be. I absolutely love Sanders and his attempts at being human.
Scorched Earth is the second novel in a series but could be read by itself. McFall and Hays do a great job in the first chapters of the novel summarizing the plot points of Gates of Mars (book #1 of The Halo Trilogy) for new readers. But not so much recap as to be dull for someone who read the first novel. But honestly, you should check out Gates of Mars. It was recently named a Foreword INDIES Finalist!
Amazing writing, fast-paced, fab world-building, authentic characters, and outstanding crime solving had me turning the pages as fast as I could. Scorched Earth fits right in with my pandemic sci fi obsession. Hopefully my review has intrigued you to pick up this series. I know I’m excited for the next installment!
Five stars!
Thanks for the review, Lynn!
Review
What I really enjoy about the Halo Trilogy series, and Scorched Earth in particular, is the mash-up of hard-boiled detective with science fiction. Crucial is detecting and crime solving across two planets! If you are asking yourself how is it possible to mash together two very different genres, let me provide some examples.
On the hard-boiled detective side:
* Over on Mars, Crucial is tasked with solving the murder of one of the First Five Families. And oh yeah, his ex’s fiancée is charged with the crime. No conflicts there, that’s for sure!
* Also, what’s with all the brains in blue goo?
* Back on Earth, who are the ‘fake’ resistance fighters? And what are they doing in the Sunbelt – that dried out middle of the continent?
On the Sci Fi side:
* Halo, the sentient AI in the series, is still there, tracking every movement, every thought, reminding me more of Thunderhead from the Scythe series this time around. I love this quote from Essential:
“AI is built by humans, an as long as we can control it – which isn’t necessarily for much longer – it’s anchored in human values. And right now, those values are defined by the Five Families.”
* Sanders, the cybanism (cybernetic humanoid type), is learning to be “more human”, including drinking alcohol. He even tries switching his blue blood (so no one thinks he’s human at an accident) to red.
* Nanites. So many nanites.
We meet the Saurians, a race of humans who were genetically crossed with lizards and now live in the Sunbelt. With tails, scales, third eyes, and the ability to camouflage themselves, they are thriving while Halo cannot see them.
McFall and Hays show some serious writing skills in blending these genres and ideas.
On a personal note, I’m on the fence about having an OCD (ocular communications device). Sure, it would be cool to have the internet ALWAYS there. But also, always there seems loud and invasive. If the recent pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that I do not always need to be connected to the internet. I need a break sometimes. And the interesting fact that we learn in Scorched Earth about the OCDs – they are implanted on day two of a baby’s life. DAY. TWO.
The pacing of Scorched Earth is fast and page turning. From the opening scene (a shoot-out, btw), I was engaged and following along, like I was there with Crucial. From the baking heat of the Sunbelt to a q-rocket that somehow MISSES Earth on the way back, I was turning pages as fast as I could. I read most of the book in one day because I HAD to find out what was going to happen next!
I genuinely like the characters in these novels. They are well-written, believable, and flawed. I found myself attached and worried about each one of them when they are put in peril by the authors. Crucial is cranky, disillusioned, and a brilliant detective. Essential is the activist we all want to be. I absolutely love Sanders and his attempts at being human.
Scorched Earth is the second novel in a series but could be read by itself. McFall and Hays do a great job in the first chapters of the novel summarizing the plot points of Gates of Mars (book #1 of The Halo Trilogy) for new readers. But not so much recap as to be dull for someone who read the first novel. But honestly, you should check out Gates of Mars. It was recently named a Foreword INDIES Finalist!
Amazing writing, fast-paced, fab world-building, authentic characters, and outstanding crime solving had me turning the pages as fast as I could. Scorched Earth fits right in with my pandemic sci fi obsession. Hopefully my review has intrigued you to pick up this series. I know I’m excited for the next installment!
Five stars!
Scorched Earth Review: Futuristic Science Fiction meets NCIS
This review originally appeared on The Page Unbound Book Blog for Scorched Earth, the second book in our new Halo Trilogy.
Review
Futuristic Science Fiction meets NCIS in this gripping murder mystery that takes place on the planet Mars. Crucial, a labor cop, is controlled by an advanced AI called Halo, as is everyone else on earth. Crucial does what he can to send secret messages to his team as they use nanites to disrupt Halo’s abilities. He’s happy what he’s doing, fighting the good fight, helping his sister Essential whom is a leader in the resistance. But then he gets a call from his ex Melinda who needs his help to clear her fiance’s name whom has been charged with murder. Though Crucial never wanted to return to Mars, he will do it for Melinda.
However, Mars is ruled by the Five Families, the wealthy elite. People that Crucial believes are futile to fight against. His investigation however leads him back to Earth, to a genetic experiment that has created lizard like cannibals. And Crucial will do what he can to find the truth, clear Melinda’s finances name, and stay alive, of course.
I must say Scorched Earth was very intriguing. It took a little to get used to all the scientific names for things, as I’m not used to reading futurist science fiction books. There’s alot of terminology that I had to stop and think about to understand what it was Crucial was describing. Once I got used to the narration the story flowed more easily. I loved how detailed and complex Scorched Earth was, but at the root of it is this investigation that leads Crucial down a path that lets us really explore these two worlds. Especially with things happening now, with the Mars Mission that is going to happen in our lifetime, it was fun to envision a world where people lived on Mars.
Crucial is such a wonderful character. He’s honorable and dependable. He doesn’t give up on people or himself. He’s definitely the “good cop” in this story, and you’re left rooting for him every step of the way. The depth of his character development had me flipping through each page. To be submerged in this world was unlike anything I have read before! And what Crucial ends up investigating was so beyond the stars, that I had to keep going to figure out how the story was going to unfold. It’s exciting, and a little horrifying, to be honest. But a little dark elements sure was the icing on the cake for me.
Though Scorched is the second in the trilogy, I read it before reading any of the others and it did fine as a stand alone, though now I am interested in the other books in the series!
Scorched is definitely a gripping read! It’s vivid and engrossing. A read for anyone that loves a good, dark, murder mystery, especially for those science fiction lovers out there! Be sure to check it out!
Rating: 4/5
Check out Gates of Mars, book one in the Halo Trilogy.
Review
Futuristic Science Fiction meets NCIS in this gripping murder mystery that takes place on the planet Mars. Crucial, a labor cop, is controlled by an advanced AI called Halo, as is everyone else on earth. Crucial does what he can to send secret messages to his team as they use nanites to disrupt Halo’s abilities. He’s happy what he’s doing, fighting the good fight, helping his sister Essential whom is a leader in the resistance. But then he gets a call from his ex Melinda who needs his help to clear her fiance’s name whom has been charged with murder. Though Crucial never wanted to return to Mars, he will do it for Melinda.
However, Mars is ruled by the Five Families, the wealthy elite. People that Crucial believes are futile to fight against. His investigation however leads him back to Earth, to a genetic experiment that has created lizard like cannibals. And Crucial will do what he can to find the truth, clear Melinda’s finances name, and stay alive, of course.
I must say Scorched Earth was very intriguing. It took a little to get used to all the scientific names for things, as I’m not used to reading futurist science fiction books. There’s alot of terminology that I had to stop and think about to understand what it was Crucial was describing. Once I got used to the narration the story flowed more easily. I loved how detailed and complex Scorched Earth was, but at the root of it is this investigation that leads Crucial down a path that lets us really explore these two worlds. Especially with things happening now, with the Mars Mission that is going to happen in our lifetime, it was fun to envision a world where people lived on Mars.
Crucial is such a wonderful character. He’s honorable and dependable. He doesn’t give up on people or himself. He’s definitely the “good cop” in this story, and you’re left rooting for him every step of the way. The depth of his character development had me flipping through each page. To be submerged in this world was unlike anything I have read before! And what Crucial ends up investigating was so beyond the stars, that I had to keep going to figure out how the story was going to unfold. It’s exciting, and a little horrifying, to be honest. But a little dark elements sure was the icing on the cake for me.
Though Scorched is the second in the trilogy, I read it before reading any of the others and it did fine as a stand alone, though now I am interested in the other books in the series!
Scorched is definitely a gripping read! It’s vivid and engrossing. A read for anyone that loves a good, dark, murder mystery, especially for those science fiction lovers out there! Be sure to check it out!
Rating: 4/5
Check out Gates of Mars, book one in the Halo Trilogy.
Gates of Mars wins INDIES gold
Kathleen McFall and I got some terrific news this week — Gates of Mars, the first book in our new scifi series, won a gold medal in the Foreword Reviews 2020 INDIES book of the year award (science fiction category). Learn more here and check out all the other winners — it’s a great round up of talented indie authors and a whole raft of books to add to your to-read list.
And be sure to check out Scorched Earth, the second book in our Halo trilogy.
And be sure to check out Scorched Earth, the second book in our Halo trilogy.
Mars Adrift launched
Kathleen McFall and I are excited to announce the launch of our tenth book together, Mars Adrift. It’s the third book in our sci-fi trilogy and possibly the best thing we’ve written together yet. We’re releasing it on Valentine's Day because: 1) One of the main characters is named Lauren Valentine; 2) It takes a durable and very flexible kind of loves to write fiction together; and, 3) the series, through the relationship of Crucial and Mel, has a lot to say about what it’s like to actually be in love. Mars Adrift is available in all the expected places, including our website: https://www.PumpjackPress.com.
Get caught up on the first two books: Gates of Mars and Scorched Earth.
Get caught up on the first two books: Gates of Mars and Scorched Earth.
