The Rotten Apple

by Christopher Stocking

New York City, 1950 – Detective Naomi Blake sits in her office, craving a cigarette. Her phone rings. Mark Falco, owner of Falco Corporation, is in interrogation room one. Falco Corp. trucks have been spotted making late-night deliveries to an out-of-business warehouse, and the NYPD wants answers. Mark lawyers his way out. As always.

A woman comes in to the station. Says her husband is missing, possibly kidnapped. Before she can say by whom, a mysterious man bursts through the doors and sinks three slugs into her head, then vanishes. Even picks up the shell casings. The work of a professional.

Suspicious activity by Falco Corp., a missing husband, and a murdered woman. Three separate events? Or a concoction so vile it could mean the end of peace and justice in New York City?

Kindle Edition

First published March 2, 2014

About the author

Christoper Stocking ia a writer who is capable of undertaking many forms of writing and work in the journalism and communication fields. He has published several novels, has experience with news writing from working as a freelance correspondent at Livingston County News, writing for his college newspaper, The Stylus, as well as serving as a teaching assistant for his college news writing class. Christopher assisted the Associated Press twice and also wrote for public relations as a PR intern at Noyes Memorial Hospital.

Christopher served as assistant editor at Upstate Metal magazine, and after a brief departure he returned as a copy editor. He also edits novels for Eat Your Serial Press as well as his own creative and professional work.

Reviews

[K.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rotten Apple is a great noir novel that follows Naomi, a truly strong and badass female detective. Stocking immediately does a great job of putting you in the shoes of the main character, with constant subtle reminders that she's a New York City cop in the 1950s. He also shows us a female character that's tough but also has a past that makes her vulnerable. Very few supposed "strong" female characters are quite as well written as Stocking's MC.

The action is quick and full of weight; you truly understand the gravity of the situation and that Naomi's whole world is on the line. The bad guys are smart and terrifying, the romance is organic and realistic, and there are plenty of twists to keep you enthralled.

[Britt Skrabanek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've seen Noir films, but have never read a book in that company before. Stocking really nailed the mysterious glamor of that genre, whisking the reader away to a world of black and white, where the good guys and bad guys are not what they seem.

As I'm into strong female characters, I loved Detective Naomi Blake—a chain-smoking, kick-butt gal with a sweeter side as well. Stocking develops this character beautifully, so that we can feel the twists and turns of the story right alongside her.

It's a fun, fast read and a fantastic escape. I will definitely be reading more by this talented author.

Britt Skrabanek
http://brittskrabanek.com

[Devan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! It had the perfect amount of intrigue that made me not want to stop reading it! The characters were great, especially Naomi. I love a bad ass lead female. :) Although they were pretty solid, some of the smaller characters could have used just a tiny bit more background. The dialogue was done very well, just the right amount. All together, the core concept of this book was awesome and I look forward to reading more from Chris!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In spite of a lot of typos on the kindle version, I enjoyed diving into 1960's old time New York when corruption reigned over the city and its people. The immersion was easy along with strong characters who took us directly into a war-like zone. I'm a little bit disappointed in the ending which is wrapped up a bit too fast for me.
An overall good read, leaving us with a sense of wanting more from Stocking.