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Black Ocean: Mercy for Hire #5-8

Mercy for Hire Mission Pack 2: Missions 5-8

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Almighty Ra looks down not from one sun but from all!

Someone has taken an ancient Earth religion and rebranded it for the 26th Century. Multi-stellar, multi-species, the Cult of Ra has an answer for everything...

Except a wizard who's sick of them preying on innocent people.

Mission 5: Sunshine of Your Cult
Still getting used to life without magic, Esper accepts a mission that seems easy enough on the surface. An actor is searching for a kidnapped co-worker. Just two little problems with that. The actor seems intent on tagging along, offering questionable "help" along the way. And his co-star is in the clutches of a deadly cult.

Mission 6: Walk Like a Magician
Now on a crusade to pull the Cult of Ra out of the galaxy by the roots, Esper and company find a arms manufacturer secretly funding the cult. But when taking on such a formidable foe without magic proves too much, Esper takes drastic measures to even the odds.

Mission 7: Hotel Caledonia
This could be the break Esper has been waiting for. A mysterious whistleblower looks to take down the Cult of Ra from the inside. He's willing to tell Esper everything. Her rendezvous aboard a luxury cruise ship goes horribly wrong when she meets her contact—at the scene of his murder.

Mission 8: Eye of the Pharaoh
The beating heart of the Cult of Ra is its founder, the self-styled pharaoh Ramesses XIII. And Esper knows where to find him. The cult flagship will be in orbit of a planet whose populace has converted to their religion. So, all Esper and her friends have to do it get to a planet full of zealots, sneak about their most powerful warship, and depose the pharaoh amid his most trusted guards and wizards.

And they know Esper is coming.

Bonus Short Story: Curriculum Vitae
A top secret glimpse into Major Wesley Wesley's classified final mission with Omicron Squad.

Black Ocean: Mercy for Hire follows the exploits of a pair of do-gooder bounty hunters who care more about saving the day than getting a payday. Mercy for Hire builds on the rich Black Ocean universe and introduces a colorful cast for new and returning readers alike. Fans of vigilante justice and heroes who exemplify the word will love this series.

Grab your copy and support the cause of justice.

717 pages, ebook

Published April 23, 2019

15 people are currently reading
22 people want to read

About the author

J.S. Morin

192 books611 followers
I am a creator of worlds and a destroyer of words. As a fantasy writer, my works range from traditional epics to futuristic fantasy with starships. I have worked as an unpaid Little League pitcher, a cashier, a student library aide, a factory grunt, a cubicle drone, and an engineer--there is some overlap in the last two.

Through it all, though, I was always a storyteller. Eventually I started writing books based on the stray stories in my head, and people kept telling me to write more of them. Now, that's all I do for a living.

I enjoy strategy, worldbuilding, and the fantasy author's privilege to make up words. I am a gamer, a joker, and a thinker of sideways thoughts. But I don't dance, can't sing, and my best artistic efforts fall short of your average notebook doodle. When you read my books, you are seeing me at my best.

My ultimate goal is to be both clever and right at the same time. I have it on good authority that I have yet to achieve it.

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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Profile Image for Richard.
771 reviews31 followers
July 22, 2020
Okay, I confess. I’ve gotten addicted to the Mercy for Hire series by J. S. Morin.

Let me give you some background. First, I like to read hard science and hard science science fiction. Second, if I ever run for elected office it will be on a platform to officially separate Science Fiction from Fantasy in all libraries, cataloging systems and book stores as well as in any alternate universes or fantasy lands. Science Fiction is based on hard, falsifiable SCIENCE! Fantasy is based on imagination. They are totally separate and should not be in the same Dewey Decimal zip code.

Fortunately, the star of the Mercy For Hire series, Esper Theresa Richelieu, AKA Esper, makes this separation very clear in each story. Science and Magic do not mix. In fact, every time Esper uses her magic, all electronic devices shut down, as if an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) has gone off in the area.

My “go to” escape when I need a break from scientific tomes is a Stephanie Plum book. Janet Evanovich’s bumbling detective is kind-hearted and trying to act grown up even though she would rather just shuck all responsibilities and have fun. Unfortunately, I have read all of the books in the series. Fortunately, Esper could be Stephanie’s best friend, cousin, or long lost sister.

For those of you who are serious fantasy fans, I am not trying to be flip or condescending. I just don’t like stories where Hocus Pocus rules the day. This is not to say I don’t think that Harry Potter is well written, it just is not my “go to” genre. So why, you ask, have I now read eight Mercy For Hire books? Because Morin writes well, weaves an interesting story line, keeps bringing in more damaged characters for the reader to adopt and care for, and has a protagonist who is constantly struggling with the line between doing what is easy and doing what is morally right.

In Mission Pack 2, Mercy and her entourage are hunting down the leaders of the Kingdom of RA, a group of really bad, bad guys. They kidnapped Tiffany, among others, and are manipulating innocent people to harm themselves and to give up their self determination. This is clearly a situation that calls out for our magical vigilante to intervene. Too bad Esper’s arms have been put into the Shackles of Nethanti by the Magician’s Convocation to prevent her from using black (or any other type) of magic.

I loved Mission Pack 1 and I think that Mission Pack 2 is equally well written and definitely entertaining. I’ll be off to Mission Pack 3 right after I read something that strains my brain - perhaps more about neutrinos or the theory of relativity.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews

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