When a female journalist is threatened, can Detective Liam O'Hare solve the case before her death becomes headline news?
Previously published with Mystic Moon Press.
Charlotte Parker is a brilliant journalist who writes under the pen name Charles P. Barker for the Pall Mall Gazette. After finding a bloody message to stop writing or else is left on her bedroom wall, she seeks Detective Liam O’Hare’s assistance in solving the case. He immediately takes the case, and along with his trusty sidekick Dr. Johnson, they are led to the back alleys of the brothel known as the Tom Cat, where Charlotte is working on an unofficial story. Liam O’Hare must solve this case soon before the fiend’s threat is carried out.
EXCERPT:
The clock had just struck eight times. My companion sat down his violin and picked up his pipe. “We have a guest, Johnson, if I am not mistaken.” I found out that he was not mistaken. Sure enough there was a knock on our door at 321A Delaney Street. “Come in,” Liam O’Hare stated as we both rose to greet our evening caller.
A young woman, no more than twenty-five, opened the door and entered. Her hair was raven black, and her eyes were the most unusual silver. Her complexion was pale, and although she was composed, her eyes betrayed her inner fear and apprehension.
“I’m sorry to disturb you at this hour, but the police recommended me to you.” She looked between us, deciding correctly which one of us was Liam O’Hare. “It is a most disturbing tale, Mr. O’Hare. I fear that my life is in grave danger.”
“Please have a seat, Miss, and tell us what happened. Leave nothing out, no matter how unimportant it might seem.” O’Hare poured her a cup of tea as she took a seat across from us. She smoothed down her azure dress before taking the cup of tea. She put in one lump of sugar and stirred it into the tea before talking.
“My name is Charlotte Parker.” Her silver eyes briefly went to the numerous newspapers my friend and I often perused. “You likely know my work, but very few people know the secret.” She searched both of our faces, and finding us honest enough, she continued, “My pseudonym is Charles P. Barker, and I’m a journalist for the Pall Mall Gazette.”
The Case of the Tom Cat is a curious mystery written in a Sherlock Holmes style. Told from the assistant’s perspective, Dr. Johnson, we see the world through his eyes as he admires detective O’Hare’s keen observation and deductive reasoning. We are not aware of the full extent of his friend’s plan until the story unfolds, creating a sense of suspense throughout.
The character motivations were well thought out, and all the pieces fall together in the end. As a reader, I particularly liked Charlotte Parker’s character. She is a strong and intelligent journalist that writes under a male pen name to be taken seriously. This historical reference shows how difficult it was for women to become writers, and how far the world has come today.
Overall, Reich has written an entertaining period piece.
Aubrie Dionne, author for Mystic Moon Press and SynergEbooks.
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