The Problem of the Snowbound Shack - Sneak Peek

As 2020 draws to a close (what a year!) and we look back on what we've read, published...achieved, despite all the landmines laid in our path by this global annus horribilis, which is Latin for either "horrible year" or "horrific anus", we cast our minds back to the launch of our 5-star anthology (just check the reviews!) of armchair mysteries, PI investigations, and noir escapades. Yes, 2020 gave the world "The Black Beacon Book of Mystery", and let's make sure 2021 spreads (hmmm, poor choice of word?) it far and wide, ensuring it lands on the bookshelf or in the e-reader of every mystery fan! Ambitious? Well, yes...unashamedly so! Here's a sneak peek for you...   

The Problem of the Snowbound Shack

Jon Matthew Farber

Jason Hawthorne sighed contentedly as he savoured his double malt, looked across at his guest, and said, ‘I suppose you want to hear about some of the “impossible” crimes I’ve had the good fortune to be involved with, and been lucky enough to solve. Well, I guess the beginning’s as good a place to start as any.’                                                       

   My earliest such case also happened to be the first one where I was given the chance to take the lead. I still don’t know whether it was because my captain was worried because he thought it might never be closed, or if he was trying to teach me some humility with an impossible problem. Looking back at my early career, I agree I was quite cocky, and this would’ve been a good lesson for me, had I indeed failed. Either way, I was in charge. Let me set the background for you.

It was 1965 and I was almost one year out of training, but already moving up fast, having been promoted to Trooper First Class. My Captain was Leo Ark. I was based out of Upper Clifton, the capitol seat in a rural county. This was a quintessential small New England town with a strong sense of community, where most everybody knew everyone else. As such, I already had a good sense of the locals.

The murder I’m going to tell you about took place around three weeks after the annual Winterfest. This was the major social event of the season, with pretty much the entire county turning out. One highlight was our local genius, Thomas A. Edison, who demonstrated his latest invention. Don’t laugh, that was his real name, only the A stood for Alan. He even owned several patents, and this time he showed off his “flying saucer”, a two-foot-in-diameter metal contraption that used compressed air to skim above a surface. In retrospect, this was a precursor to what would now be called a true hoverboard, and may have led to something big, except that Edison lacked the 99% perspiration that his namesake had, so that most of his projects were never completed. The saucer actually travelled several feet on a couple of different runs.

In the talent portion of the festival, our librarian, Miss Ives, won the baking contest for her lemon chiffon pie—her cooking was to die for—while in target shooting, William Monroe, the mill foreman, needed his perfect score to just beat out Thomas Farley, our local carpenter, and Barney Snow, the hunting guide, in a tense match. In the artistic competitions, the widow, Mrs. Holt, won for her quilt depicting the local flora and fauna, while Mr. Farley got his moment to shine in the collectibles category for his 1894 Smith and Wesson 38 5-chamber double-action model 4 revolver, a piece that was beautifully restored and faithfully cared for, while second place went to Richard Simpson’s Pre-war Lionel Model Train 413 Colorado Passenger Car Model.

Anyway, around three weeks later I was in police headquarters when a call came in one morning from Michael Swift. It seems he was supposed to meet Monroe, having spoken with him the previous night around 10 pm, but he hadn’t showed. As things were quiet, the captain, our newest recruit, Larry Whitman, and myself piled into our 1964 Chevy Biscayne and headed over. This was a hard-driving full-size car, known for having two taillights on each side, and the choice at the time of many police departments throughout the country. The department had sprung for the more powerful V8 engine.

Monroe lived in a one-room (plus bathroom) shack in a clearing, perhaps a hundred yards in diameter, in the local woods. When we arrived, the ground was covered by around three inches of snow that had fallen until late yesterday afternoon. The weather was a little warmer than the frequent well-below freezing, so the snow was still powdery, and the absence of any significant breeze meant there were no drifts. The driveway was unspoiled, and the path to the front door was smooth and undisturbed.

    We padded up to the door and knocked, but there was no answer. The cabin had many knotholes in it, stuffed with cloth, so I pulled the cloth from one to the right of the door and looked inside. Monroe lay directly in front of me, sprawled out on the ground beside the bed, by the entrance to the bathroom... 

Shelter from the Storm

An anthology for readers who love stormy weather, whether it be the thunderstorms of the tropics, the tempests of the Atlantic, or the blizzards of the frozen north. Seek shelter, batten down the hatches, and lose yourself in this short anthology of suspense, mystery, and terror, designed to be read in one stormy sitting while the wind howls or thunder bellows.

Purchase your print or ebook copy via Amazon, or go to our shop for other options.

Excerpt from "The Murder at Karreg Du":

Wind shook Oscar Tremont’s black Peugeot 403 as the vintage car advanced at a prudent speed. Over the trees lining the narrow back road, dark clouds raced like celestial stallions and rain fell in waves, the volleys of unseen archers opening battle. Leaves struck the windscreen, where they remained momentarily, until a sweep of the wipers sent them hurtling into the night. Following what was little more than a sealed lane in such conditions demanded the driver’s undivided attention.

‘I’m not so sure about your shortcut, Oscar. Have you noticed you have a knack for transforming relaxing weekends away into treasure hunts, rescue missions, and historical investigations?’

‘There’s a definite trend,’ he replied, shooting her a mischievous glance.

‘The storm’s growing. I do hope we arrive soon.’

He said nothing, and they went back to listening to the baying of the wind.

‘I’ve just lost my internet connection, so I can’t navigate at all now.’

‘We shouldn’t be far from Le Gâvre. This road cuts through the forest, close to where we had a picnic with your parents years ago. Once we’re out of the woods, we’ll get back onto the departmental road.’

‘Watch out!’ Louise yelled, but he was already easing the car to a standstill.

Two yellow hazard lights were blinking at them through the darkness, and the fainter reflection of two others could be seen on the rough surface that blocked the road in front of the car.

Having come to a complete stop, the full force of the gale could be better appreciated. The Peugeot was being jostled and the branches all about them were thrashing maniacally.

‘A fallen tree,’ Louise mused. ‘I suppose I ought to be surprised.’

‘I assure you it wasn’t me, chérie. Believe it or not, I was looking forward to an uneventful weekend.’

Subtropical Suspense in the Queensland Capital

Brisbane Times has just published an article on Subtropical Suspense. Since the anthology was released on the 19th of July, Black Beacon Books has been receiving a great deal of interest from local media - 4ZZZ radio, The Courier-Mail, West End Magazine, and Brisbane Times. We would like to thank them all for their support.

If you haven't yet read Subtropical Suspense, you really are missing out. Brisbane residents can purchase the anthology at Black Cat Books, Pulp Fiction, or Riverbend Books. Those of you who are further afield can order it from our online store. Click HERE for more details.

Brisbane Times, "Subtropical Suspense in the Queensland Capital"

    Photo by Glenn Hunt

City's Dark Heart Revealed

Subtropical Suspense has been creating panic in the streets of Brisbane since it was released at Black Cat Books, Paddington, just over two weeks ago. Copies are disappearing from bookshop shelves faster than a murderer can toss a bloody dagger down a storm water drain. The anthology is now available at three independent Brisbane bookshops; Black Cat Books in Paddington, Pulp Fiction on Adelaide Street, and Riverbend Books in Bulimba. Those living further afield have the option of ordering it directly from our online store.

We have received support from many suspicious types locally, nationally, and internationally. In particular, our thanks goes out to Tom Snowdon for his article in The Courier-Mail (5/8/2014) in which he explains how Subtropical Suspense reveals Brisbane's "dark heart", Nix Fullmoon of 4ZzZ radio's The Witching Hour, which is broadcast Saturdays from 10pm to midnight on 102.1 FM, and Brisbane author and screenwriter, Stephen M. Irwin for this review:
 

"In the anthology, Subtropical Suspense, editor Cameron Trost has brought

together a dark pantry of crime stories and mysteries, and cooked up a
gumbo rich and spicy enough to befit any of the world’s sultry cities… but
these happen to be set in Brisbane.
   Sixteen short stories take the reader from Morningside to Indooroopilly, from
Hamilton to Acacia Ridge. There is baking sun and flooding rains, police
procedurals and criminal capers, murderous mermaids and poison pens...
   Some stories hit their notes more cleanly than others, but all give a ripple of
pleasure to the reader who knows Brisbane – or wants to know it – and who
has wondered why stories of murder, malice, and magic couldn’t be set here.
   And of course, they should be: Brisbane’s shadows are as dark and good to
hide in as any in the world – and Subtropical Suspense revels in this."

Below: a picture of Tom Snowdon's article in The Courier-Mail:

Subtropical Suspense Launch

What an afternoon we all had at Black Cat Books for the launch of Subtropical Suspense!

Several of the authors were present; Linda Brucesmith, Duncan Richardson, Alice Godwin, Helen Stubbs, Barry Rosenberg, David Dolan, and Kerry Lown Whalen. Sam Muller lives in Japan but he was represented by his mother. Alice, Kerry, and Linda read passages from their stories and got the audience teetering on the edge of their seats. Thank you to all of the authors for making the day such a success and signing copies of the anthology. Thanks to Jodi Cleghorn of eMergent Publishing for donating books to the raffle, to my friend, Matthew Charles, for selling raffle tickets while I was running around (I wish I'd had more time to mingle), to everybody for coming along and supporting independent publishing (you're going to love the stories), and a big thanks to the Black Cat Books team for their hard work.

If you missed out on the launch, don't worry, the anthology is now available at Black Cat Books. It will be available at other bookshops and online at a later date, and the ebook version will be available in September, but Black Cat is the exclusive outlet at the moment. Please, support local business by dropping in to buy a copy; 179 Latrobe Tce, Paddington, Brisbane.

Here are some photos from yesterday's launch:

Cameron Trost, Black Beacon Books

Alice Godwin, author, and  "Phryne Fisher"

Cameron with Vivienne Muller, mother of contributing author, Sam Muller

Alice Godwin

Linda Brucesmith reading from "The Final Cut"

Alice Godwin and son... or Doctor Who?

Alice Godwin reading from "Scarlett Fever"

Hamish Danks Brown, poet, and "Carmen Sandiego"

David Dolan, author, and guest

Cameron Trost and son, Fergus

Matthew Charles selling raffle tickets - good show!

The Matthews

Kindred spirits, Emmanuelle Loquet-Trost with Alice Godwin

Kerry Lown Whalen reading from "Missing" while Cameron tries to get the mike right

El and Megs - Megs, teach him how to pose for a photo!

Barry Rosenberg, author, signing a copy of the anthology

A quiet drink before an early night falling asleep while watching Doctor Blake Mysteries

Ebook Release: The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife

That's right, suspense fans, today we release "The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife" ebook. Congratulations to those of you who bought a pre-release copy for just $1.10 AUD. Everybody else, don't worry, the ebook is now on sale for not much more ($1.99 AUD) from Amazon.

The ebook has already received great reviews and we're confident that Kit Power, a hitherto unknown writer, is soon going to make quite a name for himself.

You can purchase your copy from Amazon today.

An Interview with Kit Power

In the lead-up to the release of the ebook, “The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife”, Black Beacon Books interviews Kit Power and gains some insight into the life and mind of the writer.

1. Kit Power. You have a name that would suit a superhero. So, tell us, what real-world powers do you possess and what superpower would you like to wield?

Ha! My real world powers include, but are not limited to, epic procrastination, the uncanny ability to forget where I've put something down within ten seconds of doing so, an almost total failure to successfully remember people's names, and the ability to make my four-year-old daughter laugh uncontrollably (I'm pretty proud of that last one). I think ideally my superpower would be to write at a million words per second. Also, to think at a million words per second.

2. The main characters in "The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife" and "The Debt" find themselves in a spot of bother. Can you share (without incriminating yourself) the nastiest situation you've stumbled into?

Funnily enough, I think the most dangerous situation I've ever been in happened outside the pub that inspired the opening scene of 'The Debt'. I worked there for almost a year, and the clientele was, erm, colourful, I guess is the polite way of putting it. A few days prior, a young man who was a nephew of one of the regulars had come in. He'd been averagely obnoxious, but I hadn't had any confrontation with him, and though he'd made me uncomfortable, I thought we'd parted on amicable terms. Once he'd left, I was given some quite lurid stories about this young man's history of violence and drug use, and repeatedly told the was 'a wrong'un', but again, there had been no issue between us that I could tell.

Anyway, come this particular evening. It's winter, cold enough to see my breath. I've ordered a cab at the end of the shift, but the bar manager has shut and locked the bar, so I have to wait outside. It's likely to be at least another half an hour, but that's OK, I have a nice warm coat and it's good to be outside.

That's when our young man turns up, lady friend in tow, and proceeds to berate me for trying to get him in trouble with his uncle. Apparently, he'd called me 'a poof' at some point during his visit (a fact that entirely passed me by) and his uncle (the regular) had told him off for doing so. I tried to point out that I didn't know he'd said such a thing, and could therefore hardly have complained to his uncle about it, but that apparently meant I was 'calling him a liar', which did not improve his mood. He then proceeded to call me 'a poof' (and then had an amusing aside with his lady friend, vis: SHE: He ain't a poof, though! you can tell, he don't look like one. HE: I know he ain't, I'm just sayin' he is - ME, internally: Where the fuck is my cab?).

It's funny now.

Long story not quite as long, he left, came back five minutes later without her, and proceeded to try and talk me into fighting him for the next twenty minutes (or seventeen hours, depending on how you measure time). I knew I couldn't fight him effectively (his pupils gave away that he was high on something, he was an amateur boxer, clearly a reasonably experienced street fighter, and incredibly fast), and all I could do was run out the clock by refusing to give him any excuse at all to start hitting me. I offered him a cigarette, stayed calm, and talked round in ever-decreasing circles. One thing I remember clearly was a feeling that I was starting to disengage from what was happening (which actually became dangerous - I began to show disinterest, which he tried to construe as disrespect, which escalated his mood). Like the rabbits in Watership Down. I'd positioned my foot so I could get one solid knee to his groin, but I knew there was little to no chance that would get it done, so my mind prepared me for taking a beating by withdrawing. I've never forgotten the feeling, or the relief when the cab did arrive, just after he'd starting hitting my arm and insisting he didn't need nuffin from me, that he'd break my skull open.

Pretty fucking scary. I have no doubt that he was a genuinely disturbed individual, someone that actually got pleasure from violence. In retrospect, it's pretty clear that he also inspired my first Novella 'Lifeline' (still unpublished at the time of writing).

3. Your stories are bound to make people think. What would you like the reader to get out of them?

Well, to paraphrase Stephen King - Feel first, think second. Primarily I want to hold your attention, and captivate you for the duration of your journey through my story. That's my main and most important job, I think, and if I fail at that, little else matters. My favorite stories are the ones that cause me to break out in a cold sweat, that make me scared or angry, or both. I want to be moved. So I want to move you, too. My fondest hope is that my stories stay with you past the point of reading, that you find your mind returning to them.

I guess I could have just said 'pleasure'. *laughs*

4. Describe your writing environment to us. Where do you write? What do you wear? What do you drink? What are your rituals?

Mainly I write in my kitchen, after I've put my four-year-old to bed, and try and get a solid hour to 90 minutes then. I just wear my house clothes. I've been known to crack a brew or pour a single malt or bourbon, as the mood takes me, though not anything like every night. Rituals are procrastination - check emails, check Facebook, check blog views, get a drink, go for a pee, all that nonsense. I'm getting better at spotting that behaviour and weeding it out though. Lately I've also found listening to the song 'Dopesmoker' by Sleep to be really good for shutting the world out and letting the story take off. For the novel D1, I listened to Rage Against The Machine's debut and 'The Battle Of Los Angeles ' on a loop. For three months. It was awesome.

5. Where does your inspiration come from?

Life, and in particular non-fiction and documentaries. That's true for my song writing also. Though sometimes it starts as an exercise or writing challenge. That's where 'The Loving Husband...' came from, actually. In the case of 'The Debt', I came up with the closing image first, then had to reverse engineer the story from there, which was a lot of fun and I think worked out really well.

6. Tell us about where you come from, Milton Keynes?

I don't come from Milton Keynes. I just live here. I come from London. On that subject, I have nothing to add to Samuel Johnson's observation. :)

7. Finally, what are you working on at the moment?

I'm actually sweating blood over a story that I love the idea of, but just cannot get a handle on at all, which has not happened before and is incredibly frustrating. That said, once my house move is out of the way at the end of the month, I'll be tackling the first edit on my first novel, which I was dreading but am actually now looking forward to.

Kit Power’s ebook “The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife” (which also includes the short story, “The Debt”) will be released on Saturday the 25th of January for just $1.99 AUD. Pre-orders are available now for the discounted price of $1.10. Visit the shop for more details. You can find out more about Kit Power at https://www.facebook.com/Kitpowerwriter

Ebook Cover: The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife

Ladies and gentleman, welcome to 2014! Make it one of your resolutions this year to read and support quality independent fiction... not the drivel read by the unthinking ovine masses! Black Beacon Books is here to help you do just that.

Our first release this year is The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife by Kit Power. This ebook containing two stories in the suspense / crime genres will be released on the 25th of January. However, pre-orders can be placed now for just 99 cents instead of $1.99.

Today, we are proud to reveal the ebook's cover, designed by Greg Chapman. It's an eye-catching and arousing illustration, the significance of which you will discover upon reading the title story.

  

The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife

Black Beacon Books is proud to announce the impending release of its second publication. The Kindle ebook will feature two tales of suburban suspense, The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife and The Debt, and is due to be released on Saturday the 25th of January. In the lead up to the release, you can pre-order this title for the reduced price of just $1.10 and, if one hundred pre-orders are placed, one lucky UK resident will receive a signed cd from The Disciples of Gonzo with a message of your choice – yes, that’s right, Kit Power is both an author and a rock star!

The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife
A cutesy tale of romance and domestic bliss? Step inside this suburban home to find out what happens when the couple decide to have an extension added. What could possibly go wrong? 

The Debt
Meet Del. Meet Tel. Two men from the wrong side of the tracks. Del stayed straight. Tel, well, he didn’t. Now Del is in debt up to his eyeballs, facing ruin. Only Tel can help. Will he though? And if he does, can Del afford the terms?

Two dark tales of fear, paranoia, and good intentions, set in situations where grey bleeds into black, and where there are no easy answers. Kit Power invites you to see the world through the eyes of the faces that pass you every day. Discover how it feels to really know someone.

To find out more about Kit Power, follow the links below:
Kit Power, Facebook page
The Disciples of Gonzo

The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife blurb

The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife
A cutesy tale of romance and domestic bliss? Step inside this suburban home to find out what happens when the couple decide to have an extension added. What could possibly go wrong? 

The Debt
Meet Del. Meet Tel. Two men from the wrong side of the tracks. Del stayed straight. Tel, well, he didn’t. Now Del is in debt up to his eyeballs, facing ruin. Only Tel can help. Will he though? And if he does, can Del afford the terms?

Two dark tales of fear, paranoia, and good intentions, set in situations where grey bleeds into black, and where there are no easy answers. Kit Power invites you to see the world through the eyes of the faces that pass you every day. Discover how it feels to really know someone.