Cover art for “Dames, Derringers and Detectives: Moggie Noir”

My hardboiled detective story “Last Wish of a Dead Man” is now available in the Raconteur Press anthology Dames, Derringers and Detectives: Moggie Noir in paperback and Kindle formats.

The blurb at Amazon says:

In this iteration, Moggie Noir is more than a framework, it’s a mewed.

I feel it is safe to say that we are most inspired by the creative expressions of authors who view genre notes for story calls as a guideline, and who then proceed to stretch the idea like Coney Island saltwater taffy. In this way, we have not been disappointed. The trick is to tug at the theme but still have the recognizable touches that tell the reader this is a noir story rather than a slapstick comedy or big fish story.

So, in this taffy-pulling spirit, we bring you our third Moggie Noir salvo, “Dames, Derringers, and Detectives.” This gritty set of tails will have you rooting for the good guys, hissing at some bad cats, and maybe—just maybe—you’ll see how true love can win in the end.

The publisher said guest editor Rita Beeman adored my story, which is very nice to hear.

In late 1940s San Francisco, private detective Margie Potter has developed a unique reputation in the afterlife. She solves the murders of ghost, sometimes without realizing it. In her first story “The Haunted Detective” featured in The Trench Coat Chronicles, Margie goes up against hardened gangsters to solve the murder of her best friend which occurred years ago and almost ends up as a ghost herself.

Then, in “The Haunted Detective’s Cat” found in the anthology Moggie Noir: Alley Cat Alibi, a chance encounter with a library cat named Mac leads her to investigate the unlikely murder of a university professor, intrigue and heroin addiction in Chinatown, and a scandal that reaches the highest levels of Washington and into the Far East.

Promotional art for the anthology “Dames, Derringers and Detectives: Moggie Noir”

Now, a mysterious man has entered Margie’s life and just as she thinks she’s falling in love with him, he disappears, leaving clues behind on how to solve a murder that seemingly isn’t connected to him at all. Margie investigates the post-war secrets in the San Francisco Filipino community, the involvement of a Catholic priest with a past, and the horrors of World War Two Japanese prisoner’s of war. As Margie confronts her own murder by a faceless killer, only Mac can see the ghosts who can either save her or condemn her.

Pick up a copy of Dames, Derringers and Detectives: Moggie Noir today and find out if Margie is able to survive her latest case. Don’t forget to leave an honest review at Amazon and Goodreads.