Book Reviews and More: RichardPaolinelli

Showing posts with label RichardPaolinelli. Show all posts

Tuesday, 30 June 2026

Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books Second Quarter 2026

Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books Second Quarter 2026

It has been an excellent year for reading so far, not my best to date, but my second best. I averaged under a book and a half a day. Faster than the last few years, and so many books and series I am working through.

In April of 2023 I wrote a piece called How I Read So Much? Because I get asked the question so often, read the piece linked above if you are looking for some ideas on ways to read more.

This quarter I read 110 books and I did not any to the ‘did not finish’ list, one of my highest second quarters since I started keeping track, below is the comparison with the last 10 years:

2026 - 110

2025 - 118

2024 - 78

2023 – 109

2022 – 110

2021 – 104

2020 – 85

2019 – 102

2018 – 102

2017 – 112

2016 – 36

Year to date by the numbers:

Books Read: 110

First Time Reads: 86

Fiction: 49

Non-Fiction: 61

5/5 Stars: 79

5 Stars Fiction: 44

5 Stars Non-Fiction: 35

The second quarter of this year was great. I can state again that looking back 2016 is a bit of an outlier as late that year I switched jobs and have since had much better work – life balance. In the spring of 2016, I worked through Brandon Vogt’s course Read More Books Now (now available on ClaitasU). The year before that I removed all games from my phone and tablet and my reading had doubled. This year I received a physical Kindle for Christmas; instead of reading on my phone; and my reading has gone up again.

Here is my top ten fiction and non-fiction books of the second quarter of 2026.

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books:

1. Coached by Catherine of Siena Lessons in Charity - Joan Watson

2. Holy Nurses - Dr. Gosia Brykczynska - CTS Books

3. Holy Scientists - Fr Douglas McGonagle - CTS Books

4. Rescued II: True Stories for Catholic Kids - Kathryn Griffin Swegart

5. St John Henry Newman: A New Doctor of the Church - Fr Hermann Geissler, FSO - CTS Books

6. The People of the Way of the Cross: Walking with Jesus through the Eyes of 14 Witnesses - Marci Alborghetti

7. Great Spiritual Teachers Series - Ave Maria Press

Grace Through Simplicity The Practical Spirituality of Evelyn Underhill - John J. Kirva

Mission to Love: 30 Days with Óscar Romero - Todd Walatka

8. Letter to a Friend on the Prayer of the Heart - Dom André Poisson and Erik Varden - CTS Books

9. Two Discourses on Our Lady The Present and Future of British Catholicism - John Henry Newman - CTS Books

10. Stories of Saints and the Beatitudes - Sr Marie Paul Curley FSP

11. The Practice of the Presence of God - Brother Lawrence with Dr. Matthew K. Minerd, Fr. Gregory Pine, Rebecca Dougherty - Ascension Catholic Classics

Bonus Books:

15 Days of Prayer With Series

15 Days of Prayer With Charles De Foucauld - Michael Lafon

15 Days of Prayer With Saint Bernard - Pierre-Yves Emery

15 Days of Prayer with Saint Jeanne Jugan - Michel Lafon

15 Days of Prayer With Saint Louis De Montfort - Veronique Pinardon

15 Days of Prayer with Saint Philip Neri - Jean-François Audrain

Just A Minute Meditations - Pauline Books and Media

Trusting in God’s Love - Kathryn J. Hermes FSP

Growing in Self Esteem - Marie Paul Curley, FSP

Mini Saints & Missionaries Library - Pettyfeather Publishing

Saint Andrew Kim Taegon: The Boy Who Crossed the Mountains

Saint Catherine of Bologna: The Artist Saint: A Catholic Story of Creativity, Practice, and Faith

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha The Girl Who Walked Two Hundred Miles

Saint Sebastian: The Soldier Who Wouldn’t Stay Down

Seven Saints for Boys: A First Communion Collection of Courage and Faith

Top Ten Fiction Books:

1. Far Distant Shores and Other Stores - Fiorella de Maria

2. Closing Accounts - E. P. Cowley

3. Lioness Lost - Susan Brinkmann - Chronicles of Ariella Book 1

4. Witchward Series - Cedar Sanderson

Possum Creek Massacre

Child of Crows Wings of Broken Magic

5. The Fighter - Jim Sano - Father Tom Book 7

6. Running Out of Sand - MaryJo Thayer - Sand and Soul Book 2

7. The Timeless Series - Richard Paolinelli and Gibson Buffa

The Timeless - Dreams Of The Storyteller 17

Secret Of The Sphinx - Dreams of the Storyteller 18

8. Dragon Noir - Cedar Sanderson - Pixie for Hire Book 3

9. Books by Rodman Philbrick

Freak The Mighty

Max The Mighty

The Last Book in the Universe

10. Amelia Counterrevolution - edited by Clayton Barnett - Tales from the Lemurverse Anthology Two

Bonus Books Shakespearean Themed Fiction:

Shakespearen Shorts

ERROR 404: LOVE NOT FOUND: A Romeo and Juliet Reboot - Ty Balt

Hostile Takeover: A Macbeth Remix - Rex MacDuff

Shakespeare Murder Series - Guy Hale

The Croaking Raven

Post Apocalyptic Space Shakespeare - William Shakespeare and Ted Neill

Hamlet

Othello

Bonus Books by A.K. Frailey

Wise Home - Wise Home Book 1

Spice of Life: And Other Stories

I have averaged just over a book a day over the last decade; and closer to a book and a quarter over the last few years. In April of 2023 I wrote a piece called How I Read So Much? Because I get asked the question so often, read the piece linked above if you are looking for some ideas on ways to read more.

Note: I do not include books that have been read in previous years and were reread this year in my top ten lists, they are sometimes in the bonus section.

But if you want more options check out my favourite books year by year list.

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2020
Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2020

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2020

Top Ten Fiction Books 2020

Top Ten Books First Quarter 2021

Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2021

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2021

Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2021

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2021

Top Ten Fiction Books 2021

Top Ten Books First Quarter 2022

Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2022

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2022

Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2022

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2022

Top Ten Fiction Books 2022

Top Ten Books First Quarter 2023

Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2023

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2023

Top Ten Fiction Books Fourth Quarter 2023

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2023

Top Ten Fiction Books 2023

Top Ten Books First Quarter 2024

Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2024

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2023

Top Ten Fiction Books Fourth Quarter 2024

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2024

Top Ten Fiction Books 2024

Top Ten Books First Quarter 2025

Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2025

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2025

Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2025

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2025

Top Ten Fiction Books 2025

Top Ten Books First Quarter 2026

Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2026

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2026

...

All Top Ten Lists on Book Reviews and More

Statistics Books Read By Year:

261 - 2026 January-June

424 - 2025

363 - 2024

455 - 2023

438 - 2022

365 - 2021

317 - 2020
392 - 2019
359 - 2018
380 - 2017
272 - 2016
177 - 2015
130 - 2014
88 - 2013
176 - 2012
163 - 2011
302 - 2010
142 - 2009
98 - 2008
83 - 2007
191 - 2006
151 - 2005
60 - 2004
52 - 2003
97 - 2002
50 - 2001
41 - 2000
71 - 1999
73 - 1998
131 - 1997
101 - 1996

Friday, 19 June 2026

Secret Of The Sphinx - Richard Paolinelli and Gibson Buffa - The Timeless 02

Secret Of The Sphinx

The Timeless 02

Dreams Of The Storyteller Book 18

Richard Paolinelli

Gibson Buffa

Tuscany Bay Books

ISBN 9781073414611

ASIN B083S959R9

Secret Of The Sphinx - Richard Paolinelli and Gibson Buffa - The Timeless 02

This is the second of two new works by Paolinelli that I stumbled upon in 2026. They are both stories of The Timeless and both now published under the series Dreams Of The Storyteller. And this first one is another amazing read from Paolinelli’s masterful pen. But I am getting ahead of myself.

A few years ago I read 14 volumes in the Dreams of the Storyteller Series. I really enjoyed these short stories and novellas. And I was very excited when Paolinelli announced he was releasing two more tales in this series. This series is mainly comprised of stories that had appeared in Anthologies and are not published as stand along stories. My first encounter with Paolinelli’s work was in the Anthology Cracked An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories edited by Bokerah Brumley, since then I have read work by Richard over 35 times. And I have greatly enjoyed his work across many genres, and a number of series.

The description of this volume states:

“Interstellar thief Duchess Moran continues her assault on Earth's history. This time she travels back to ancient Egypt in search of a deadly secret: A gem that can raise an army of the undead to wipe out every living creature on the face of the Earth. But to find the stone, she must first locate a scroll hidden away deep within the Sphinx. Captain Rock Congo, his First Mate Little John Singapore and the crew of the Timeless remain hot on her trail through time and space. From the Library at Alexandria during Caesar's siege of the city to the construction of the Sphinx and even further back as the legendary architect Imhotep tries to steer his Pharoah, Djoser, from disaster. When Moran arrives looking to gain possession of the Eye of Anubis all of Egypt, and the entire planet will find itself on the brink of annihilation! The second book of the six-book series is sure to please any reader from age 10 to 100.”

These two stories were previously available as a separate series. Released in 2018 and 2019. The way this one starts and finishes once cannot help but expect more stories set in this world. This story feels like it could be the beginning of an epic series. At the beginning of both older and current editions it has a list of coming soon titles up to a book 6. Hopefully we will see more of them soon! But back to the story at hand.

The story begins with a shuttle landing on a prison. On that shuttle is a reporter. And he is there to collect stories from a specific prisoner. This section from the first chapter of book one gives us insight to the rest of the book, and other books in the series.

““Lad,” Singapore said softly.

“Yes, John?” Carver replied, still feeling uneasy over what he’d just witnessed.

“I’ll tell ye a story. Every day ye come back here and me number’s not drawn for the hangman, I’ll tell ye another.”

“About your ship, the Timeless?”

“Aye.”

“And your Captain, Rock Congo?”

“Aye.”

“And Duchess Moran?”

“Aye,” Singapore all but spat out the word.

“They say she is quite the beauty,” Carver ventured cautiously, not certain of the reason behind the emotion.

“Aye, she is,” Singapore admitted with a sigh. “Face and body of an angel that one. Hair as red as a home fire’s flame. Eyes as green as any emerald. And a heart as black as the Devil herself.”

This story continues a story with plots within plots and plans within plans. Pirate turned against pirate and a trips through the past with an attempt to change history in a very dramatic way. The characters are well written and the play is gripping and addictive. It grabs reader’s attraction and keeps then till the end, and then leads them wanting more. It will leave you desperate for the other four mentioned at the end of the volume.

The story is one again a recounting from First Mate Little John Singapore, about his time on the Timeless under Captain Rock Congo. As they chase after Duchess Moran through space and time. The need to stave off disaster by protecting the past and saving the future. But there is more to the interactions between Moran and Congo than meets the eye.

Richard is not only an author but the driving force behind Tuscany Bay Books, I have read many volumes from the Bay by a number of authors and all have been well worth the read. This was one of several two short stories that were added to the collection Dreams Of The Storyteller in 2026. There are now collection of 18 volumes in this collection, the first 2 date from 2014, 1 from 2022, and several in 2023, And now these 2 new ones in 2025, and now 2 more moved to the series in 2026.

This is a great novella from Paolinelli’s masterful pen. It took me by surprise. A great addition to the Dreams Of The Storyteller collection. I can easily recommend this story for what an excellent piece of Science fiction! I wish I had read it earlier before it was added to the collection. Do not make my mistake pick it up and give it a try I am certain it will entertain!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan!

For reviews of all books from Tuscany Bay click here.

Books by Richard Paolinelli:

Maelstrom

When the Gods Fell

The Calling

The Last Lonely Trail

A Zombie Christmas Carol

The Woman Returns

Of All The Gin Joints In The Universe

…

Infinity Series:

Escaping Infinity

Exploring Infinity

Expanding Infinity

…

Starguest 4th Age Series:

Ranger

Galen’s Way

Galen’s Blade

Galen's Heart

Cassandra's Line

…

Timeless Series:

The Timeless

Secret of the Sphinx

Odin’s Runes

Empire Of The Golden Dragon

Blackbeard’s Treasure

The Last Quest

…

Jack Del Rio Series:

Reservations

Betrayals

Endgames

…

Del Rio Omnibus Edition

…

Divine Trolls Comedies:

The Fall Of The House Of 770 Vile Aromas

The Corvo

…

SeaDragon:

SeaDragon 1 May 1986

SeaDragon 2 June 1996

…

Seadragon Novels:

Seadragon

...

Dreams Of The Storyteller:

Legacy Of Death

The Invited

The Fall Of Denver

Nothing Ever Happens Here

The Enemy Of My Enemy

Barn Wars

Monster In The Second Reel

In The Place Called Har-Magedon

The Timeless

Secret of the Sphinx

…

Dreams of the Storyteller Overview of Series

...

Sherlock Holmes Pastiches:

Sherlock Holmes: A Lesson In Mercy

Sherlock Holmes: The Woman Returns

Sherlock Holmes: The Misplaced Mystery Writer

Sherlock Holmes: Nevermore or, The Mystery Of The Albino Raven

Sherlock Holmes: The Substitute Thief

Sherlock Holmes: The Assassination Of Alan Pinkerton

...

Sherlock Holmes Pastiches Overview of Series

...

Non Fiction:

Perfection’s Arbiter

From The Fields

The Space Shuttle: 1981–2011

…

Contributed to:

To Be Men

Cracked

Places Beyond The Wild

Space Force Building The Legacy

Secret Stairs

A Tribute To H.G. Wells (2019 Edition)

Beyond Watson

Holmes Away From Home, Vol. 2

Sherlock Holmes Adventures In The Realms Of H.G. Wells

Sherlock Holmes Aventures In The Realms Of Edgar Allan Poe

The Art Of Sherlock Holmes

The Mx Book Of New Sherlock Holmes Stories, Part Xxii

…

Planetary Anthology Series:

Sol

Earth

Luna

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Pluto

…

Best Of Planetary Anthology Series

…

The Timeless - Richard Paolinelli and Gibson Buffa - Dreams Of The Storyteller 17

Dreams of the Storyteller Series - Richard Paolinelli

Thursday, 21 May 2026

The Timeless - Richard Paolinelli and Gibson Buffa - Dreams Of The Storyteller 17

The Timeless

Dreams Of The Storyteller Book 17

Richard Paolinelli

Gibson Buffa

Tuscany Bay Books

ISBN 9781723715389

ASIN B07HCNWBYW

This is the first of two new works by Paolinelli that I stumbled upon in 2026. They are both stories of The Timeless and both now published under the series Dreams Of The Storyteller. And this first one is another amazing read from Paolinelli’s masterful pen. But I am getting ahead of myself.

The description of this volume states:

“Earth's Past Is Under Attack!

In the far distant future, with the galaxy locked in an area of dark space where electronics will not work, Little John Singapore sits in a prison cell on Pluto awaiting execution. Singapore is the First Mate of the pirate ship, the Timeless. As he awaits his fate he agrees to tell a young author one story each day about his ship and his Captain, Rock Congo.

Singapore tells how the Governor of the Sol system Garabaldi enlisted the ship and her crew to pursue Duchess Moran. Moran is an infamous interstellar thief tired of her plans being interfered with by the Earth-led Alliance. She has stolen the Amulet of Geraint, allowing her to travel through time at will. Her target is ancient Greece, where she plans to prevent democracy from ever taking hold by stopping King Leonidas from reaching the famed Battle of Thermopylae. By changing Earth's past she hopes to prevent the Alliance from ever forming.

The Timeless, a ship that can sail through space, air and water with equal ease, is the only ship capable of time travel, and Earth's only hope to save its past, present and future. Despite being crewed by pirates, Garabaldi sends them through time in pursuit of Moran.

When the Timeless arrives in ancient Sparta, the find Moran has already been there and has kidnapped Leonidas and his Queen. Now they have just a matter of days to find her and the King to keep his appointment with King Xerxes of Persia and preserve Earth's history.

The first book of the Timeless series, a middle grade/YA science fiction/steampunk hybrid, is sure to be a hit with readers of all ages. As well as fans of historical fiction as the Timeless and her crew will be very busy in Earth's storied past in future books in the series.”

The story begins with a shuttle landing on a prison. On that shuttle is a reporter. And he is there to collect stories from a specific prisoner. This section from the first chapter gives us insight to the rest of the book, and other books in the series.

““Lad,” Singapore said softly.

“Yes, John?” Carver replied, still feeling uneasy over what he’d just witnessed.

“I’ll tell ye a story. Every day ye come back here and me number’s not drawn for the hangman, I’ll tell ye another.”

“About your ship, the Timeless?”

“Aye.”

“And your Captain, Rock Congo?”

“Aye.”

“And Duchess Moran?”

“Aye,” Singapore all but spat out the word.

“They say she is quite the beauty,” Carver ventured cautiously, not certain of the reason behind the emotion.

It is a story with plots within plots and plans within plans. Pirate turned against pirate and a trip into the past with an attempt to change history in a very dramatic way. The characters are well written and the play is gripping and addictive. It grabs reader’s attraction and keeps then till the end, and then leads them wanting more.

Richard is not only an author but the driving force behind Tuscany Bay Books, I have read many volumes from the Bay by a number of authors and all have been well worth the read. This was one of several two short stories that were added to the collection Dreams Of The Storyteller in 2026. There are now collection of 18 volumes in this collection, the first 2 date from 2014, 1 from 2022, and several in 2023, And now these 2 new ones in 2025, and now 2 more moved to the series in 2026.

A great novella from Paolinelli’s masterful pen. It took me by surprise. A great addition to the Dreams Of The Storyteller collection. I can easily recommend this story for what an excellent piece of Science fiction! I wish I had read it earlier before it was added to the collection. Do not make my mistake pick it up and give it a try I am certain it will entertain!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan!

For reviews of all books from Tuscany Bay click here.

Books by Richard Paolinelli:

Maelstrom

When the Gods Fell

The Calling

The Last Lonely Trail

A Zombie Christmas Carol

The Woman Returns

Of All The Gin Joints In The Universe

…

Infinity Series:

Escaping Infinity

Exploring Infinity

Expanding Infinity

…

Starguest 4th Age Series:

Ranger

Galen’s Way

Galen’s Blade

Galen's Heart

Cassandra's Line

…

Timeless Series:

The Timeless

Secret of the Sphinx

Odin’s Runes

Empire Of The Golden Dragon

Blackbeard’s Treasure

The Last Quest

…

Jack Del Rio Series:

Reservations

Betrayals

Endgames

…

Del Rio Omnibus Edition

…

Divine Trolls Comedies:

The Fall Of The House Of 770 Vile Aromas

The Corvo

…

SeaDragon:

SeaDragon 1 May 1986

SeaDragon 2 June 1996

…

Seadragon Novels:

Seadragon

...

Dreams Of The Storyteller:

Legacy Of Death

The Invited

The Fall Of Denver

Nothing Ever Happens Here

The Enemy Of My Enemy

Barn Wars

Monster In The Second Reel

In The Place Called Har-Magedon

The Timeless

Secret of the Sphinx

…

Dreams of the Storyteller Overview of Series

...

Sherlock Holmes Pastiches:

Sherlock Holmes: A Lesson In Mercy

Sherlock Holmes: The Woman Returns

Sherlock Holmes: The Misplaced Mystery Writer

Sherlock Holmes: Nevermore or, The Mystery Of The Albino Raven

Sherlock Holmes: The Substitute Thief

Sherlock Holmes: The Assassination Of Alan Pinkerton

...

Sherlock Holmes Pastiches Overview of Series

...

Non Fiction:

Perfection’s Arbiter

From The Fields

The Space Shuttle: 1981–2011

…

Contributed to:

To Be Men

Cracked

Places Beyond The Wild

Space Force Building The Legacy

Secret Stairs

A Tribute To H.G. Wells (2019 Edition)

Beyond Watson

Holmes Away From Home, Vol. 2

Sherlock Holmes Adventures In The Realms Of H.G. Wells

Sherlock Holmes Aventures In The Realms Of Edgar Allan Poe

The Art Of Sherlock Holmes

The Mx Book Of New Sherlock Holmes Stories, Part Xxii

…

Planetary Anthology Series:

Sol

Earth

Luna

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Pluto

…

Best Of Planetary Anthology Series

…

Tuesday, 26 August 2025

Of All The Gin Joints In The Universe - Richard Paolinelli

Of All The Gin Joints In The Universe

Richard Paolinelli

Tuscany Bay Books

ISBN 9798284577189

ISBN 9798284576991

ASIN B0F98C56KY

Of All The Gin Joints In The Universe - Richard Paolinelli

Over the last few years I have read 36 works from the pen of Richard Paolinelli, not counting his contributions to anthologies. This is the first in what I hope might be a new series. Paolinelli states in the author's note:

“First, the idea for this story has its seeds in my desire to write a 1940s-type detective noir story, but set it out in space. I hadn’t gotten around to sitting down to hammer out the story just yet though.

Until the day an author, and friend, Natasha Carter, caused the correct two brain cells to collide inside my noggin, that is. Natasha likes to drop posts on Twitter/X and then sit back and watch the reactions. And the chaos too.

One fine day she drops this gem: “I’m just here to steal your soul.”

Me, being the professional smart aleck that I am, dropped this reply: “With some women, it’s worth the price of admission.”

And just like that, the perfect way for the grizzled detective to introduce the femme fatale of this novel sprang into existence. Thinking it was likely only going to be a short story to add to my Dreams of the Storyteller collection, I sat down to plot the story out. It quickly became a series of short stories and then evolved to be long enough to just go ahead and make it a novel. And here we are.”

SO in many ways this is a fix-up novel. And as some of know fix-up novels can be masterpieces. J.F. Powers only published 2 novels both were fix-ups and both won the National Book Award. The description of this volume states:

“One detective. Two suspects. A conspiracy big enough to kill them all.

In the 25th Century, Galactic Justice upholds the law across the Milky Way.

They use the HALO to extract confessions from the guilty. For the most heinous of crimes, the guilty are erased and a new personality is uploaded in their place.

Samuel Archer Spade is a private detective on Space Station 1964 on the far edge of the galaxy. He’s a former GalJus Inspector whose conscious couldn’t square with using the HALO.

Spade is at his usual spot, his unofficial office on Norma, when a knockout blonde in a red dress, walks into The Galaxy’s Edge, the station’s bar. She’s on the run from an unwanted admirer.

But when the man arrives on the station, he’s looking to hire Spade himself. He’s claiming she has stolen something from him, As Spade tries to sort out who is telling the truth, GalJus arrives looking for both of his clients for a murder committed on another planet.

Trying to find the truth will lead Spade to discover a dark secret. Some elements within GalJus are using the HALO to frame innocent people. Even worse, they're programming people to commit murder.

That’s a secret GalJus is willing to kill for and both Sam, and his clients, are right at the top of their list.”

Sam has a conscience, one so string he left the Galactic Justice force because of a tool they were using. He became a PI, likely making his father even more proud of him. And He is set up as far from the seat of GalJus as possible. When in walks a dame in a red dress and his whole life is turned upside down. Somehow this woman has captured his heart and when she is convicted by her own voice and a truth machine called a halo. But something is not sitting right with him, and when he starts digging he finds something even worse than he ever expected.

The story is written around 4 sections and 15 chapters, which are:

Part I The Lady in Red

1: The P.I. In The Stars

2: The Femme Fatale

3: The Plot Thickens

4: Air-Tight Alabis Abound

5: Whodunit

Part II We’ll Never Have Paris

6: With Friends Like These

7: Hell Hath No Fury

8: No Fairytale Endings

Part III The Red Reunion

9: Unhappy New Years

10: Partners In Crime

11: Into The Lion’s Den

Part IV A Rock and a Hard Place

12: This Island Earth

13: A Man For All Seasons

14: Costly Victory

15: The Immortals

Epilogue

Author’s Note

The action is intense. But it also has a lot of humour. The hat tips to Elon Musk and his character in the story is awesome. A few quotes to give you a feel:

“The name is Spade, Samuel Archer Spade. Yes, my old man was a nutcase over the old detective films of the mid-20th Century. Had every one of them on datachip and we must have watched each of them a hundred times. If you’re familiar with the genre, then you already know which was his favorite movie detective. Philip Marlowe was a close second. I consider myself lucky for that.”

“Frankly, it’s a miracle the human race is even still around. Back in 2192, the meteor old Elon was worrying about finally showed up and damn near split the planet in half. Fortunately, they’d listened to him and we had already colonized the rest of the solar system, Alpha Centauri, and one or two other nearby systems.”

““You, Sam,” he said. “The Senate has authorized the creation of the Department of Galactic Enforcement. DOGE!””

It was very hard to put the book down. It is a mystery, wrapped in a conspiracy, with a love story at the heart. In some ways this story reminds me of The Carter Files by Lori Janeski. It also reminds me or a lot of old shows I watched with my father including; Mike Hammer, Dirty Harry, and Spencer for Hire to name but a few. And Paolinelli makes homage to several detectives and the whole noir genre through out the work.

This is an excellent novel from Paolinelli’s pen. It took me by surprise. A great addition to his complete works. I can easily recommend this story for what an excellent piece of Science fiction mashed up with mystery Noir!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!

For reviews of all books from Tuscany Bay click here.

Books by Richard Paolinelli:

Maelstrom

When the Gods Fell

The Calling

The Last Lonely Trail

A Zombie Christmas Carol

The Woman Returns

Of All The Gin Joints In The Universe

…

Infinity Series: