Goddess Fish Promotions Presents

Edwin Steelside: Searching Out the Devil
by Bradford Bennett

A randomly drawn winner will receive a $10 Amazon/BN GC – Enter Below

Unsolvable murders, and innocent suspects. It’s time to bring in Steelside.

The Final Scene
Two talented performers take center stage for a heart-wrenching love song. Their soaring voices deliver a dramatic aria for a scene that will never be surpassed. Or will it?

The Marathon Murder
Great human sports achievements fill our history books with superhuman feats. Then comes one runner to break all the records, plus anyone else in his way.

The Pharmacy Incident
Advancing the science of medicine gives us miracle cures for life-saving treatments. Now Ed is hired to look into their dark closets and finds—do we trust them too much?

There’s Death in Texas
A deadly killer stalks the state of Texas, and no one knows he’s coming except for fate and a crack detective. Now, Ed must find the path to stop one of the most deadly killers in North American history.

4 out of 5

This was an interesting collection of mysteries, each feeling like a blend of noir and mystery, light on the thriller. Each story is unique, and you’ll enjoy following along trying to solve the mystery. There seems to be an attempt at blending old pulp noir with more modern PI detective stories, but it can get a bit clunky at times, and makes it, so the flow isn’t as smooth as I’d like. Overall, I enjoyed Steelside as a detective, he’s good at his job, and the side characters were fun to meet. The first story made me think of the scene in Phantom of the Opera when the theater manager is trying to assure everyone a tragic death is just an unfortunate accident, although the Alec Baldwin incident is also mentioned. If you’re looking for a collection of quick PI mysteries, then you’ll want to read this!

THE MARATHON MURDER

Andre was late. He rushed into the house, grabbed his TV remote, and clicked it on. A runner on a track appeared. “He’s on the final straightaway,” a frantic announcer shouted. “Only a hundred yards to the finish…sixty yards…forty yards…twenty yards… He’s crossed the tape!” 

The runner staggered to a stop, hands on his knees, gasping to catch his breath. A loud, cheering crowd soon drowned out the broadcast. 

“Attention, ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer returned, his voice echoing throughout the stadium. “I now have the official results.” The crowd finally quieted. 

“Hermando Montregalo has just broken the world’s marathon record by six minutes, forty-eight seconds!” A roar burst out from the stadium. The exhausted runner raised his arms in victory— cheering fans on the field swarmed around him in a frenzy of admiration. 

The camera cut to the announcer in the booth. “Still yet to appear on this final straightaway,” he went on, “is the now ex-world champion, Nigerian Ligajah Lambafa. He won’t reach this finish for another incredible six minutes!” The reporter removed his glasses and addressed the camera. 

“Sports fans!” he announced. “This astonishing record will shock the track and field world into disbelief. Today, we just witnessed an unbelievable human achievement.” 

Andre switched off the broadcast, threw the remote down, and stormed from the room.

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Brad lives with his wife, Norrie, in Oliver, BC, Canada’s wine capital in the heart of the Okanagan Valley. Norrie loves visiting all the many grape wineries there. Alas, Brad can’t drink wine; he’s allergic to sulphates. “I don’t like the damn stuff anyway,” Brad says. “Just give me a good dark ale.” He is a retired art director and designer, now writer. He has published three short stories, which have won placement in a book of short stories three years in a row. 

Brad was born in Oregon and grew up in the Willamette Valley. Later, as an adult, after art training, he spent fifteen years working in his own studio in Dallas, Texas. Brad then moved to Canada and worked for two major Canadian ad agencies as a creative art director. There, he ventured into working on TV ads—it was gruelling but fun. His client was Alberta’s CP hotels, then he worked for a dairy, producing ice cream. A dream job for sure. Later, Brad opened his own freelance design studio. But he always wanted to write fiction stories. So, on retirement, he has written three books. 

This one, based on Ed Steelside, is his favourite. 

Goodreads

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