Novel Musings |

A Serpent in the Gears is one of those rare short stories that manages to tell a quick top notch plot while also building a rich world full of history and political intrigue. Readers will find themselves mesmerized by the clockwork land of Aaris and the surrounding countries hinted at during the story. This brief glimpse satisfies the imagination to be sure but leaves a deep yearning to know what drove the Aaris people to build the Sterling Pass in the first place and to become who they are now.

Donal Riordan is a lieutenant in the police dept of Tristopolis. A moral man who believes in what he does and takes his job seriously never taking short cuts and double checking every detail. That is why he is chosen to protect the opera diva Maria da Livnova who will be performing in the city, for their has been a string of murders of artists throughout the world all with their corpses stolen and used for some unknown but despicable purpose.

Moonshine is a secluded bar catering to those monsters and boogeymen with a more blood thirsty attitude. Cal, Niko, and Promise our contacted by a man working for Cerberus a higher up member of The Kin (werewolves) who wants the team to gather proof that a rival is planning on trying to kill him. This simple case of undercover detective work pulls in their friend Robin Goodfellow (Pan) a womanizing gambler, just what they need for infiltrating the bar and gambling den of Moonshine

In usual fashion this simple case dissolves into chaos as the Leandros brothers are betrayed and plots within plots are revealed leaving the reader no clue who is the mastermind behind this plot right up until they show themselves.