Raymond Benson's Blog - Posts Tagged "suspense"
Fifth and Final Black Stiletto is Published!
The Black Stiletto: Endings & BeginningsHello friends--
THE BLACK STILETTO: ENDINGS & BEGINNINGS was published on November 4, 2014. This is the fifth and final installment of the Black Stiletto saga. In this one, all secrets are revealed and all questions are answered.
It's really one big story in five parts, so now that all five are out--why not give them a try?
Thank you to all my readers who have supported the series thus far. It's been a wild five year ride with Judy Cooper.
Raymond
THE BLACK STILETTO: ENDINGS & BEGINNINGS was published on November 4, 2014. This is the fifth and final installment of the Black Stiletto saga. In this one, all secrets are revealed and all questions are answered.
It's really one big story in five parts, so now that all five are out--why not give them a try?
Thank you to all my readers who have supported the series thus far. It's been a wild five year ride with Judy Cooper.
Raymond
"HOTEL DESTINY--A Ghost Noir" Sept. 15, 2020!
Hello friends and readers!
I hope you are staying well and safe. A lot of us are staying home these days, and what better way to pass the time than with a book?
My new paranormal mystery, "HOTEL DESTINY--A Ghost Noir," will be published by Crossroad Press on September 15, 2020. The book is available for PRE-ORDER now at: my website's Fiction page!
It is a short, compact novel--a little longer than a novella. The e-book is only $4.99! Trade paperback is $14.99 only from Amazon. The Audiobook is read by terrific actor Stuart Howard and I'm very pleased with it.
WHAT IF YOU, AS A GHOST, HAD TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER? Presenting a novel that is a ghost story with a distinctive noir sensibility mixed with David Lynchian surrealism. The year is 1985. Coleman Sackler is the night manager and hotel detective for the transient Hotel Destiny, which has been plagued with scandals over the century, including several murders, gangster occupation, and fleabag status during the 1960s and 70s. Five recent slayings in the building have been attributed to—the police believe—one killer. During the gala grand re-opening Halloween party, Cole himself is murdered by a masked man. But hold on! Cole “awakes” and is still in the hotel—as a ghost. Prior to his death, a mysterious woman had told him that hidden portals located throughout the building can lead one to other time periods, and that the key to Cole’s destiny is in the hotel’s past and embedded in its many secrets. Thus, Cole’s spirit sets out to solve his own murder by dropping in on living characters throughout Hotel Destiny’s history and observing and/or interacting with them. His goal is to discover the identity of his killer, as well as learn the ironic truth about his own family, his heritage, and himself!
Some advance praise:
“No matter how hard I tried to get a jump on the author, he was always ten maddening steps ahead of me. HOTEL DESTINY is a cocktail more potent than any you’ve ever enjoyed – a mix of murder mystery in the best noir tradition, and a ghost story that’s one-hundred proof. By the time I’d finished it off, I was still reeling from the effects!”
--Robert Masello, author of THE HAUNTING OF H. G. WELLS
“Raymond Benson has crafted a twisty, ghostly, historical detective noir mystery, rich in place and time, and utterly unique. Highly recommended!”
--Tori Eldridge, Anthony and Lefty-nominated author of THE NINJA’S BLADE
“I had a great stay at HOTEL DESTINY. Raymond Benson displays yet another facet of his formidable storytelling talent in this mind-bending, time-bending mystery. It’s a haunting novel in more ways than one, so expect to lose some sleep — while reading, and afterward.”
--Steve Goble, author of the SPIDER JOHN historical pirate mysteries
“Hardboiled, frightening, and deeply mysterious, Hotel Destiny is a highly entertaining throwback to the days of fun in fiction. Benson delivers a novel where a thousand unlikely things happen, yet the reader never questions, never doubts, and always understands. This is how you know you are in the hands of a master plotter.”
--Darren Callahan, award-winning playwright, novelist, and filmmaker
Thank you all! Stay safe! Cheers, and happy reading!
Raymond
I hope you are staying well and safe. A lot of us are staying home these days, and what better way to pass the time than with a book?
My new paranormal mystery, "HOTEL DESTINY--A Ghost Noir," will be published by Crossroad Press on September 15, 2020. The book is available for PRE-ORDER now at: my website's Fiction page!
It is a short, compact novel--a little longer than a novella. The e-book is only $4.99! Trade paperback is $14.99 only from Amazon. The Audiobook is read by terrific actor Stuart Howard and I'm very pleased with it.
WHAT IF YOU, AS A GHOST, HAD TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER? Presenting a novel that is a ghost story with a distinctive noir sensibility mixed with David Lynchian surrealism. The year is 1985. Coleman Sackler is the night manager and hotel detective for the transient Hotel Destiny, which has been plagued with scandals over the century, including several murders, gangster occupation, and fleabag status during the 1960s and 70s. Five recent slayings in the building have been attributed to—the police believe—one killer. During the gala grand re-opening Halloween party, Cole himself is murdered by a masked man. But hold on! Cole “awakes” and is still in the hotel—as a ghost. Prior to his death, a mysterious woman had told him that hidden portals located throughout the building can lead one to other time periods, and that the key to Cole’s destiny is in the hotel’s past and embedded in its many secrets. Thus, Cole’s spirit sets out to solve his own murder by dropping in on living characters throughout Hotel Destiny’s history and observing and/or interacting with them. His goal is to discover the identity of his killer, as well as learn the ironic truth about his own family, his heritage, and himself!
Some advance praise:
“No matter how hard I tried to get a jump on the author, he was always ten maddening steps ahead of me. HOTEL DESTINY is a cocktail more potent than any you’ve ever enjoyed – a mix of murder mystery in the best noir tradition, and a ghost story that’s one-hundred proof. By the time I’d finished it off, I was still reeling from the effects!”
--Robert Masello, author of THE HAUNTING OF H. G. WELLS
“Raymond Benson has crafted a twisty, ghostly, historical detective noir mystery, rich in place and time, and utterly unique. Highly recommended!”
--Tori Eldridge, Anthony and Lefty-nominated author of THE NINJA’S BLADE
“I had a great stay at HOTEL DESTINY. Raymond Benson displays yet another facet of his formidable storytelling talent in this mind-bending, time-bending mystery. It’s a haunting novel in more ways than one, so expect to lose some sleep — while reading, and afterward.”
--Steve Goble, author of the SPIDER JOHN historical pirate mysteries
“Hardboiled, frightening, and deeply mysterious, Hotel Destiny is a highly entertaining throwback to the days of fun in fiction. Benson delivers a novel where a thousand unlikely things happen, yet the reader never questions, never doubts, and always understands. This is how you know you are in the hands of a master plotter.”
--Darren Callahan, award-winning playwright, novelist, and filmmaker
Thank you all! Stay safe! Cheers, and happy reading!
Raymond
