Confessions of an Efficient Cause

by Paul Michael Peters

In the windy city, can Hemottia illuminate the darkness before another life is extinguished?

The Windy City is no stranger to chilling stories, but the winter of 1992 brings with it a coldness that penetrates the soul. As snow blankets the bustling streets of Chicago, a dark shadow falls upon the universities dotting the shores of Lake Michigan. One by one, young female students are discovered, their lifeless bodies eerily preserved, bearing silent testimony to the horrors they faced.

Leading the investigation is Detective Manuj Hemottia, a smart, young, dedicated officer with a relentless drive for justice. But this case proves more enigmatic than any he's faced before. The victims are varied in background and motive, but they share a singular, chilling a secretive organization that beckons the young and naive with promises of enlightenment, only to ensnare them in a web of radicalism and peril.

As Hemottia dives deeper into the murky waters of conspiracy, he grapples with unsettling questions. Who orchestrates this nightmarish recruitment? What insidious end does the organization seek? And, most importantly, how many more will be sacrificed on the icy altar of their ideology?

Confessions of an Efficient Cause takes readers on a nail-biting journey through the frozen heart of Chicago, where every twist and turn threatens to bury the truth deeper under layers of deceit, danger, and frost.

102 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2024

About the author

Paul Michael Peters is a storyteller with an original voice who thrives at the edge of the human condition, blending humor and darkness with keen insight. His tales navigate the intricate dance between the mundane and the profound, capturing the ephemeral moments that define our lives with passion. His work invites readers into a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinary, exploring life's shadowy corners with narratives that resonate with authenticity and imaginative daring.

Dive into the work of Paul Michael Peters and discover stories that echo the complexities of life: Right Hand of the Resistance, Mist and Moonbeams: Stories from the Great Lakes Edge, Broken Objects, Combustible Punch, The Symmetry of Snowflakes, Insensible Loss, and several beloved short stories like Mr. Memory and Other Stories of Wonder.