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Keeping The Peace
Akakios, child of Diodotos, wasn’t the most reliable friend Isadora ever had. Xe tended to drop in unannounced, never really cared about what was going on in her life, and seemed to only ever want to drink at their favorite bar before disappearing again. So when xe showed up on her doorstep with a gun in xer hand, claiming that xer wife Pelagia had just been murdered, Isadora didn't really know what to do.
With Akakios now dead for a crime xe may not have committed, and everyone from the Archon of Elysium to ruthless gangsters to xer dead wife's family telling her to drop it, Isadora tried to just keep her head down, throwing herself into her work as a independent detective and entangling herself in the petty drama of one of Elysium's most exclusive communities.
Unfortunately, if what she wanted was to avoid confronting Akakios' dark past, the Valley was probably the last place in Elysium Isadora should have been.
This novel is a part of the expanded Gunmetal Olympus universe.
With Akakios now dead for a crime xe may not have committed, and everyone from the Archon of Elysium to ruthless gangsters to xer dead wife's family telling her to drop it, Isadora tried to just keep her head down, throwing herself into her work as a independent detective and entangling herself in the petty drama of one of Elysium's most exclusive communities.
Unfortunately, if what she wanted was to avoid confronting Akakios' dark past, the Valley was probably the last place in Elysium Isadora should have been.
This novel is a part of the expanded Gunmetal Olympus universe.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 16, 2025
1 person is currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 16, 2026
A follow up to Keeping the Peace and part of the Gunmetal Olympus universe, this noir thriller can certainly be read as a standalone (but I enjoyed reading it in conjunction with the other stories). It follows Isadora, an investigator, after one of her (only) friends begs her to drop xer off somewhere as xer wife has just been murdered and xe knows it will be pinned on xem. By the time Isadora is released from police custody her friend is dead, the crime confessed. But when her next case forces her to get close to another alcoholic with a history of violence towards zer wife, she realizes letting Akakios death lie may not be possible.
A really interesting mystery story following a hardboiled trans butch detective, whose search for the truth at any cost will get her into quite a lot of trouble. I loved following her through her investigations and as she pieced the mystery together and despite her sometimes abrasive personality, I really enjoyed my time with her. If she ever gets to investigate another mystery, I’d love to see more of that.
The mystery itself was great, convoluted and with quite a few (literal) dead ends and it was really interesting to read. I also really enjoyed how this story played with the Gunmetal Olympus world, keeping the cyber-aspects of the cyberpunk story relatively small, in favor of exploring the docks and criminal underground further outside of the influences of the Gods. (Also I want to know what’s in the ocean now! It sounds fucked up!). The many characters that are featured here alongside Isadora, tormented artists, jealous lovers, corrupt doctors, brutal police officers, the God’s Blessed and powerful mothers fiercely protective of their family’s secrets, make this world feel incredibly lived in.
Also in beautiful noir fashion, the detective does get tangled up with some attractive women during her investigations and there were a few quite hot scenes, which was fun. The lesbianism was deeply enjoyable. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of transmasc characters in this part of the Gunmetal Olympus universe (albeit only as a side character), but I still enjoyed getting to see that.
All in all, I can definitely see why this won the TFR Outstanding Thriller/Mystery award and if you like crime noir and detectives with many, many emotional issues, you should check this story out.
Tw: addiction, alcoholism, cheating, drugging, gore, murder, police brutality, sexual assault, suicide
A really interesting mystery story following a hardboiled trans butch detective, whose search for the truth at any cost will get her into quite a lot of trouble. I loved following her through her investigations and as she pieced the mystery together and despite her sometimes abrasive personality, I really enjoyed my time with her. If she ever gets to investigate another mystery, I’d love to see more of that.
The mystery itself was great, convoluted and with quite a few (literal) dead ends and it was really interesting to read. I also really enjoyed how this story played with the Gunmetal Olympus world, keeping the cyber-aspects of the cyberpunk story relatively small, in favor of exploring the docks and criminal underground further outside of the influences of the Gods. (Also I want to know what’s in the ocean now! It sounds fucked up!). The many characters that are featured here alongside Isadora, tormented artists, jealous lovers, corrupt doctors, brutal police officers, the God’s Blessed and powerful mothers fiercely protective of their family’s secrets, make this world feel incredibly lived in.
Also in beautiful noir fashion, the detective does get tangled up with some attractive women during her investigations and there were a few quite hot scenes, which was fun. The lesbianism was deeply enjoyable. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of transmasc characters in this part of the Gunmetal Olympus universe (albeit only as a side character), but I still enjoyed getting to see that.
All in all, I can definitely see why this won the TFR Outstanding Thriller/Mystery award and if you like crime noir and detectives with many, many emotional issues, you should check this story out.
Tw: addiction, alcoholism, cheating, drugging, gore, murder, police brutality, sexual assault, suicide
October 25, 2025
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you took a noir novel, complete with all its trappings, and transported it into a world rich with trans and queer characters?
This novel, set in the same world as Hades Calculus but not requiring that you've read the source, is a thick brooding drink at the bar and a stumble on the way home with a headache that knocks at your door the next day. You can taste and smell its conceit, and the hook will still pull you in.
The mysteries of how the world work weave throughout the plot, which makes makes the allure all that much more potent.
This is a mature work that doesn't shy away from its heavy adult themes. Once you're in, the ride is well worth it.
This novel, set in the same world as Hades Calculus but not requiring that you've read the source, is a thick brooding drink at the bar and a stumble on the way home with a headache that knocks at your door the next day. You can taste and smell its conceit, and the hook will still pull you in.
The mysteries of how the world work weave throughout the plot, which makes makes the allure all that much more potent.
This is a mature work that doesn't shy away from its heavy adult themes. Once you're in, the ride is well worth it.
November 16, 2025
This book was incredible. Tris Husband captures the feelings of the old Noir mysteries in a beautifully progressive way. Set in the Gunmetal Olympus universe, Faer cast of characters explores the story of "The Long Goodbye" by Raymond Chandler, through a uniquely queer lens. The setting, storytelling, and pacing are remarkable on their own, and the way it incorporates the 1950's noir feeling with the realities of its cyberpunk setting is splendid. This novel is one of my favorites for the year, and will be on my recommended list for a long time to come.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews