Stacked Deck

by M.R. Forbes

Both Ben and Keep are surprised when a desperate shipping magnate shows up on Atlas hoping for an audience. His business is failing, and he's convinced of foul play. Keep thinks it's a run of bad luck. Ben isn't so sure.

Before long, Ben's chasing saboteurs who shouldn't exist, investigating crimes that make no sense, and trying to stop a war between the Empire and the Outer Rim. Oh, and Emerald keeps insisting they're married.

The clock is ticking as Ben and his crew race to figure out who's responsible for the madness before businesses collapse, people die, and Emerald actually makes Ben go to couple's therapy. But when every lead points in a different direction and even his allies can't be trusted, Ben's going to learn that the deck has been stacked from the beginning.

Good thing he's always been a wild card.

375 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2025

About the author

M.R. Forbes is the author of a growing number of science-fiction series including Rebellion, War Eternal, Chaos of the Covenant, Stars End, and the Forgotten novels. Having spent his childhood trying to read every sci-fi novel he could find (and write his own too), play every sci-fi video game he could get his hands on, and see every sci-fi movie that made it into the theater, he has a true love of the genre across every medium. He works hard to bring that same energy to his own stories, with a continuing goal to entertain, delight, fascinate, and surprise.

He maintains a true appreciation for his readers and is always happy to hear from them.

To learn more about M.R. Forbes or just say hello:

Visit his website:
mrforbes.com

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michael@mrforbes.com

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Reviews

[Mark S · Rating 5 out of 5]

another hit out of the park

One key piece of this series (Starship for Sale) is that there is never any doubt that the story will be fantastic. Our old friends return, make new friends, battle to save the universe, show the power of friendship and trust. These messages are needed in our world today and they are powerfully told. I’m not a military strategist so the battle scenes are lost on me, but the interactions, puzzle solving, unraveling plots and all, keep me engaged from first page to last.

I love the other series, but this of my favorite and I eagerly await #13 - please, MR!!

[Randal Gritzner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top Notch Science Fiction!