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Stacked Deck
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.
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.
410 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2025
152 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
M.R. Forbes
192 books1,014 followersM.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
Send him an e-mail:
michael@mrforbes.com
Check out his Facebook page:
facebook.com/mrforbes.author
Join his Facebook fan group:
facebook.com/groups/mrforbes
Follow him on Instagram:
instagram.com/mrforbes_author
Find him on Goodreads:
goodreads.com/mrforbes
Follow him on Bookbub:
bookbub.com/authors/m-r-forbes
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
Send him an e-mail:
michael@mrforbes.com
Check out his Facebook page:
facebook.com/mrforbes.author
Join his Facebook fan group:
facebook.com/groups/mrforbes
Follow him on Instagram:
instagram.com/mrforbes_author
Find him on Goodreads:
goodreads.com/mrforbes
Follow him on Bookbub:
bookbub.com/authors/m-r-forbes
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 6, 2026
Not really knowing Forbes style, I started this series thinking it would be 3-4 books in total...this was book 12...
I enjoy the storyline and the vast majority of characters with a few exceptions. The main character Ben can come across as having a real martyr syndrome at times, and is far too headstrong and impulsive to be realistic- I often find myself rolling my eyes during one of his speeches. However it's the other characters besides him that I appreciate far, far more. Em is a hoot, the rest of the crew, while too often remaining in the background, are far better written than the main character in my opinion. It's interesting to see how the character of Matt has somewhat faded into the background, especially in this latest book, which was good as I felt he was approaching Emerald-level fawning a book or three ago.
Overall the stories themselves are very imaginative, which is why I've stuck with the series...even with 'badda-boom, badda-bing' overload at times.
I enjoy the storyline and the vast majority of characters with a few exceptions. The main character Ben can come across as having a real martyr syndrome at times, and is far too headstrong and impulsive to be realistic- I often find myself rolling my eyes during one of his speeches. However it's the other characters besides him that I appreciate far, far more. Em is a hoot, the rest of the crew, while too often remaining in the background, are far better written than the main character in my opinion. It's interesting to see how the character of Matt has somewhat faded into the background, especially in this latest book, which was good as I felt he was approaching Emerald-level fawning a book or three ago.
Overall the stories themselves are very imaginative, which is why I've stuck with the series...even with 'badda-boom, badda-bing' overload at times.
December 13, 2025
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!!
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!!
January 11, 2026
Fantastic book in a series that itself is incredible. The characters are well developed and the dynamic between them makes for great storytelling. This type of book and series is why I love to read. Thanks Michael for the name dropping toward the end about two other great stories and characters of The Sheriff and Jayce.
December 8, 2025
Top Notch Science Fiction!
January 1, 2026
Total page turner as always
Love these books and the universe they are adding to. A great read for any syfy fan, you'll want to read them all!
Love these books and the universe they are adding to. A great read for any syfy fan, you'll want to read them all!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews