Char

by Dale Cozort

Char of the Real People walked out of a mud-hole she didn't walk into, wearing a deerskin skirt and carrying a crude spear. Then the murders started.Char is a unique blend of police procedural and alternate reality, with county sheriff Francine Hart relentlessly pursuing clues--footprints and blood samples--that point to a murderess who is human-like, but not our kind of human.Whatever else Char of the Real People is, Sheriff Hart discovers that her quarry is brilliant and supremely adaptable, eluding police again and again. Can even the smartest fugitive escape a modern police dragnet and get back to her own reality?

230 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2015

About the author

Dale Cozort lives in a college town near Chicago with his wife, daughter, three cats and a lot of books. Dale is a computer programmer and teacher as well as a long-time science fiction fan. He has a huge and diverse range of interests, ranging from computers and history to martial arts. He loves animals and did a stint as a foster home for orphan Samoyeds.

Reviews

[Ronald Spitzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable science fiction mystery. The characters are well done, the plot has twists and turns. I did forget one very minor detail near the start of the story so I was fooled for a bit. All in all, a good, detailed mystery and a fun story to read. I did have great trouble stopping my reading to do other things while reading this book.

[John Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dandy story. While there's a bit too much vacillation by the sheriff in the beginning, everything quickly smooths out and flows very well from there. There's a dash of paranormal/science fiction, coupled with intrigue, bad guys and lots of action. I found it to be an extremely enjoyable read.

[Urszula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very happy to win this book in the giveaways and even more happy when it arrived a day before my vacation trip. This allowed me to read it on the plane. It is a quick read and I finished it before reaching my destination (the flight was long, almost 14h with the layover.... ). At first I though that it is just another version of an X-files episode with a family of wild people but as the story kept revealing more and more details it really got me. What wrong can happen when a bunch of guys in their twenties plays paintball at nigh, on a farm and meets somebody out off this world. There are some interesting twists and ideas. Some of the characters are a bit too one dimensional (for example the all evil Ken and the sheriff's deputy) but over all interesting combination of people in a small town. The ideas about the main female protagonist Char could be a bit better developed but she is a very interesting girl with unexpected superpowers. The main male protagonist is a bit naive and a goodhearted rich kid who wants to be his own man. At the end is seems that everybody gets what one deserves.

[Patsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting premise and an enjoyable read. I wish there were a sequel.