The Deception of Calliope Druthers

by A.B. Keuser

Flynn Monroe’s life as a freighter captain, hauling anything that pays from one star system to the next, has him settled into a quiet life of packing lists and dunning receipts. After a war where the bad guys won and the good guys turned out to be not so great, Flynn doesn’t think the new regime is half bad. He keeps clear of them when he can, because the last thing he needs is their living-dead soldiers digging through all the crooks and crevices on board. When Calliope Druthers waltzes back into his life followed by a hail of huntsman bullets, Flynn is tempted to fulfill the promise he made to her five years ago and finally pump her full of lead. Back then, with a bomb counting down on his lap, it had seemed like the decent thing to do.

Calliope Druthers knew getting back on Flynn’s good side was going to be tough; the shiny barrels of the revolvers leveled at her eyes are proof positive. Scrabbling for anything that will save her skin, Calliope throws the only thing she can at Flynn: a four year-old daughter she’s hidden from him. Luckily for her he’s as gullible as she remembers. She’s going to have to tell a few more lies to get him through bentspace to the other side of the galaxy if she’s going to turn the girl into her meal ticket. Her last ride was easily dispatched with a screwdriver to the temple. With their history, Calliope wants Flynn's death to be a work of art, and art takes time.

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 14, 2015

About the author

A. B. Keuser grew up watching too many episodes of Star Trek and too many John Wayne movies. That's where this whole thing started.

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Calliope... She sure is a fascinating character, but I can't tell if I love her or love to hate her! A.B. Keuser's writing is exciting, and the new character introduced in this book, Maddie, is possibly my favorite character in the whole series! Maddie joins many of my favorite characters on this journey, and I can't wait to see the next installment of adventures. More Maddie please!!!

[A.B.]

This novel was written before the rest of the series, set to the side, and then fixed, re-edited and published when its turn came around. It is, in many ways, my favorite of the series. It's what brought the series to life, and I'm ridiculously happy to finally have it out in the world. It might be the fifth book (#7 when you add in the novellas) but it's definitely one you could read on its own.