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Moonshine
A body in the mud by the Miskatonic River is just an average day for Detective Vergil Levard. But when the cadaver shows signs of something more sinister afoot, Vergil is forced to make a deal with the devil and work with the leader of the local bootleggers, Jimmy Hogan, to track down the killers.
If Vergil were a normal copper, the strange sigil wouldn’t have meant anything to him. If Hogan were a normal mobster, Vergil wouldn’t be falling for him. And if the fishing village of Innsmouth were a normal smuggler’s front, neither of them would have to fear for their sanity.
With darkness closing in and some terror from the deep creeping up behind them, Vergil and Hogan have nothing left to hold onto except each other.
If Vergil were a normal copper, the strange sigil wouldn’t have meant anything to him. If Hogan were a normal mobster, Vergil wouldn’t be falling for him. And if the fishing village of Innsmouth were a normal smuggler’s front, neither of them would have to fear for their sanity.
With darkness closing in and some terror from the deep creeping up behind them, Vergil and Hogan have nothing left to hold onto except each other.
41 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 26, 2018
3 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
G.D. Penman
31 books81 followersG. D. Penman is a critically acclaimed and internationally bestselling fantasy author, and the ghostwriter of over 200 books across various genres. Prior to his literary career he worked as a bookseller, game designer, literary critic and editor. He lives in Dundee, Scotland with his partner, children and a vast menagerie of animals.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 15, 2018
Detective Vergil Levard works for the Arkham, Massachusetts police department. He nabs the case of a dead sailor, and his investigation leads him to Jimmy Hogan, owner of a speakeasy and a big-time gangsta. It’s Hogan’s ship the sailor was on—along with the bootleg cargo.
Not getting anything out of Hogan, Vergil knows what he has to do, so he heads to the weird town of Innsmouth. When he gets to his run-down hotel room, he finds none other than Jimmy Hogan waiting for him. Because of Vergil’s odd upbringing, he always believed he was an abomination. When Hogan makes a move on him, it gets him thinking and he starts to see himself differently. Vergil and Hogan team up to solve the crime and face some very eerie happenings, and it has Vergil coming face to face with a terror that becomes real.
Moonshine was a great first time read for me from this author. I absolutely liked the historical feel and the 1920s verbiage—it really set the tone for the era of prohibition, speakeasies and bootlegging. Not only was this story fun, it wasn’t over-done, leaving readers room to use their imagination. The author also created two great characters in Vergil and Hogan. As different as they are, they have great chemistry, and even though they are an odd couple, they make a great team. I could see them getting into a whole lot of trouble together and think this has great potential for a fun series, with mystery, suspense, horror, and romance!
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach
Not getting anything out of Hogan, Vergil knows what he has to do, so he heads to the weird town of Innsmouth. When he gets to his run-down hotel room, he finds none other than Jimmy Hogan waiting for him. Because of Vergil’s odd upbringing, he always believed he was an abomination. When Hogan makes a move on him, it gets him thinking and he starts to see himself differently. Vergil and Hogan team up to solve the crime and face some very eerie happenings, and it has Vergil coming face to face with a terror that becomes real.
Moonshine was a great first time read for me from this author. I absolutely liked the historical feel and the 1920s verbiage—it really set the tone for the era of prohibition, speakeasies and bootlegging. Not only was this story fun, it wasn’t over-done, leaving readers room to use their imagination. The author also created two great characters in Vergil and Hogan. As different as they are, they have great chemistry, and even though they are an odd couple, they make a great team. I could see them getting into a whole lot of trouble together and think this has great potential for a fun series, with mystery, suspense, horror, and romance!
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach
December 19, 2019
3.5 stars! A fun and quick m/m noir story set in the Cthulhu mythos.
The ties between other stories in the Mythos are very clever. I enjoyed how the plot hinged on the lesser-remembered Innsmouth bootlegging (I love a good new Innsmouth story) and Vergil's history with similar things worked well for me. The characters were solid, never quite sitting in noir stereotypes but playing with them delightfully. The mystery was fun and not overly complicated, just tangled enough to work well in short fiction. And when things turned to horror, the crawling terror of it was top notch.
Overall I enjoyed the romance too! I wasn't really sure what Vergil was thinking or feeling in the first kiss scene, for example; despite the genre lending to a lot of mental narrative it felt sparse there so I wasn't always sure what he was drawn to or what he felt, leaving me occasionally feeling like I wanted to see what made it tick beyond the physical--but overall I found it a fun match with great characters. They worked well together, had good chemistry, and you have to love the rugged cop & posh criminal mixup.
The opening pages are a bit rough (nothing major, but the author tries to set up a certain amount of information and tone in a way that gets tangled up in the prose and is a bit hard to follow) but stick with it with it; it relaxes into the voice and pace after about 3 pages and is well into the swing of it by the time you're 10% in. It's definitely worth it.
Overall I came away with a really positive impression of this story. Good action, interesting central characters, a strong mix of horror, and a powerful ending. I'd love to see another story in this universe, as they get that chance to settle into an established relationship, rather than just their first attraction while shooting lovecraftian horrors. And I especially want to see it after ...
The ties between other stories in the Mythos are very clever. I enjoyed how the plot hinged on the lesser-remembered Innsmouth bootlegging (I love a good new Innsmouth story) and Vergil's history with similar things worked well for me. The characters were solid, never quite sitting in noir stereotypes but playing with them delightfully. The mystery was fun and not overly complicated, just tangled enough to work well in short fiction. And when things turned to horror, the crawling terror of it was top notch.
Overall I enjoyed the romance too! I wasn't really sure what Vergil was thinking or feeling in the first kiss scene, for example; despite the genre lending to a lot of mental narrative it felt sparse there so I wasn't always sure what he was drawn to or what he felt, leaving me occasionally feeling like I wanted to see what made it tick beyond the physical--but overall I found it a fun match with great characters. They worked well together, had good chemistry, and you have to love the rugged cop & posh criminal mixup.
The opening pages are a bit rough (nothing major, but the author tries to set up a certain amount of information and tone in a way that gets tangled up in the prose and is a bit hard to follow) but stick with it with it; it relaxes into the voice and pace after about 3 pages and is well into the swing of it by the time you're 10% in. It's definitely worth it.
Overall I came away with a really positive impression of this story. Good action, interesting central characters, a strong mix of horror, and a powerful ending. I'd love to see another story in this universe, as they get that chance to settle into an established relationship, rather than just their first attraction while shooting lovecraftian horrors. And I especially want to see it after ...
November 2, 2022
It's always fun to find unique books, and this one definitely had a special feeling with its lovecraftian setting and noir-y language. There was a good mix of mystery, action and romance, and the characters were interesting and had some good depth considering how short the story was. I was left wanting to read even more about them and their relationship.
February 22, 2019
Liked this a lot - characters, setting, mystery - just would have liked a lot more of it. Felt we got hints and teasers for so much more. Crossing my fingers there might be someday.
May 21, 2018
Take a step back in time to the days of prohibition…where bootleggers ruled and the coppers turned a blind eye. Detective Vergil Levard has been called out to investigate a body found on the docks, but when he starts looking into the victim’s past, he is forced to relive memories from his own he thought were long buried. Jimmy Hogan is the King of bootleggers in this town, and when one of his own is found dead, he’s going to issue out his own form of justice. Vergil and Jimmy are an odd pairing, but are drawn together to solve the mystery behind the murder…even if it may cost them their very lives.
This was such a fun short story to read! G.D. Penman was a new to me author, and I look forward to reading more!
This was such a fun short story to read! G.D. Penman was a new to me author, and I look forward to reading more!
June 19, 2022
different but very good
I am not sure what I was expecting but this was different and very good. I haven’t read any HP Lovecraft so I had to google a few things to catch up. Very good!
I am not sure what I was expecting but this was different and very good. I haven’t read any HP Lovecraft so I had to google a few things to catch up. Very good!
May 31, 2018
Really good mystery/horror story. Two great characters that I could see getting into more trouble. Has great potential to be a series.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews