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Slowpocalypse #5
Political Homicide
Solving this murder might be the gravest mistake he could make.
At the Northwest Federal University and Research Complex, where the community is cut off from the crumbling civilization outside its walls, tensions are rife. So when the deputy director is killed during a brief blackout, knifed in the back while meeting with a handful of other highly important persons inside a secure conference room, it creates a political crisis. And Security Officer Duncan Kincaid, who’s never handled a homicide before, is the one put in charge of the case…
A dystopian murder mystery and standalone novel set in the Slowpocalypse universe.
At the Northwest Federal University and Research Complex, where the community is cut off from the crumbling civilization outside its walls, tensions are rife. So when the deputy director is killed during a brief blackout, knifed in the back while meeting with a handful of other highly important persons inside a secure conference room, it creates a political crisis. And Security Officer Duncan Kincaid, who’s never handled a homicide before, is the one put in charge of the case…
A dystopian murder mystery and standalone novel set in the Slowpocalypse universe.
282 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 4, 2019
About the author
James Litherland
21 books126 followersI’m a graduate of the University of South Florida, and I now reside as a Virtual Hermit in the wilds of West Tennessee. I've lived various places and done a number of jobs – been an office worker and done hard manual labor, worked (briefly) in the retail and service sectors, and been an instructor. But through all that, I've always been a writer.
I’ve been a voracious reader for as long as I can remember. I cut my teeth on Nancy Drew and devoured all the pulpy adventure stories I could get my hands on before moving to genre greats like Agatha Christie and Isaac Asimov. Then in junior high I became a writer. I started studying the craft of writing – reading books and magazine articles, joining a writers’ group, and taking creative writing classes – and I wrote short stories, eventually a novel, and even some poetry. After thirty years of practice I thought I’d learned a little something, and that’s when I wrote and published my debut novel, Certain Hypothetical. And I learn a bit more with every book I write.
I’m a Christian who tries to walk the walk (and not talk much.)
I’ve been a voracious reader for as long as I can remember. I cut my teeth on Nancy Drew and devoured all the pulpy adventure stories I could get my hands on before moving to genre greats like Agatha Christie and Isaac Asimov. Then in junior high I became a writer. I started studying the craft of writing – reading books and magazine articles, joining a writers’ group, and taking creative writing classes – and I wrote short stories, eventually a novel, and even some poetry. After thirty years of practice I thought I’d learned a little something, and that’s when I wrote and published my debut novel, Certain Hypothetical. And I learn a bit more with every book I write.
I’m a Christian who tries to walk the walk (and not talk much.)
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 1, 2019
I received a copy directly from the author in exchange for an honest review.
To say that this is my favourite series that this author writes would probably make him feel that I have chosen one of his children over all the others. So, I won't say that. It was his first series though and sometimes the first born does get special privileges.
This could easily be read as a standalone novel without knowing the history of the series. It features characters that haven't been prominent in the series so far without making someone who has read other books in the series feel like it is a completely different series..
The back cover calls it "A Dystopian Murder Mystery" and that is an apt description. The outside world and the devastation that has happened there is mentioned but the plot is set mostly in buildings evoking memories of Agatha Christie amongst others.
There is a genuine sense of frustration for the main character. He just wants to do his job and the system doesn't allow this. I doubt this is this last time he will appear in this series.
I really do enjoy this author and his style of writing. It flows off the page more than just about any other author I read. I hope whatever caused him to take a break (not from writing but from finishing novels ( is resolved or at least manageable. He really should be a bigger name in dystopian fiction.
To say that this is my favourite series that this author writes would probably make him feel that I have chosen one of his children over all the others. So, I won't say that. It was his first series though and sometimes the first born does get special privileges.
This could easily be read as a standalone novel without knowing the history of the series. It features characters that haven't been prominent in the series so far without making someone who has read other books in the series feel like it is a completely different series..
The back cover calls it "A Dystopian Murder Mystery" and that is an apt description. The outside world and the devastation that has happened there is mentioned but the plot is set mostly in buildings evoking memories of Agatha Christie amongst others.
There is a genuine sense of frustration for the main character. He just wants to do his job and the system doesn't allow this. I doubt this is this last time he will appear in this series.
I really do enjoy this author and his style of writing. It flows off the page more than just about any other author I read. I hope whatever caused him to take a break (not from writing but from finishing novels ( is resolved or at least manageable. He really should be a bigger name in dystopian fiction.
June 11, 2019
*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Set in a dystopian future, where communities are locked down for their own ‘safety’, Political Homicide is actually a classic locked-room murder mystery.
A handful of people meet around a table for a meeting. The lights, and camera, go off for seconds, and when they resume one of the attendees is dead. But whodunnit?
Determining that is the job of Duncan, our main character, whose work is complicated by the politics of his superiors and the shaky legal foundations of the closed community he attempts to ‘police’. He has his forensic partner to help him and only a couple of days to not only catch the killer, but ensure that it is the politically ‘right’ suspect or face dismissal… or even banishment.
There is minimal physical evidence in the case, so Duncan has to rely on interviewing suspects and trying to understand their personalities/histories and motives in order to eliminate suspects (ideally before the killer eliminates any more of them!). I love murder mysteries that focus on psychological profiles and intellectual puzzles, so this was right up my street.
I was slightly less keen on Duncan’s hangdog attitude throughout. I appreciate that he is put into a virtually impossible position but his defeatism became a bit tiresome and I had to fight the urge to point out to him that he was doing his best and should try a bit of positive thinking once in a while!
The focus in the story is the murder mystery, so it stands alone despite being the fifth Slowpocalypse book, but I found myself increasingly curious about the backstory of the setting. What is outside the walls that has people so terrified of being sent there? Why did they close themselves off? What happened to everyone else?
The only logical conclusion is that I need to go back and fill myself in on all of the previous Slowpocalypse books to find out! And I will definitely be reading any other murder mysteries Litherland writes – dystopian or otherwise.
The camera rebooted the instant power was restored, at the same time the lights came back on, but it needed several nanoseconds to adjust its iris and refocus on the scene it had already started recording again. And only then could it attempt to process the picture it was transmitting.
For a few seconds it observed a frozen tableau, and during that extended interval the camera ran a swift systems check to make sure it wasn’t stuck on a static frame. One of the individuals was slumped forward across the top of the conference table, with a foreign object now protruding from that person’s back, while the others sat motionless. Or so it had appeared until proper focus allowed the camera to identify the tiny movements labeled ‘fidgeting’.
– James Litherland, Political Homicide
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
Set in a dystopian future, where communities are locked down for their own ‘safety’, Political Homicide is actually a classic locked-room murder mystery.
A handful of people meet around a table for a meeting. The lights, and camera, go off for seconds, and when they resume one of the attendees is dead. But whodunnit?
Determining that is the job of Duncan, our main character, whose work is complicated by the politics of his superiors and the shaky legal foundations of the closed community he attempts to ‘police’. He has his forensic partner to help him and only a couple of days to not only catch the killer, but ensure that it is the politically ‘right’ suspect or face dismissal… or even banishment.
There is minimal physical evidence in the case, so Duncan has to rely on interviewing suspects and trying to understand their personalities/histories and motives in order to eliminate suspects (ideally before the killer eliminates any more of them!). I love murder mysteries that focus on psychological profiles and intellectual puzzles, so this was right up my street.
I was slightly less keen on Duncan’s hangdog attitude throughout. I appreciate that he is put into a virtually impossible position but his defeatism became a bit tiresome and I had to fight the urge to point out to him that he was doing his best and should try a bit of positive thinking once in a while!
The focus in the story is the murder mystery, so it stands alone despite being the fifth Slowpocalypse book, but I found myself increasingly curious about the backstory of the setting. What is outside the walls that has people so terrified of being sent there? Why did they close themselves off? What happened to everyone else?
The only logical conclusion is that I need to go back and fill myself in on all of the previous Slowpocalypse books to find out! And I will definitely be reading any other murder mysteries Litherland writes – dystopian or otherwise.
The camera rebooted the instant power was restored, at the same time the lights came back on, but it needed several nanoseconds to adjust its iris and refocus on the scene it had already started recording again. And only then could it attempt to process the picture it was transmitting.
For a few seconds it observed a frozen tableau, and during that extended interval the camera ran a swift systems check to make sure it wasn’t stuck on a static frame. One of the individuals was slumped forward across the top of the conference table, with a foreign object now protruding from that person’s back, while the others sat motionless. Or so it had appeared until proper focus allowed the camera to identify the tiny movements labeled ‘fidgeting’.
– James Litherland, Political Homicide
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
September 19, 2019
I would like to thank the author, James Litherland, for giving me a review copy of Political Homicide. I was not obligated to provide a review and my opinion is freely given.
Political Homicide is a story set in the Slowpocalypse universe, a series of books by the author regarding a community that is locked down to keep the residents safe inside its walls. Despite being part of that larger world, Political Homicide can be read as a standalone novel. Reminiscent of a classic whodunit, although set in a dystopian world, the story begins with a suspicious death at a community council meeting. Called to the scene by his boss, Chief Swindon, who was in attendance at the meeting, Security Officer Duncan Kincaid has very little evidence with which to reconstruct the crime. A 39 second power blink has rendered the security cameras useless as an investigative tool, so how will Duncan ascertain the truth?
I like how Duncan is the voice of reason, despite the tremendous pressure that his superiors place on him. With a steely determination to get to the truth, Duncan uses his experience in investigation to help him navigate the uncharted territory that is his first homicide. The author does a good job of letting the story unfold naturally, giving Duncan the space to see where his investigation can lead. The explanation as to where this book falls into line with the rest of the Slowpocalypse comes a little late in the novel, leaving me a bit puzzled early on. Overall, I enjoyed Political Homicide for its classic mystery format and for its main character, Duncan Kincaid.
Political Homicide is a story set in the Slowpocalypse universe, a series of books by the author regarding a community that is locked down to keep the residents safe inside its walls. Despite being part of that larger world, Political Homicide can be read as a standalone novel. Reminiscent of a classic whodunit, although set in a dystopian world, the story begins with a suspicious death at a community council meeting. Called to the scene by his boss, Chief Swindon, who was in attendance at the meeting, Security Officer Duncan Kincaid has very little evidence with which to reconstruct the crime. A 39 second power blink has rendered the security cameras useless as an investigative tool, so how will Duncan ascertain the truth?
I like how Duncan is the voice of reason, despite the tremendous pressure that his superiors place on him. With a steely determination to get to the truth, Duncan uses his experience in investigation to help him navigate the uncharted territory that is his first homicide. The author does a good job of letting the story unfold naturally, giving Duncan the space to see where his investigation can lead. The explanation as to where this book falls into line with the rest of the Slowpocalypse comes a little late in the novel, leaving me a bit puzzled early on. Overall, I enjoyed Political Homicide for its classic mystery format and for its main character, Duncan Kincaid.
June 25, 2019
A disturbingly problematic situation. Everything depends upon these people to help keep things running. And one has suddenly been struck down and killed with a knife in the back, expertly murdered during a 39 second, fluke power outage while in attendance at a private council meeting. The culprit? Or is it culprits? Officer Duncan Kincaid has a daunting task ahead of him to solve. Immediately.
Political Homicide, the next installment of the ‘Slowpocalypse’ Series by author, James Litherland, moves in a very surprising and unusual direction: the pondering of a 'who done it’ murder mystery.
Characters are solid. Some you love. Some you despise (completely and totally).
The story flows, making Political Homicide an easy read.
Completely suitable for Older Teens and onward.
Thumb's Up 👍
Political Homicide, the next installment of the ‘Slowpocalypse’ Series by author, James Litherland, moves in a very surprising and unusual direction: the pondering of a 'who done it’ murder mystery.
Characters are solid. Some you love. Some you despise (completely and totally).
The story flows, making Political Homicide an easy read.
Completely suitable for Older Teens and onward.
Thumb's Up 👍
December 24, 2019
Excellent story. The story is set in a dis-utopian world and the author has brought out the frustration of the main character where he is not allowed to do his job and in between this the murder mystery is very well brought out.
April 11, 2020
Dropping in to read this volume
Intricately and meticulously plotted and executed.
Nerve-wracking and anxiety-producing as well. Well-done, but also exhausting to read as the tension and anticipation (or dread) expanded exponentially!
Intricately and meticulously plotted and executed.
Nerve-wracking and anxiety-producing as well. Well-done, but also exhausting to read as the tension and anticipation (or dread) expanded exponentially!
July 2, 2020
The title is ever appropriate
I found this a bit repetitive at best. 40% story idea and 60% could have been replaced with details and story or omitted for an appropriate length "short story". This is suitable for the easily offended.
I found this a bit repetitive at best. 40% story idea and 60% could have been replaced with details and story or omitted for an appropriate length "short story". This is suitable for the easily offended.
May 5, 2020
Good story line. Good reading.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews