Memories in the City

by Cliff Hamrick

ACCUSED OF A MURDER HE DIDN’T COMMIT

The bloody body of a jeweler is found in his bedroom with no way for the murderer to get in or out. Jake Fox, a watchmaker turned vigilante, is the only suspect. The City Watch, corrupted by a cabal of wizards that have invaded the city, will pin the murder on him if he can’t find the real killer.

Tortured by his past, Jake Fox must survive the mean streets of a city occupied by a foreign power and follow the clues into a dangerous underworld. Will his friends, fellow survivors of the arcane occupation, be able to help him?

CAN JAKE CATCH A MURDERER BEFORE OTHERS DIE?

Memories in the City is a stand-alone novel featuring Jake Fox, a pulp fiction hero in the tradition of Mikey Spillane, Raymond Carver, and Max Allan Collins.

200 pages, Paperback

Published September 6, 2020

About the author

I'm Cliff Hamrick, an author of fiction and non-fiction. My storytelling journey began when I was nine years old and started playing Dungeons and Dragons with my friends. We were too young to understand the rules, but the seed of telling exciting stories with characters that grew and developed over time was planted.

I began writing my own fiction as a way to tell stories in the genres that I love to read: fantasy, horror, and science fiction. My biggest influences are the 'weird' scifi and sword & sorcery stories from R.E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, E.R. Burroughs, and R.W. Chambers.

My non-fiction is related to my career as a counselor. Not only do I have a Masters of Arts in Counseling, but also a Masters of Science in Biology. My first career was in biology where I taught at Baylor University as well as worked on various textbooks.

I still work as a counselor in private practice in Austin, TX where I work with clients struggling with addictions, depression, and anxiety. My interests are as varied as my background. I love the outdoors and hiking in one of the greenest cities in the state. I stay active by practicing yoga multiple times a week. But, I also enjoy visiting the gun range and shooting small bits of lead through pieces of paper.

Please visit my website www.cliffhamrickwrites.com where you can join my reader's list and receive a free deleted scene from my first novel, Saga of the Scout.

Reviews

[Cath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Jake Fox story. He is a watchmaker who lost his wife and daughter in the war, when the Dominion took over their city. He joined the fight as a civilian after the army and others were almost defeated, but was taken prisoner and tortured by the wizzies, before escaping with a female doctor, now the only doctor in their city. He inherited a watchmaker shop from family, but turned vigilante against those holding power in the city. He lives in his old family home, with the relics of his own small family all around, which is now derelict and boarded up. He has one way of getting in and out and it isn’t a door! He has loads of devices and traps to deter anyone from coming in. He is very adept now at being a cat burglar or roughing people up as needed. His next target is a jeweller and he has a meeting set up to try and learn when his next shipment of jewels will come in, so he can rob him.

Only problem, is the jeweller is found dead in his locked bedroom and Fox becomes the main suspect. When he breaks into the shop the next night, while it is being guarded by a member of the City Watch, he is almost caught out when someone else breaks in and takes something they knew was hidden under the floor! He finds the identities of the only customers and the apprentice and cleaning woman who were there that day and starts his own investigation to find the real killer and keep his name clear. His friend Simon runs his watchmaker shop, but is confined to a wheelchair or crutches. Jake has to rely on his years of knowledge of the city and all his previous jobs, to track the clues. He takes a journal to Simon and some pills to the doctor that he found in the jewellers. So when Jake’s investigation draws the interest of others, Simon is one of the first to be hit by the wizzies and the City Watch. Even his friend Rick who is on the force, cannot help him directly.

Now he is being made to find the man responsible for an item that the jeweller was creating, which is a weapon that could be used against the Dominion. A renegade who they have been looking for without success. So instead of just proving his own innocence, he has to keep his friends safe and do the work of the wizzies and locate this man, who is thought to be in the quarantined part of town, where a deadly disease is running rampant. So, nothing difficult! If he doesn’t, then he and Simon will be chucked into the dungeon below the castle and Simon will definitely not be able to survive that. A story set in a world of poverty and hard times, for those without money or power, in a place occupied by its overwhelming powerful foe that had wizzies and unbeatable lightning weaponry. An unfair fight, but Jake doesn’t give up and is a man who takes from the rich and does his best to help the poor. A complex tale with a dark city landscape to contend with and a main character who is still trying to fight back against the occupiers, whilst trying not to get caught in any of his misdeeds to gain supplies for those that need them! Could be the making of a series, will have to wait and see. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I was pulled into their world and the mystery that was happening around us. The writing was really well done and I enjoyed the writing style.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.