Little Misunderstandings

Sammy #5

by Robin Hardy

Are you misunderstood? Nobody is as misunderstood as Dallas police detective Sammy Kidman. From bungled field assignments to a close encounter with his best friend’s wife, Sammy lurches from one near-disaster to the next. Even his loyal wife Marni can’t understand his participation in a bizarre Vice sting. But when his dad’s position as chauffeur to a wealthy socialite changes to that of her boyfriend, Sammy thinks nothing worse can happen—until he’s staring down the barrel of his own gun. Little Misunderstandings is the fifth in a series starring the most sweetly obnoxious cop that was never on the Dallas police force. Previous books in the series are Dallas Detective, Women Troubles, Working for a Living, and On Vacation--but new readers can comfortably jump into the series at any point.

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

I've written a new series! It's a distant sequel to The Annals of Lystra (begun in Chataine's Guardian) and The Latter Annals (begun in Nicole of Prie Mer). This is where it begins:

Thirty-five years after the assassination of Henry, Surchatain of Lystra, the province is no more and its capital Westford a shadow of its medieval greatness. With the fever now ravaging the palace, the army, and the town, a new Surchatain has ascended the throne of Westford, requiring a loyalty oath for all his subjects and soldiers.

Efran, Captain of the Red Regiment of the Army of Westford, is Polonti—a member of the brown-skinned, black-haired race generally regarded with contempt by Southerners on the Continent, including many in Westford. Knowing of the loyalty oath required on pain of death, Efran lays plans to leave once he has recovered from the fever himself.

But Efran is hindered by entanglements with the Surchatain’s two daughters—one who despises him and one who adores him.

He is appointed guardian of one Chataine. When the palace begins crumbling on its foundations, Efran takes his charge and a street urchin to an abandoned fortress south of Westford in the midst of wolf territory. While he gathers more homeless children at the fortress, the other Chataine prepares to lead an army against him for the legendary treasure hidden in the desolate Abbey of St. Benedict on the Sea.

The Stories of the Abbey of St. Benedict on the Sea comprise 36 novellas, each around 50,000 words, that make for one continuous story from the beginning to a definite end. ​To introduce this series, I'm offering free pdf and epub downloads of all the stories. Each pdf includes links, pronunciations, maps, and an illustration with notes.  (The epubs  contain all of the above except maps.)