A beautiful city with ugly traditions of corruption and racism. A black man set to hang for a murder he didn’t commit. A world-famous author—and detective—who isn’t about to let it happen. This is the sequel to Heck’s acclaimed debut, Death on the Mississippi.
Mark Twain is in merry old England to see his family. Wentworth Cabot, Twain’s assistant, is looking forward to seeing the sights, and hopefully finding some peace and quiet—when not helping his boss with a new lecture series. But peace is the last thing they find when they bump into Slippery Ed, a con man from New Orleans and an acquaintance of Twain’s. Ed convinces Twain and his family to attend a seance. The famed author is skeptical of “spooks.” But when another attendee is murdered, Twain must discover whether the killer is one of the flesh-and-blood members of the audience—or a specter from the beyond.
A trip to sunny Florence provides some much needed rest and relaxation for Mark Twain’s assistant, Wentworth Cabot, until a woman he fancies disappears—along with a Raphael masterpiece. Can Mark Twain save the day?
Working with the great Mark Twain is a job Wentworth Cabot relishes—especially when it includes a first-class boat trip, a visit to Europe, and a steady paycheck. But Cabot hopes his third adventure with the renowned author won’t involve any murders….
The genial company of Twain’s friend Rudyard Kipling seems to guarantee smooth sailing. A German prince, a pretentious Italian art critic, and a rich young lout from Philadelphia are nuisances to Cabot—but for Twain they only figure as ready targets for his wit. Then the wealthy young man disappears. His father, a prominent prosecutor, insists he was murdered…and accuses the German prince. But Twain suspects otherwise—and with the help of Cabot and Kipling, must race against time to ensure justice….
There was a ghastly murder in New York City, and Mark Twain’s address was in the dead man’s pocket. But even more alarming was that Twain had just received a message sent by an old friend from his riverboat days—and the handwriting matched the note found on the corpse.
So with his new secretary, Wentworth Cabot, Twain caught a steamboat bound for New Orleans. On board were all matter of people—wealthy tourists and old river rats, literary amateurs and high-stakes gamblers…and a determined killer whose only goal was to bring Mark Twain’s celebrated career to a stop!
On a lecture tour, Mark Twain is reunited with Tom Blankenship, his boyhood pal and the model for Huck Finn. When Tom is charged with murder, it’s up to Twain to be as good a lawyer as he is a friend.
“Heck’s Twain proves to be…a clever detective.” —Publishers Weekly
What's a millionaire bachelor to do? Join the army-with his butler! Captain Willard Phule is the only officer in the Space Legion with his own butler, but Beeker has stuck with him through thick and thin. Which is why Phule simply can't comprehend why his butler would run off-planet without a word-and take with him Omega Company's lovely new medic. Without his right-hand man, Phule has no idea what his left hand is doing. So he takes off after his errant butler, just as General Blitzkrieg decides to make a surprise visit to Zenobia. And the only thing Blitz would like better than catching Phule off guard is to catch Phule AWOL . . .
What's a millionaire bachelor to do? Join the army-with his butler-of course. Meet Captain Willard Phule and his company of misunderstood misfits. Together, they've taken space by storm-and left a tradition of zaniness and laughter in their wake . . . Desperate to kick Phule out of the Space Legion, General Blitzkrieg sends a crack team of environmental investigators-including celebrity canine Barky the Environmental Dog-to sniff out Phule and his unnatural disasters. It doesn't take long. Phule is hosting a group of big-game hunters who think they can bag a dinosaur on Zenobia. Needless to say, dinosaurs are not a native species. But cold, hard facts never stopped a Phule . . . And neither will Barky's cold, wet nose.
You can't mistake just anyone for a Phule. When the planet Zenobia is invaded, Captain Willard Phule is made their military advisor. The first priority for Phule's Company: staying out from underfoot of the peaceful, dinosaurlike Zenobians . . . But, unbeknownst to the Zenobians, they're getting two Phules for the price of one. A robot double of Phule appears out of nowhere. And only the real Phule knows who the real Phule is . . .
Captain Willard Phule has whipped his troops into shape, turning Phule's Company from the laughingstock of the Legion into . . . a crack team of casino security guards. Now his company is deployed to help an underdeveloped planet. And what better way to utilize their major area of expertise-goofing off-than to turn the planet into the biggest intergalactic playground ever?
