The Harry Reese Mysteries
by Robert Bruce Stewart
Always a Cold Deckcover

This is a novel of about 65,500 words, or 254 print pages. First published in June 2012 and revised in November 2013.

Kindle Edition: Buy at Amazon


Paperback:   Amazon
     Barnes & Noble
     IndieBound


Always a Cold Deck


July-August 1900. In this, the first book of the series, Harry is sent to Buffalo, New York, to investigate a fire that destroyed a grain elevator. But when Harry uncovers a smuggling operation, the case morphs into something more serious. Trains and steamships feature prominently as he crosses into Canada and back, accompanied by a curious young woman who seems to be conducting an investigation of her own. But Harry can never be sure of anyone's loyalties, least of all those who've hired him.


Sample Chapter:   HTML or PDF

A Crib Sheet is available which includes a short glossary, a list of the characters, and three maps. (also available as  DOC or PDF)

Online map: The Library of Congress has a perspective map of Buffalo created in 1902 and they've provided a zoomable version on the Web. The level of detail is simply incredible. It's sort of a Google Street View from 110 years ago.

Several posts on my blog touch on subjects mentioned in this story. And there's a glossary, a chronology, and a list of characters for the books.