2019. Danny didn’t look bad in his thin white tank-top and plaid pajama pants. Gracie surprised herself by how she noticed the muscles in his arm when he reached to take the maple syrup from the refrigerator for their toaster waffles. Apparently, he didn’t spend all his time behind a keyboard doing computer stuff. “We’ll … Continue reading 41: To Know Things
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22: Your Weirdo Pal in a Cape
2019. He sat at the breakfast table, wearing a casual outfit once again from the autumn collection of the douchebag department — burgundy cardigan over eggshell henley and crisp chinos. Every inch of fabric appeared so soft that it simply whispered “money” without having to shout. The sun room’s brightness bathed him in a heavenly … Continue reading 22: Your Weirdo Pal in a Cape
20: Miss Chapel
2019. She’d heard about it, knew it was there, sometimes even saw its blue lights glowing in the distance, but not once in her life had Gracie ever had reason to pass under the Arch of Mercy and cross the 6th Avenue Bridge. The Arch of Marcy served as a portal between her world — … Continue reading 20: Miss Chapel
19: The Other Side of Purgatory
2019. When Gracie had seen them on TV, the insides of police stations contained an almost-boiling-over chaos of phones ringing from a scattered array of desks, where beleaguered detectives all sat somewhere near the verge of losing their sanity, sobriety, and spouses, and suspects being marched past them in hand-cuffs proudly proclaimed their hate for … Continue reading 19: The Other Side of Purgatory
17: Fifteen Seconds
2019. Seven cameras with two hundred hours of video on each, but it was fifteen seconds of footage that Kevin focused on. In those seconds, the door could be seen to open. Light cut into the darkness of the front hallway, and a figure stood there, silhouetted. Their left hand raised, and then the footage … Continue reading 17: Fifteen Seconds
15: Hancock’s Plan
2019. Gracie received a text from Brianna: Heard you aren’t feeling well and taking time off. Good! Could tell you need rest. Can’t be a superhero all the time. Rich had been cool about it when Gracie asked if she could get her shifts at the bookstore covered for the week. And her attendance at … Continue reading 15: Hancock’s Plan
14: A Ghost, Freshly risen
1939. Too hot. Far too hot. Will was smothered, damp, and could not move. Something heavy enshrouded him. He pushed against his bonds, twisted, and let out a groan A dull, hollow ringing filled his ear, a tone that would one day fade from his attention but never fully leave his hearing. It accompanied a … Continue reading 14: A Ghost, Freshly risen
13: What is Lawful and What is Right
2019. There wasn’t much sleep for Gracie that night. She tried, but everything in her head felt jumbled and on fire. First thing she did was clean the whole apartment up and down, left to right, and back to front. Bringing order out of chaos sometimes calmed her. She even cleaned Kristen’s room, although some … Continue reading 13: What is Lawful and What is Right
12: A Father’s Love
1939. Below them, the Englehart River rushed through the snow that clung to its shores, and falling flakes caught streetlights in their crystals. Will pressed his back against the cold metal railing of the 6th Avenue Bridge, his eyes on the barrel of the pistol Robert pointed at his chest. “That’s it,” Robert said with … Continue reading 12: A Father’s Love
11: Return to Sunset
Meanwhile… The elderly residents lounging in front of Sunset Gardens in defiance of autumn chill smiled at the gentleman who approached. They didn’t know his name nor recognize his face, but he was a handsome young man — young to them at thirty-nine years old — sharply dressed, with briefcase in hand. He looked like … Continue reading 11: Return to Sunset
10: Don’t Be Afraid
2019. As soon as Gracie walked through the door of Sprang & Sons, Brianna hit her with, “Whoa, are you all right?” Gracie nodded. Brianna squinted at her. “Are you sure?” “I’m sure.” “Are you sure you’re sure?” “I’m sure I’m sure.” “Okay…” Her pinched brow told Gracie that Brianna was dropping the subject out … Continue reading 10: Don’t Be Afraid
8: What Price Justice?
2019. Jerry and Joe slinked away as Gracie and the Crimson Wraith stood face-to-mask in the strange fog that had arrived just ahead of the costumed crimefighter’s appearance. “Don’t,” the Crimson Wraith repeated, keeping his red-gauntleted hand raised to her. Gracie didn’t — didn’t move, didn’t blink, for a moment she didn’t breathe, and she … Continue reading 8: What Price Justice?
6: Blood, Glass, and Ghost
2019. The whole ride home on the Titan Metro Bus, Gracie kept checking her phone to see the midterm grades. Only her math class had posted so far — a 98. She had never gotten a 98 on anything in high school, not even her art class, which had been mostly based on participation. That … Continue reading 6: Blood, Glass, and Ghost
4: A Stranger in True Crime
2019. In the past three minutes of standing at the Sprang & Sons sales counter, Howard had shifted two books from the first stack to the third, four books from the second to the first, and five books from the third to the first and second. These stacks represented, as he told Gracie, “Buy Now,” … Continue reading 4: A Stranger in True Crime
1: The Watcher in Red
2019. Rats scurried along the gutters of South Titan’s warehouse district, seeking sizzling meats whose scents rose up from street vendors’ carts into the crisp October night. The hour was late, and in doorways, on steps, and on sidewalks up against the sides of buildings, the homeless bundled themselves against the chill in sleeping bags, … Continue reading 1: The Watcher in Red
from Kirkus Reviews
An enthralling crime-fighting saga that focuses on the people behind the mask. This volume chronicles the fictional history of a superhero and the motley individuals who have donned the red hood. Twenty-three-year-old Gracie Chapel fled her abusive household as a teenager. She grows into a capable woman who squares off against violent men in Titan … Continue reading from Kirkus Reviews
The Crimson Wraith 