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    A Nice Jagged Edge An Atticus & Rosemary Mystery Thriller Series Short Story Prequel (A Private Investigator Mystery Crime Thriller Series, Book 2)
    A Nice Jagged Edge An Atticus & Rosemary Mystery Thriller Series Short Story Prequel (A Private Investigator Mystery Crime Thriller Series, Book 2)
    A Nice Jagged Edge An Atticus & Rosemary Mystery Thriller Series Short Story Prequel (A Private Investigator Mystery Crime Thriller Series, Book 2)
    Ebook37 pages31 minutes

    A Nice Jagged Edge An Atticus & Rosemary Mystery Thriller Series Short Story Prequel (A Private Investigator Mystery Crime Thriller Series, Book 2)

    By Carlyle Clark

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Previously published under the title: "HE'S FASTER"

    A Nice Jagged Edge is an action-packed darkly comedic short story prequel to Carlyle Clark’s first novel in the gallows-humored mystery crime thriller series Children from Dark Houses.

    Before Rosemary Sanchez became a private investigator and a combat veteran, she was a just girl who wanted to spend a quiet night alone in a hideaway cabin in the woods, pondering the biggest decision of her life. Unfortunately, she soon realizes she is far from alone.

    A man lurks in the night, his cruel compulsions driving him into the cabin after Rosemary, and it will take every ounce of her courage and cunning just to see the dawn.

    What Readers are Saying . . .

    “This short story takes you from hilarious to edge-of-your-seat intense in 60 seconds.” —Audra Middleton author of Hitchhiker

    “There was a thread of dark humor - even in the midst of such suspense - that I totally appreciated.” —Mareena McGir

    Q & A with the Author

    Q – With all the great mystery thriller series out there, what makes the Atticus & Rosemary series stand-out?

    A - Writing these, I was determined to conjure stories like the ones I love, dark and violent yet somehow still often humorous, and driven by heroes with heart and courage and a sense of justice that’s not always in line with what’s legal. Crime stories like that had me devouring countless private investigator novels, thrillers, and pretty much any series with a detective, public or private, but especially those with characters driven to do “the right thing.”
    Atticus and Rosemary embody what Raymond Chandler described in his essay The Simple Art of Murder: “But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid . . . He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it.” It is crucial to me to have a woman who lived up to this billing, perhaps even more so than the man, and Rosemary more than fits that bill.

    Q - What order should I read the series in?

    A – I suggest you read the series in the chronological order below, however each works perfectly as a standalone. Be sure not to go by publication order, because the series was not published in chronological order.

    #0 - A Nice Jagged Edge (An Atticus & Rosemary Mystery Thriller Series Prequel)
    #1 - Children From Dark Houses (An Atticus & Rosemary Mystery Thriller Series)
    #2 - The Black Song Inside (An Atticus & Rosemary Mystery Thriller Series)
    #2.5 - There are Degrees to this Darkness (An Atticus Mystery Thriller Novella - coming soon)

    Atticus & Rosemary Private Investigator Mystery Crime Thriller Series Categories:

    - Private Investigator Series
    - Mystery Series
    - Crime Thrillers
    - Private Detective Novels
    - African-American Mystery, Suspense & Thriller
    - Woman Sleuth
    - Humorous Mysteries

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCarlyle Clark
    Release dateJan 6, 2013
    ISBN9781301361229
    A Nice Jagged Edge An Atticus & Rosemary Mystery Thriller Series Short Story Prequel (A Private Investigator Mystery Crime Thriller Series, Book 2)
    Author

    Carlyle Clark

    Carlyle Clark was raised in Poway, a city just north of San Diego, but is now a proud Chicagolander working in the field of Corporate Security and writing crime fiction and fantasy. He has flailed ineffectually at performing the writers' requisite myriad of random jobs: pizza deliverer, curb address painter, sweatshop laborer, day laborer, night laborer, twilight laborer (of the fang-less variety), security guard, campus police, Gallup pollster, medical courier, vehicle procurer, and signature-for-petitions-getter. He is a happily married man with two cats and a dogs martial arts enthusiast and a CrossFit endurer who enjoys fishing, sports, movies, TV series with continuing storylines, and of course, reading. Most inconsequentially, he holds the unrecognized distinction of being one of the few people in the world who have been paid to watch concrete dry in the dark. Tragically, that is a true statement.

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    Reviews for A Nice Jagged Edge An Atticus & Rosemary Mystery Thriller Series Short Story Prequel (A Private Investigator Mystery Crime Thriller Series, Book 2)

    4/5

    24 ratings11 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I do not usually read this type of book, but found the story was well constructed and interesting. I enjoyed the interaction between the characters and appreciated the use of atypical heroes, who were flawed due to past experiences. The language was a bit strong in places but not gratuitous. I also appreciated that there was no graphic sex descriptions in the book (Thank you!) Atticus and Rosemary are forced to investigate murders by gang leaders who are also involved in human trafficking. There are some twists and turns and surprise relationships. The "Priest," an evil, insane, self-ordained messenger of God, manages to wreak havoc and complicate the investigation.This was an Early Review book which I enjoyed reading.
    • 5/5
      Great book. Kept me reading until it was finished.
    • 4/5
      The Black Song Inside. Carlyle Clark. 2012. This book was a pleasant surprise! It is several steps above the usual inexpensive Kindle download. Atticus is a private investigator in Southern California, and Rosemary is his sometime partner and fiancé. She is recovering physically and mentally from losing and leg in Afghanistan. Atticus is arrested and accused of knowing about a murder involving the drug cartel and human trafficking. Rosemary’s brother is a hood and is mixed up in the affair. The book is very violent and suspenseful and also funny at times
    • 4/5
      The Black Song Inside by Carlyle Clark and Suki Michelle focuses on two recently engaged private investigators (Atticus and Rosemary) who find themselves "up to their necks in it" involved with the Tijuana drug cartel.Set in San Diego, their story begins with Atticus' old flame asking for his help solving the execution style murder of her boyfriend. Unfortunately for our protagonists, this puts them in direct sight of some very dangerous people, all of whom will stop at nothing to get what they (or their very powerful bosses) want.Meanwhile, both our leading roles have their own problems to deal with. Atticus had a traumatic childhood and grew up as an African-American dealing with a lot of bigotry, whilst Rosemary had a dysfunctional family, an aggressive, violent brother and a tour in Iraq that left her with PTSD and a missing right leg, as well as panic attacks when she gets behind the wheel.Together, they must try to solve the murder, figure out who's after them and why, try to survive the entire Tijuana Crime Cartel (as well as various other threats) baying for their blood and keep their relationship together. In one corner we have a man known as "The Priest", who has founded his own religion and is the sole member of what he calls the Church of the Aloned. His only goal is to open the eyes of humanity to the farce that is civilisation in his eyes, break them down and make them rely on the only thing that matters- instinct. He has no mercy and cares for no one. The entire Bible of the Church of Aloned consists of a map he found as a child soldier in the jungles of Colombia, with the words "Beyond Here Be Monsters" scrawled on the edge, which he took to heart.The big players in the cartel itself are Armando Villanueva, Lieutenant to the head of the cartel- Ferdinand Del Castillo- who himself runs the entire drug empire for Tijuana Cartel. Aside from these threats, we also have Rosemary's angry brother (who happens to have his own gang- Los Lobos Locos) gunning for Atticus' blood out of pure hate of the man.Out of all the antagonists I found The Priest the most terrifying. Whereas the rest of them are doing it for money, power or hate, The Priest is simply doing it out of obsession. It's clear he's not completely on the rails, but how far off them is unclear. He has the same masochistic rituals that are reminiscent of the priest from the Da Vinci Code. He scrubs himself down with pumice and does intense exercises that he calls "worshipping". The character himself is very different from the Da Vinci Code priest though- apart from both being religious fanatics who seems to have a thing for S&M.The story starts off slowly and begins to pick up pace, building more and more tension as we reach the end. There are many different plots going on at once, so some get sidelined a little at times, but they are all brought crashing together for the finale.The ending itself is well done, full of seat-gripping tension and with an ambiguousness that leaves you not completely at ease.A great thriller, murder-mystery novel for anyone who isn't turned away by violence, bad language or the gritty realism that comes from telling a story filled with drug rings, human trafficking and murder.Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the authors. This is not a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own.
    • 4/5
      This author mesmerized me with this story. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. The relationship between Atticus and Rosemary was very well described throughout. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 star was the numerous errors. E.g., the word is instead of in, forgetting the 'ed' at the end of a word. He delight in shooting instead of he delighted in shooting. I believe this to be an ebook phenomenon and have seen these errors over and over. Hopefully, they'll be fewer and fewer over time. Have to go now as I have another Carlyle novel to read!
    • 4/5
      I started reading this book while on vacation in San Diego (where most of the action is set), so that happy coincidence made reading Black Song just that much more fun. I really enjoyed this book, and would happily read the next one in the series. Some of the secondary characters are really interesting, and add a lot of color. My only complaint is that the plot is little busy; if this is indeed going to be a series, everything doesn't have to happen in the first book.
    • 4/5
      A great read. If you are looking for a fast-paced read, this is the book for you. The characters are well developed and very likeable. Clark uses just enough humor to keep you from getting bogged down, and has quite a way with language. This story keeps you wanting more...and what an unexpected ending!
    • 4/5
      I liked this book. The two main characters were well drawn and their relationship is evident thoughout the story, and indeed, some of the story was dependent upon their history together. Some of the areas were a bit slow, possibly because it's a convoluted plot with many branches and an ending that you hoped would happen..... Except for that little epilogue that created a little bit of doubt in your mind about that one unresolved issue.Disclaimer - I won this book through Library Thing in exchange for a fair review.
    • 5/5
      Love a good thriller and this one certainly had me captivated! Set in San Diego and Mexico, it entered a world with which I am unfamiliar. The politics of the Hispanic in America is not something that is particularly well known to an Australian so this story was in completely unfamiliar territory when it ventured into matters of race discrimination. This did not detract from the story as the authors managed not to alienate the reader by getting too "explanatory". It was also apparent that the authors wished to make comment on the treatment of injured veterans of the Middle East conflicts - this was achieved without hectoring and highlighted the fact that there are many victims in war that need and deserve extended care after the physical wounds are managed and healed.Plenty of action, plenty of intrigue - just right for a stinking hot day when an adventure calls!I received this book as a Members Giveaway from the author on LibraryThing.
    • 3/5
      I received this book in the "member give-away" for an honest review.You might have a different opinion of this book but this is mine and I'm sticking to it...check out my other reviews to see if your tastes match mine before you take my word for it.First let me start by saying that I never finished the book. I made it about 25% of the way through and just didn't have the interest in the story to continue.The writing style of the author was actually pretty good and the editing (while not perfect) was done quite well. So you ask why I didn't finish? I am not 100% sure (lots of percentages in here) but I just never felt connected with the story or the characters.I know it is fiction but I found myself shaking my head at some of things that happened. In a story, the events need to fit with the time/setting, etc...but I never felt that they did. Especially the way the police acted (won't say any more to avoid spoiling your read).Also, I didn't care a thing for ANY of the characters. Like I said the writing was well done. The sentences flowed and everything but the characters seemed to be "mechanical". It was like watching people being forced into molds they did fit in.Oh, and one last thing I didn't like...the mention of Antonio Banderas...really?Overall: 2.5 stars
    • 5/5
      Recently engaged private investigators, Atticus Wynn and Rosemary Sanchez, have both seen and experienced the dark and violent side of life. Nothing, though, has prepared them for the explosive murder case that they are currently working on. This is an investigation that threatens to tear their relationship apart as they struggle to solve a case that could either send them to prison or to the morgue.Atticus' manipulative ex-girlfriend Claire bursts back into their lives harboring a secret about Rosemary's family that she exploits in order to force the couple to investigate the execution-style slaying of her lover. Taking the case thrusts Rosemary and Atticus headlong into the shadowy world of human trafficking and drug smuggling, while rendering them pawns in Tijuana cartel captain Armando Villanueva's bloody bid to take over the criminal underworld.The Black Song Inside is a vivid crime thriller rife with murder and madness, threaded with moments of dark gallows humor and the heroism of two flawed and compelling protagonists who, if they can save themselves, may finally learn the nature of redemption and forgiveness.I must say that while I enjoyed reading this book, it is definitely not for the faint of heart. The plot deals with some seriously dark issues, in a gritty and realistic way. For me, some of the profanity and racial slurs used made reading the story rather difficult, although it certainly enhanced the reality of the characters. I appreciated the thread of gallows humor that was present throughout the story and give this book an A! I will certainly be on the look out for more from this author to read in the future.

    Book preview

    A Nice Jagged Edge An Atticus & Rosemary Mystery Thriller Series Short Story Prequel (A Private Investigator Mystery Crime Thriller Series, Book 2) - Carlyle Clark

    HE’S FASTER

    Copyright

    He’s Faster

    Carlyle Clark

    Cover Art by Najla Qamber of Qamber Designs

    Smashwords Edition

    Copyright 2013- Carlyle Clark

    All rights reserved.

    Smashwords Edition, License notes

    © Carlyle Clark, 2013

    Table of Contents

    He’s Faster

    Prologue

    Chapter 1

    HE’S FASTER

    WHAT DO YOU do when you can't trust your own brain? And since when did Rosemary hallucinate? Well, not exactly hallucinate. That’s when you see or hear things that aren't real. The noise she just heard had sounded real as real could be. Then again, what would a hallucinatory noise sound like other than a real sound? In this case, Rosemary’s stress frazzled brain had simply bamboozled her into thinking she’d heard the sound of a suction cup being attached to a window in the kitchen, maybe the window on the back door. Absurd. She refused to check out a yet another noise that was either the normal creak of the cabin or natural noise from the woods outside. Seriously, she was joining the army in war time, heck, double wartime, Iraq and Afghanistan both. She couldn’t be alone jumping up to check every sound. If she was going to be all chickeny-scared when there was nothing to fear, how was she going to be brave in hostile countries with the very real daily threats of suicide bombers, snipers, and ambush? The last thing she wanted to do was be an embarrassment to all the brave women in uniform, the embodiment of the chauvinistic stereotype of the weak-kneed woman.

    No. She was just stressed out and that was making her mind recreate the sounds from a movie she’d watched last week about a master cat burglar who had to be as quiet as, well, a cat. Instead of breaking a window, he’d performed a series of precise techniques that began with attaching a suction cup to glass. It wasn’t even well acted or the least bit scary. When had she become so impressionable? She was just jumpy. That’s all. Who wouldn’t be after that ridiculous fight she’d had with Mama?

    When Rosemary had mentioned that she planned to join the Army, Mama was catapulted to new heights of melodrama. Her helmet-like perm jiggling with passions, she’d grabbed her own blouse and ripped it open, sending pearly buttons skittering every which way. Why do it slowly? Mama had wailed. Just go ahead and rip out my heart.

    Now all Rosemary wanted to do was relax. She had taken this weekend to steel herself far away from the stress of family

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