It's launch day for Rivalry and Steam Monsters (Heyward and Andersen, Consulting Detectives # 4). This next short story installment pits Heyward and Andersen against dark alchemists and has a few Lovecraftian Easter Eggs.

Rivalry and Steam Monsters

Dark alchemy is afoot in London!

Amidst declining business and a tarnished reputation, Heyward and Andersen eagerly welcome their new client, even if he is spinning tales of strange creatures in the Thames. Initial inquiries uncover suspicious behaviour at Markham Laboratory, a forbidding location that discourages visitors.

Additional investigation leads them into the world of alchemists, Eldritch gods, and a thrilling finale full of mayhem and magic. It’s Heyward and Andersen vs. monsters, human and otherwise, with the fate of London and the world at stake!

Set in a world of airships, mysteries, and the supernatural, Rivalry and Steam Monsters, is the fourth story in the Heyward and Andersen, Consulting Detectives series.

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Excerpt From Rivalry and Steam Monsters

Osborne paused, his hands trembling, his face ashen, and then resumed his narrative. “That’s when I saw it. Rising from the river at sunset. Metallic brass and gold, tentacles waving, reaching out to snatch me.” He lowered his head, his next words barely audible. “I’m ashamed to admit, I screamed and ran away in fear.”

His head suddenly snapped up and he leaned forward, his body shuddering. “It was the eyes, you see. Its malevolent, crimson eyes. I’d seen the like before in North Africa, during the Unhallowed Wars.”

“Oh dear,” Lars audibly gulped, earning him a reproving look from Elspeth.

Turning back to Mr. Osborne, Elspeth clucked sympathetically. “I’ve heard the horror stories of those battles. The unnatural things summoned using the Dark Arts and combined with mechanicals. A nasty business, that war.”

“Indeed.” Mr. Osborne lapsed into silence, the room solemn until an impatient Elspeth broke the sober quiet.

“Are you absolutely certain the mechanized beast in the river was akin to the monsters summoned and bound in the Unhallowed Wars?”

Mr. Osborne bristled. “I’d stake my life on it. Once you witness an atrocity of their nature, you never forget their ilk.”

“That settles it then. We shall take the case.”

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And here's the episode of the Coffee Fueled Stories Podcast where I discuss the Heyward and Andersen series (among other things).

A. F. Stewart: Mysteries, Mayhem, and Monsters

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