This image is the cover for the book Mr. Menace

Mr. Menace

In this supernatural noir, a private detective is hired to find a woman’s missing identity, and faces a crime boss whose business is beyond deadly.

As soon as the mysterious woman walked into his office, PI Frank Orpheus knew she was trouble. She’s rich and beautiful—and she needs Orpheus to find out who she is. It’s an unusual case to say the least, but he can’t say no to those haunting eyes. Even if tracking down her missing identity leads him into a corner of the criminal underworld he never knew existed.

In no time, Orpheus finds himself entangled in a web of criminality, facing characters more dangerous than he could ever imagine. But all of them are mere puppets, controlled by a crime boss known only as Mr. Menace—a dark figure who traffics not just in drugs and booze, but—possibly—in souls.

R. Michael Burns

R. Michael Burns is an October child and Colorado native with a background in theater, creative writing, philosophy, and other dark arts. He has published short stories in the horror, science fiction, fantasy, and mystery genres, as well as the horror novel Windwalkers. After earning degrees in English and Philosophy, he taught for the better part of five years in Japan, both in public schools and in a private English conversation school. During that time, he traveled extensively around southeast Asia. Three of his Japan-based fantasy tales have appeared in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly's Best Of anthologies, and his articles on the craft of fiction have been recognized by Predators and Editors and are taught in several college creative writing courses. He currently resides in Florida where he teaches English and coaches his school's speech and debate team.

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