A boy vanishes. But not just any boy.

1899 years after the Catastrophe, Bridges is owned by the Mob. As the city's steam-driven infrastructure fails, a new faction rises: the Red Dogs.

Jacqueline Spadros is haunted by her best friend Air's death, killed as he tried to stop her sale to the Spadros crime syndicate ten years ago. Now in an unwilling marriage to the city's biggest drug lord, she secretly runs a small-time private eye business to earn enough money to escape.

Air's little brother disappears from his back porch. And now someone is following Jacqui.

Dark, gritty, psychological, multi-layered Victorian-inspired far future detective noir that keeps the reader guessing to the very end.

The Jacq of Spades is the first chapter of the Red Dog Conspiracy steampunk crime family saga.

Lovers of Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Altered Carbon, The Expanse, Bosch, or the Sherlock Holmes mysteries will enjoy this debut novel of the Red Dog Conspiracy series.

What readers say about The Jacq of Spades:

"... a world of family intrigue combined with feuding households across the four quadrants of Bridges..." June Lorraine Roberts, Murder In Common

"This was the first steampunk book that I've read that I actually really loved." Gabby's Honest Book Reviews

"For rich pageantry and a complex culture navigated by a character who feels she’s balanced on the edge between the slums of the Pot and the extravagance of the families, The Jacq of Spades is a hands-down success." Margaret Fisk, Tales To Tide You Over

"... good read for anyone who likes mystery and suspense mixed with science fiction." The Beautyful Word

The Jacq of Spades is part 1 of a 13-part serial novel:

The Jacq of Spades <- you are here

The Queen of Diamonds

The Ace of Clubs

The King of Hearts

The Ten of Spades

The Five of Diamonds

The Two of Hearts

The Three of Spades

The Knave of Hearts

The Four of Clubs (coming October 2023)

Warning: child abduction, a corrupt government, domestic violence, suicide, and murder

The Jacq of Spades was part of the first edition of the Dark Humanity science fiction and fantasy box set, which made #8 on the USA Today bestseller list for February 5, 2017, and #5 on the NY Times bestseller list for February 12, 2017.

Over 20,000 copies of The Jacq of Spades have been sold!

Scroll up, get your copy, and begin the journey.

Welcome to the Family.

Note: this story will be published in serial format on Royal Road