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Squalor (Part 2)

Aaron had taken to the city centre living as well as he had envisioned. He had always liked the city life and still wanted the hustle and bustle despite now being a quadriplegic. There was nothing he liked more than whizzing up and down the busy streets in his wheelchair. Just looking at all the different people and the goings on.

The only thing that saddened him were the homeless people he would see. It shamed the great people of Dublin that people lived in such destitution. But most people of the city were living good lives filled with cappuccinos and vegan sausage rolls.

Aaron was on his way back to his apartment block when he noticed something that he found concerning. It had been a sweltering day but it was now somewhat cooler in the evening. There was a man dressed in rags that seemed to be bothering a homeless woman. One that he had seen regularly about the place. He anxiously looked around the street to see if there was someone else to intervene but the once crowded street was now far more deserted.

He felt compelled to act. He turned the cursor of his controller and headed towards them.

“Hey leave her alone!” Aaron shouted.

The man looked visibly stunned.

“Mind yer business, this has nothing to do with you,” he replied angrily. The woman was now visibly upset with tears streaming down over her red cheeks.

“Leave her alone or I’ll ram you!”

There was a sound of people approaching in the distance now.

“Oh, fuck the lot of yez.” With that he quickly walked away much to Aaron’s relief. Any ramming would probably have injured him more than the other guy.

“You okay?

“Yes, am fine. Thanks for that.”

For a few moments, a silence descended between them.

“Will you be okay? He won’t come back tormenting you?”

“No, I’ll go to a safe spot. I’ll be fine.”

With that she got up and quickly walked away.

Squalor (Romance)- Part 1

Meredith sat quietly near the entrance to a shopping centre on a busy pedestrian street in the heart of Dublin. Most shoppers wouldn’t even notice that she was there. Occasionally, one would stop and hand her some change. Rarely, would a word be said between them. Not that she wanted to talk. Her worst fear was that someone, even a remote acquaintance might vaguely recognize her from her old life. The shame of being seen living like this. Her once beautiful jet black hair was now frazzled and dirty, her jumper and jeans, old and ripped. Once her life had seemed so full of potential, she had never envisioned that she would end up living like this, especially at twenty-five years of age. That is what brought her all this way from county of Cork.

This was her favorite spot during the day. An excellent view and a small bit of shelter. Later, she would find somewhere more secluded for the night perhaps in the doorway of an apartment block or in an abandoned building. Somewhere relatively safe, compared to the homeless shelters where she would be hassled for sex and face the temptation of drugs. She was clean over two months now and that was something she was quietly proud of. But the pull of heroin was never far from her thoughts.

It was a warm summers day, which Meredith preferred to the cold but it brought its own problems. The scorching heat of the ground and the intense glare of the sun. The smell of burgers from the McDonald’s restaurant down the street tormented her. It would be a few hours till the soup kitchen opened, she would just have to wait.

She spent a few minutes just watching the various people go op and down the street. They all seemed happy or at least content in their lives. There was a group of girls giggling, two men holding hands in a romantic embrace and a a group of african men among the milieu. Then she spotted a man in a wheelchair buzzing past on the opposite side of the street. She had seen him several times over the last few weeks. He was around her age, always immaculately dressed in a suit. and always in an apparent rush to his destination.

She thought of asking him where he was in a rush to but he wouldn’t want someone like her talking to him. The smell alone would make him run a mile, if he could run that is. Oh, how she would love to have someone in her life, even just for a chat but who would want her?

Review of “Death of the Planet of the Apes” by Andrew E.C. Gaska

Okay people, I know that most people are not quite as interested in the “Planet of the Apes” universe as I would be so if you didn’t like to the films you are not going to like this. However, if you did like, would you like this novel?

First off, this novel is only partially original. It does cover what happened to Taylor in between two of the films and that is the new part, along with extra stories from the apes. But quite a lot of it is reading what you already know from the films. This makes the first one hundred pages quite laborious to read. There is also the fact that the world will be destroyed at the end, somewhat of a downer to say the least. It’s hard to care about what happens to the apes when you know it’s all pretty pointless as they are all about to die apart from Zira and Cornelius. This is covered in one of the films.

It does clarify that the earth destroying bomb was made when mankind was in the ascendancy and that even the mutant humans didn’t realize they were destroying the planet. As this is fantasy, one must suspend disbelief. The fact that the creation of such a bomb is improbable and who would really build it? Even during the Cold War, there came an upper size limit to the bombs as they became too heavy to transport and so large that they endangered the planes that dropped them.

Also it’s still not explained how humans ended up with faster than light travel during the sixties on the one hand while still celebrating the moon landing on the other.

But, the novel does have many good points. It expands the ape civilization and intriguingly reveals that the upper echelons of ape society knew that humans originally had the upper hand and had a penchant for self destruction. It now makes more sense that they were intent on killing them rather than enslaving them.

I’m still not sure where the White Ones came from though!

Overall, I’d give this novel 3 stars out of five.

Going to start reading my next novel “Of mice and men” later today. It’s nowhere near as long as this behemoth, so my next review should be in a week or so.

Have a few short stories in my mind now too.

Hope all my readers are keeping safe and well.

Review of “The Tomorrow War”

What a beautiful day it is today. Maybe it’s just the fact that I am on my holidays and yes, it does feel good. So, what better way to start them than to watch a film. And if it is to be a film then something with lots of death to keep me in my cheery mood. “The Tomorrow War” was the perfect film for the perfect morning.

The premise is that there is an alien invasion. Always good. Who doesn’t like to see mangled bodies and cities in ruins? It’s a little bit different here in that the invasion occurs thirty years from now and people are being recruited in more or less the present day to go fight in it. It does its best to clear up some paradoxes. You can only go if you have since died, for instance.

In between the action and gore, there is also the heart warming story of the love of a father for his daughter. It’s okay though, it just about avoids getting to the sick bucket stage where your finger is itching to change the channel.

The aliens are never given their opportunity to explain their side of things. They just like to eat and reproduce, doesn’t sound too bad to me either.

The film ends on a positive note, which I suppose is good. Maybe it’s all the horrors I’m watching but an ending where everybody dies is generally more satisfying. Apparently, that is a bit “disturbing” according to my Mum.

This film gets four stars out of five on the markometer.

The film is available only on Amazon Prime. That makes it even better, like I was specially chosen to watch it.

Another film to watch is “The Ice Road” starring Liam Neeson. If you like “Ice Road Truckers” you’ll love this. After a mine explosion, the only hope hope for trapped miners is heavy equipment that must be driven on a “Ice Road” or a river that has frozen over. I found the characters likeable and it proved more action packed than I had at first anticipated.

Four stars out of five once again.

A Most Unusual Murder – Part V

Nobody saw the early morning raid coming, least of all Thomas Ahern. He looked ahead into vacant space dumbfounded as a Garda informed him of his rights. Detective O’Callaghan had made a special effort to get up during the night, to be there in the early morning. He always like to saver the moment of justice.

It had all boiled down to money. Well. cryptocurrencies in this instance. McMahon’s bank statements showed him what he needed to know. As O’Callaghan watched the youngest Ahern being put in the squad car, he wondered what had driven someone with so much ahead of him to such a heinous act.

Then a tall, heavy set man approached O’Callaghan. He had an appearance of another Ahern and it didn’t taken him long to identify himself as Brian Ahern.

“What did he do now?”

“The murder of Ray McMahon.”

“Ah no Tom, why?”

That was a question O’Callaghan also wanted answered and he got his opportunity later that day to ask it. It was in the interrogation room of the local Garda Station. It was a plain room with blue walls and a table at its centre. To O’Callaghan it was just perfect. He could look the killer straight in the eye.

“We have everything we need Thomas, you are going down. What happened? You are a smart guy, you must have known you had left a trail behind you. Why?”

The pretty lawyer gestured for him not to respond but he ignored her and began to speak through his sobbing .

“It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Marks’s party, that’s where it all started. I was drunk, we all were. I started talking about how easy it was to make money with cryptos. A few days later, Ray rang out of the blue, said he wanted to invest. That he didn’t want to have to work for that Mark fucker till the end of his days. At first, I said no but he insisted.

We were making good profits and he kept on getting in deeper and deeper. Then a few months ago, the coin I had invested everything in collapsed. He couldn’t understand, he threatened to go to the cops or worse kill me. I panicked and went for the only solution I could think of. I knew when he would be out of the house, all I had to do was ask Mark some questions about which was scheduled to be with him. Then, I sneaked into his house while he was on duty and put some arsenic in his breakfast cereal.”

O’Callaghan had heard enough and rolled out of the room. The local cops could finish this off. He had other work to catch up on and other victims that deserved justice.

A most Unusual Murder Part IV

O’Callaghan was in his office and looking at the bank statements with glee. Finally, there was something that he could sink his teeth into. There were large monthly payments going into the victim’s account from overseas up until recently. It was the kind of wealth O’Callaghan could only dream of. However, it seemed to be draining from his account just as fast, like he was a conduit. Then, he salivated at the thought of a major bust of a drug or sex trafficking ring.

He rang Mel Linn and asked for an update in his office.

“No enemies, sir”

Nothing could hide her shock when he showed her the statements.

“Come on, Mel Linn. No enemies. This McMahon was in the army for years. He was a trained killer. The people of Mullingar are taking you for a ride. You need to dig deeper! We’ll have more information about the originator account within a few hours”

With that, she left his office slamming the door behind her. He knew what he was doing. She was too content, gone too soft. Ever since she met lover boy, O’Callaghan wanted the tigress back.

(Some time later)

Mel Linn was just about to head home after what had been another exhausting day when she heard the buzzing sound of her mobile phone. It was O’Callaghan. The last person she’d want to hear from at this hour but she knew it would be important.

There were no niceties.

“Thomas Ahern, who is he? Anything to do with that fella in the chair?”

She immediately recognized the name and took out her blank notebook.

“It’s his youngest brother. “What’s this got to do with him, Sir?”

The response was swift.

“Everything.”

A most Unusual Murder Part III

O’Callaghan tossed and turned in his bed unable to sleep. He always had the odd night like this since his paralysis. He just wasn’t able to get comfortable. He tried to console himself by at least recognizing the extra time it gave him to think.

And there was so much to think about as he lay in his bed staring at the ceiling. On his return to Dublin, he put Mel Linn, one of his best detectives on the case. She was to find out who killed Ray McMahon and why? Of course, he told her of his concerns, that perhaps the Ahern fella had something to do with it. He just wasn’t giving off a good vibe.

Mel Linn had looked at him with incredulity. You think that the guy in the wheelchair bumped off his PA so that he could get a prettier one?

Nevertheless, she got straight on to it with her usual zeal. It only took a few days before she provided her first written update. O’Callaghan had read it a few hours earlier. Mr. Ahern’s new assistant was called Janina. The Centre for Independent Living, her new employers were of great assistance to Mel Linn. Janina is twenty-five years old and from Lithuania. She moved to Ireland just over six months ago. No prior experience in the area but was able to step in when Mr. Ahern had recruitment problems after the murder. She has no criminal record.

“I think you’ve got this one wrong,” Mel Linn had said matter of fact as she handed him the report, “I spoke to her. She didn’t even know Mr. Ahern before the murder and quite frankly, seemed quite amused by the line of questioning. Sir, just because you think she is beautiful doesn’t necessarily mean anything untoward is going on.”

O’Callaghan had perhaps been mistaken. Now everybody who knew this Ray McMahon was to be questioned. What darkness was there in his life?

The next day O’Callaghan would take a different tact. He was in the process of getting permission of the court to view the bank records of the victim. Perhaps, that would throw up something.

Review of “The Englishman” by David Gilman

Hello readers, been some time since I last did a review. Been a busy bee lately. Fortunately, I finished reading this during the week. It is a fast paced unrelenting action thriller, that quite simply never stops. The first few chapters can be somewhat confusing but stick with it.

It brings you from a clandestine war in the depths of Africa to a kidnapping in London and taking on the Russian Mafia (a fearsome and loathsome lot). The main character Raglan is a man of steely determination, of good character and intelligence from The French Foreign Legion. It is a world of lies and deceit, but also of loyalty and honour. He is the Englishman by which the novel gets its name.

Raglans quest for answers ultimately becomes a quest for revenge that brings you to the hell that is a Siberian prison. It comes across as utterly beautiful, but truly terrifying as he finds himself surrounded by monsters in freezing conditions.

The action scenes are exquisitely described, no detail is too small whether its the intricacies of hand to hand combat to what kind of gun is being used. The violence and the scenes of torture are vivid. At its best, you feel right in the heart of the action. It’s a long read though, going from one scene to the next and the character development is sparse. I was never particularly worried that a character may die. The only other notable character is a Moscow agent The sex scenes are good but there is little else from her. This is perhaps where the novel could have been improved.

This novel gets four stars out of five for me. If you like the darker James Bonds films, you’ll probably love this. Actually, it would make a great film. However, if violence and torture is not your thing, then this might not be for you.

A most unusual murder – Part II

O’Callaghan pulled up outside the house of Mr. Ahern, a three bedroom semi detached in a surprisingly quiet cul-de-sac close to the centre of town. There was ample parking space at the front of the house, which made it that much easier for him to transfer from his car to his manual wheelchair.

Then he knocked on the front door. It slowly opened to the sound of an overhead motor. Mr. Ahern was in the hallway in front of him sitting in an electric wheelchair.

“Detective O Callaghan? I wasn’t expecting another person in a wheelchair. You can call me Mark. We should have enough room in the kitchen here behind me.”

O’Callaghan followed him into the kitchen. The internal doors could be pushed open in either direction. The kitchen was quite small but it provided a panoramic view of a long garden.

O’Callaghan decided to start off with some small talk before gradually upping the ante.

“Nice place you have here for yourself. Is it yours?”

“Yes, it is. Living here for over ten years now. It wasn’t as accessible when I first purchased it, it took quite a bit of work. Do you want to make yourself a cup of tea?”

“No, I’m fine thanks. Awful thing to happen to your PA, I think they call it?”

“It’s shocking and he was such a nice guy. He worked for me each morning. Always showed up on time, would do anything asked of him. A true gent. He’ll be missed.”

O’Callaghan listened and watched carefully. There was indeed sadness in the voice he heard, but not the emotional toil of someone convulsed in grief.

“Did he have any enemies, this Ray McMahon? He was in the Army, did he talk about it often?”

“No, I can’t imagine him having any real enemies. He was a kind soul. Do you think it was someone from his past?”

“Nothing can be ruled out at this point. Look thanks for your time.”

With that, O’Callaghan left. He still wasn’t quite sure what to make of the Ahern fella. Was he a wolf in sheep’s clothing? There was something else strange. A smell of perfume. Somebody else had been in the house a few minutes beforehand.

Instead of heading straight back, he pulled up at the end of the street.

“So that’s why the fucker isn’t overly upset.”

A tall, busty long legged woman with short black hair walked into the Ahern residence.

O’Callaghan had his first sniff of a suspect.

A Most Unusual Murder – Part 1

Detective O’Callaghan sipped from his whiskey in what he once affectionately termed his “home office.” Now, it seemed more like incarceration. For the previous few nights, he had been studying the different documentation from “The Happyface Killings.” It was proving as difficult as ever to make sense of, and the pressure was building, His behavioural unit needed to be able to show results to justify its existence and this was the biggest case since “The Irish Ripper”. But it appeared that a concrete wall had been reached.

Therefore, he had decided that tonight he would look through some of the other cases that had been referred from across the country over the last few weeks and that he had cleverly left strewn across his desk. The first was a rape case and then a murder over drugs. Neither were the types of cases that he felt his and his department could make a discernible difference in.

Then, he read a file that piqued his interest, it was about a suspicious death in the town of Mullingar. Whatever, it was about that town and its cesspool of criminality O’Callaghan would never understand. It was a man who was in his fifties, who died a few hours after returning from work as a Personal Assistant to a man with disabilities. He had been poisoned and died an agonizing death.

The local Gardai were struggling to find a suspect and were still unsure what poison had even been used. It sounded like something O’Callaghan could dig his teeth into, and just as importantly give the Department some good publicity. There was something odd about it though. He wrote down some of the key details about the case and put them in his shirt pocket. He turned off the lamp and rolled his wheelchair towards what would be an empty bed.

O’Callaghan woke up late. There was still no sign of his wife. They were after having a furious row the week before, but he knew that she would be back at some point. Then he would try to make amends. He took out the notes from the night before and rang the telephone number of the last person to see the victim alive.

It took some time for the phone to answering .

“Hello this is Detective O’Callaghan from the Behavioral Section. I’m looking to speak to a Mr. Ahern.”

“Sorry, from where er.”

The sound was distant as if he was speaking on a loudspeaker. Then O’Callaghan remembered that he was speaking to someone with a disability, perhaps they couldn’t hold up the phone. He repeated what he had said previously.

“Yeah, sorry this is Mr. Ahern. This must be about what happened to Ray. It’s terrible. But, I’ve said everything I know.”

“Are you at home today, I won’t be long I promise?”

With that, O’Callaghan had booked himself a meeting. Mullingar was an hour away, there was no time to waste. He just had a quick call to make to the office that he wouldn’t be in for the rest of the day.