Kate Thornton

Captain Cookie Sullivan of the spaceship Linda Rae has a major problem. Her co-pilot, N’Doro is missing. She has booked cargo for the return trip to Toshiba Station and needs to leave right away. Not everything is listed on the manifest so speed is of the essence.

Captain Sullivan is used to checking the bars to find N’Doro on shore leave so once the ship is loaded and ready for flight she heads to the nearest bar. Lucky for her N’Doro was there. Unlucky for her he did something major show more and has been taken to the Corporation Detention Facility on the other side of town. Getting him released and back to the ship is just one of the many problems she has to deal with in the excellent short story, Happy Hour.

This is just one of several tales featuring Captain Cookie Sullivan of the spaceship Linda Rae. As she did with her short story collection Inhuman Condition author Kate Thornton blends some mystery with some adventure, adds a dash or two of humor, and brings it all together in a satisfying read that hits the mark no matter the genre. Happy Hour: A Short Story is flat out good and very much worth your time.

Happy Hour: A Short Story (An Interplanetary Voyage with Cookie Sullivan on the Linda Rae)
Kate Thornton
http://www.katethornton.net
Self-Published
July 2015
ASIN: B011J4T5W4
E-book
18 Pages
$0.99

Material picked up back in July via Amazon Associate funds to read and review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015 show less

According to the author’s forward, the editor refused to include the short story It Doesn’t Take A Genius in the short story collection Inhuman Condition because of its “graphic subject matter.” For those who read a lot of crime or non-cozy mystery stories the so called “graphic subject matter” is really not that graphic at all and certainly not at all disturbing. Interestingly enough, the tale was first published in the short story mystery and crime anthology LAndmarked For show more Murder by Top Press in 2006.

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is like every other smart place in the world. The students and the faculty are really smart and tend to look down on the support staff that keeps things humming along. Especially a certain middle aged slightly overweight woman who works in payroll and accounting. The only time anyone pays attention to “Miss Dean” is when something is amiss.

That works out well for her during a lunch break from a computer training class. Two guys from another department are also in the class and they tend to stand out. Thanks to the fact they are oblivious of everyone around them and run their mouths it becomes clear that Brian Spain and Tony Brandt have a serious dark interest in the class instructor, Jennifer Pearson. She is in trouble if they really do what are planning and she has no idea of the threat. Miss Dean does, but would anyone believe her?

This is a very good tale that features an intriguing character. There is much that lurks below the surface with Miss Dean and those details gradually become clear in It Doesn’t Take A Genius. While it easily could and should have appeared in the very good collection Inhuman Condition this short story is well worth it as a mystery stand alone.

It Doesn’t Take A Genius
Kate Thornton
http://www.katethornton.net/
Self-Published
March 2011
ASIN: B004RID1JS
E-Book
20 Pages
$0.99

I recently picked this up to read and review using funds in my Amazon Associate account after the author mentioned it on Facebook. I realized I had never read it and wanted to rectify that situation. I am glad I did.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
Reviews, Market News and More http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/ show less

Captain Cookie Sullivan does not normally take her ship, Linda Rae, to Bishop 13, one of the manmade moons of Mars. But, the well-paying contract specifies pickup at the Martian moon so she is there. In about four hours her co-pilot, N’Doro, is to be back at the ship for the twelve hour run from the Corporation moon to Toshiba Station. Once the cargo was loaded –strictly legit this time-- she will be free to stretch her legs and get a bite to eat.

She could have eaten something from the show more replicator aboard her ship. That quest for food will get her in trouble in Blue Plate Special: A Cookie Sullivan Short Story by Kate Thornton.

One of several of the Cookie Sullivan short story series this is another good one. Though is just may make you think twice about what is on your plate when eating out.

Much like author Kate Thornton’s book INHUMAN CONDITION: Tales of Mystery and Suspense as well as the short story It Doesn’t Take A Genius and her other works, a mystery is present in these science fiction tales. That was certainly the case with Happy Hour: A Short Story and is the case here with Blue Plate Special: A Cookie Sullivan Short Story. Regardless of the genre, Kate Thornton is always a good read.

According to Amazon I picked this up July 2015. I have no idea now if I got it by way of an author free read or I used funds in my Amazon Associate account to snag it to read and review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016 show less

Selected e-content from Waikato Research Common: http://goo.gl/3jocBF