Murder on a holiday
Looking for something to read while the turkey cooks? Why not a little murder mystery? “Sweet Death” is up at Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and it’s a little Poirot-pastiche set in a city I envisioned as “Lud-in-the-Mist post-WWI.”
The title has absolutely nothing to do with the baritone/tuba ensemble at my alma mater.
This bears (heh) the distinction of being the first story I completely composed, rewrote, and sold after Johanna was born. Astute readers will be able to tell what I was reading to her when I wrote this.
The first misconception that many people make when meeting an Ursa Davala is to assume that because they are somewhat bearish in appearance, they carry some of the same traits that we assign to bears: slow, taciturn, graceless in movement and manner. These are all false; the Davala are large and strong, but they move quickly, often pinpointing an opponent’s weak spot before the fight has begun. Few humans have the chance to correct that impression. I am very fortunate to be one.
Margaret Ronald 