GarethLewis writer

Once We Were Stardust by Gareth Lewis

Who printed the gun isn’t an interesting mystery. Whether they also printed the assassin, however... The technology to print any resource saved the future. Their material needs met, jobs are optional, and life is peaceful. Until that peace is threatened by a series of shootings in a city where guns are illegal – by a killer who might have recycled themselves afterwards. To detective, Ceri, they offer more mystery than most crimes – and excuse her lack of diplomacy with idiots. Distraction from the mundanity of life is less attractive as the danger grows, and by the time she realises the victims were killed because of what they might know, Ceri knows too much. Can she outwit the assassin on her tail, and uncover a secret at the heart of printer technology?

Hotel Murder by Gareth Lewis

A group of strangers win invites to a hotel on a remote island paradise, most of them unaware they’re entertainment for a serial killer reality show live-streamed on the dark web. Judith hoped a holiday with her husband and son would be good for them. But surviving might be as much about facing the truth of their life as it is avoiding killers. Social media influencer, Caty, hoped for content, not a grudge from a former colleague that lands her on an island hell without wi-fi. Also with killers, but at least if there was wi-fi she’d get content out of it. If it’s real, and not a hoax. Isolated from the outside world and unsure who to trust, the vacation becomes a fight for survival, with no guarantee of salvation at the end of it.

The Ghost Gun by Gareth Lewis

SPSFC 2024

The Ghost Gun kills what it hits, its ghost bullets ensnaring the victim’s soul to their killer. Except nothing is that simple. Certainly not an apparently simple theft that leads detectives into a war between secret societies over artifacts which have been around for millennia, their origin unknown, their abilities inexplicable. Demoted to Vice due to departmental politics, Detective Cassie Kinsala sees an opportunity to restore her career path. But what looks like it might offer a decent arrest soon turns into a quagmire the law might not cover, and might not protect her from. Jimmy Bancroft used to be a cop. Working for the other side lets him avoid paperwork. Investigating rumours of a competitor moving in on his employer’s interests, he becomes entangled in a war between criminals and a secret society. And someone might be trying to set him up.

The Book of a Thousand and One Destinies by Gareth Lewis

SFINCS

A paranoid Sultan, an Assassin found only in stories, and a Storyteller caught up in their battle. Once upon a time, a great Sultan was plagued by an Assassin who struck at him with stories and lies. A young Storyteller is gathered with her colleagues, and forced to share her stories with the Sultan before their voices are stilled forever. In a war of destinies, enslaved jinn, and comparative truths, the Storyteller must tread dangerous ground in what may be her final recital. A fantasy novella.

Grey Enigmas by Gareth Lewis

SPSFC 2022 SPSFC 2023

Alex is a detective in a world that considers them unnecessary. When everyone is a telepath, with their own inner policeman, crimes cannot escape notice. So a murder with no obvious culprit leaves the authorities at a loss. Woken from a virtual sentence, still unrepentantly anti-social, Alex is given the opportunity to finally investigate a mystery. One which puts him in danger, and leads to mysteries of a more personal nature. Exactly how long has he been asleep? And is this really the first mystery he's been awakened to investigate?

Grey Engines by Gareth Lewis

SPSFC

Alex is a detective in a world that considers them unnecessary. When everyone is a telepath, with their own inner policeman, crimes cannot escape notice. So a murder with no obvious culprit leaves the authorities at a loss. Woken from a virtual sentence, still unrepentantly anti-social, Alex is given the opportunity to finally investigate a mystery. One which puts him in danger, and leads to mysteries of a more personal nature. Exactly how long has he been asleep? And is this really the first mystery he's been awakened to investigate? A 39000 word novella.

Street of Lost Gods (Tales of the Thief-City, #1) by Gareth Lewis

SPFBO6

Rax Darkthorn was the greatest Knowhound in Nexi, the thief-city, and one of the few to ever escape it. When a friend dies, he returns to learn what can kill a god, even one reduced to selling miracles on the Street of Lost Gods. A 7000 word fantasy short story.