Author: SJ Carpenter

Chapter Nine. I have always had an unshakeable confidence in my ability to read a deck of cards, the same way a chef can walk…

Chapter Eight. Paris was a beautiful but difficult place for a young policeman to progress. I was no Javert. I did not have his certainties,…

Let’s get the good news out there! I have survived the surgeon’s knife and been declared cancer free. There will be scans ahead to make…

Chapter Seven. I returned to the undertakers before first light. I had not slept well. There were too many questions, far too much I could…

Chapter Six. I waited behind the screen until the undertaker Baartram returned from showing out the family. He carried a brace and bit with which…

Chapter Five.  ‘She is so pretty.’ ‘Who? The brunette?’ I said. ‘Her, over there, the blonde.’ He said. ‘Well observed Mortain,’ I said. ‘You sound…

Chapter Four. My father had been a renowned illusionist, a magician of fame in Paris, accompanied by my mother, Elena Tarantelli, a trapeze artist. My…

Chapter Three.  When I arrived at the end of the street, I caught the overwhelming aroma of sardines being grilled. The scent, laid on a…

Chapter Two.  To the right as I walked out of the building was the Café du Guillaume. I took a seat on the square. It…