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Vulnerable

A Prequel to the Red Dog Conspiracy

by Patricia Loofbourrow

In the far future domed city of Dickens, no mercy is given.

So when Eleanora Bryce finds her husband dead at his own hand, she finds herself trapped between the truth and his mountain of debt. When Eleanora refuses to speak with the constable investigating the case, he suspects her of murder.

Eleanora faces prison - or worse - unless she can find a way out of Dickens. But can she bear to return to the city which ruined her husband and murdered her son?

 

A 6,000 word short companion story to the Red Dog Conspiracy steampunk crime fiction series.

If you love sweet Regency romance or the works of Charles Dickens, you'll love Vulnerable.

 

Vulnerable takes place shortly before the events in The Jacq of Spades: Part 1 of the Red Dog Conspiracy. It can be read at any time before book 4, The King of Hearts.

 

Timeline:

Gutshot: The Catastrophe
The Alcatraz Coup
Brothers
Vulnerable <- you are here
The Jacq of Spades
The Queen of Diamonds
The Ace of Clubs
The King of Hearts
The Ten of Spades
The Five of Diamonds
The Two of Hearts
The Three of Spades
The Knave of Hearts
The Four of Clubs
The Jack of Diamonds (coming October 2024)

 

Published:
Publisher: Red Dog Press
Cover Artists:
Patricia Loofbourrow

Genres:
Sci Fi, Sci Fi - Dystopian & Post-Apocalyptic, Sci Fi - Romance, Sci Fi - Steampunk

Tags:
author - american, format - kindle, format - prequel, format - self published, format - series, format - short story <15K, potential trigger - suicide, potential trigger - traumatic past, what - topic - compassion, what - topic - crime

Tropes: Dystopian Governments
Word Count: 6000
Setting: The domed future city of Dickens, in the Merca Federal Union, Earth.
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
Tropes: Dystopian Governments
Word Count: 6000
Setting: The domed future city of Dickens, in the Merca Federal Union, Earth.
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
Excerpt:

From the Author:

Why write Vulnerable?

Vulnerable was originally written for the End of Days dystopian limited edition anthology. In it, I wanted to answer the question raised at the very beginning of The Jacq of Spades: where had Eleanora Bryce been for the past ten years - and why did she return to Bridges?

Is it a coincidence that the city Eleanora lives in is named Dickens?

No 🙂 I think Charles Dickens would have made a wonderful dystopian author were he alive today.

I just discovered the Red Dog Conspiracy series. Where do you recommend I begin?

You can read any of the prequels (including Vulnerable!) at any time, because they don't contain spoilers for the Red Dog Conspiracy series.

But if you'd like to read the Red Dog Conspiracy itself, I'd begin with The Jacq of Spades, since that's the first chapter.

About the Author

Patricia Loofbourrow, MD is a NY Times and USA Today best-selling SFF and non-fiction writer, PC gamer, ornamental food gardener, fiber artist, and wildcrafter who loves power tools, dancing, genetics and anything to do with outer space. She was born in southern California and has lived in Chicago and Tokyo. She currently lives in Oklahoma with her husband and three grown children.