Monday, August 13, 2018

Harriet Walsh Omnibus One by Simon Haynes

Release date: August 5, 2018
Subgenre: Science Fiction Mystery, Space Opera

About Harriet Walsh Omnibus One:

 

For the first time, get all three Harriet Walsh novels in one volume!

All the Harriet Walsh novels are set in the distant future, where the galaxy has been colonised and human-like robots are commonplace. They're good clean fun, written with wry humor.

PEACE FORCE


Would you work for a deranged robot? Harriet Walsh does!
Harriet's weapon won't fire without the right paperwork, the patrol car is driving her up the wall, and her crime-fighting computer doesn't even have solitaire. Welcome to the Peace Force!

ALPHA MINOR


The Peace Force has a new recruit, and she's driving everyone crazy.

From disobeying orders to handling unauthorised cases, nothing is off-limits. Worse, Harriet Walsh is forced to team up with the newbie, because the recruit's shady past has just caught up with her. Meanwhile, a dignitary wants to complain about rogue officers working out of the station. She insists on meeting the station's commanding officer ... and they don't have one.

All up, it's another typical day in the Peace Force!

SIERRA BRAVO


Planet Dismolle is supposed to be a peaceful haven. So what's with all the gunfire?

A criminal gang has moved into Chirless, Dismolle's second major city. Elderly residents are fed up with the loud music, noisy cars and late night parties, not to mention hold-ups, muggings and the occasional gunfight. Chirless has no Peace Force, so Harriet Walsh of the Dismolle City branch has to help out. That puts her up against a gang of hardened criminals with only her training pistol and a few old allies to lend a hand.

And these allies aren't just old, they're positively ancient!

 

Excerpt:

 

They took the lift to the roof, where they emerged into the afternoon sunshine. The deep space fighter was sitting on its landing pad, towering over them like a sleek, grey-painted shark. Alice ran ahead to the ship, where she opened a hatch in the belly and pulled down the access ladder.
"Oh great," puffed Birch. "Just what I needed, more exercise."
"Are you sure you want to come?" asked Harriet. "Alice and I can handle this."
"What, miss out on my first Peace Force case for twenty years?" Birch grinned at her. "Just try and stop me." Even so, he looked apprehensive as they walked into the deep shadows under the ship.
Harriet waited for him to climb the ladder, then followed. They emerged in a small airlock filled with lockers and storage cupboards, and they followed Alice up a set of stairs to the cockpit, where she took the pilot's chair while Harriet and Birch settled in the two passenger seats at the rear.
"Is she all right flying this thing?" murmured Birch, as he did up his harness.
Harriet shrugged. "She's been flying all over the city recently, and Rover's smart enough not to hit anything."
"Oh, so that's the noise that's been keeping me awake at nights. I thought it was thunder."
"If she could afford the fuel she'd be buzzing cities on other planets."
"In that case, I'll organise a whip-around. It'd be worth if for a good night's sleep."
"I can hear you both, you know," Alice called from the pilot's seat. "Now strap in, we're ready to go. And Harriet, if you don't start calling this ship Arnie, you're not coming aboard ever again."
Alice flicked the starters and the engines burst into life with a shattering roar. Harriet eyed Birch's harness. "I'd pull that a bit tighter if I were you."
"Really?"
"Oh yes. Really."
He was still complying when the ship launched itself into the air, leaving the Peace Force building - and their stomachs - far below.
"Take it easy Alice!" called Harriet.
"I'm not flying. It's Arnie."
"I thought my name was Rover?" said the ship's computer, in an even male tone.
"Yeah, not any more," said Alice. "Arnie is way cooler."
"User dictionary updated."
"Can you take us to the Dismolle spaceport? We need fuel."
"So do I," said the ship, and Harriet clung to her seat as they turned sharply and tore across the city. The engines bellowed like a pair of angry dragons, and she cringed as she imagined the noise complaints Bernie would be fielding.
"Can't we fly any higher?" she shouted.
"Negative," said Arnie calmly. "Climbing wastes fuel, and there is none to spare."
"Do we have enough to get there?"
"Checking now."
"What do you mean, checking now? Why didn't you check before?"
"I didn't know our destination prior to lift-off."
Harriet closed her eyes. Some mission this would turn out to be, if they ended up sitting in a field waiting for a fuel truck. Then, before she could say anything, Alice spoke into a mic.
"This is your captain speaking," she said, her voice loud through the cabin speakers. "After our fuel stop at the Dismolle spaceport we'll be heading directly for Chirless. Estimated time of arrival is ..." Alice checked a display. "... about ten minutes."
"That can't be right," said Harriet. "Last time I took a sub-orbital flight to Chirless it was forty minutes, at least."
"Who said anything about sub-orbital?" Alice grinned over her shoulder. "We're going to skim the ground at full power."
Harriet just hoped they avoided any settlements between Dismolle and Chirless, because full power in this particular ship was enough to tear the surface off the landscape and leave giant furrows in its wake. Some company was apparently planning to build an underground transport loop between the two cities. Well, if they waited a bit, they could just follow in Arnie's brand new tracks, adding a roof. They'd have their tunnel finished in no time.

 

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About Simon Haynes:

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock series, the Hal Junior series, and the upcoming Harriet Walsh series, as well as several dozen short stories. He is also the programmer and designer behind Spacejock Software, and is responsible for popular programs like yWriter and yBook.

 

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