Monsters & Mayhem #3 — Dan Decker

THIS VOLUME FEATURES FOUR SHORT STORIES AND ONE FULL NOVEL!Enemy in the ShadowsThe fate of many rests on Jorad Rahid's shoulders as he arrives in Rarbon to make his claim, something he swore never to do. As he faces new enemies and old, he is thrust into a position of responsibility that brings unforeseen difficulties that threaten his life, direct reports he cannot trust, and a bureaucratic process that is likely to drive him mad if it doesn't leave him dead. As he navigates these problematic waters, he faces off with a jealous grandfather in a political battle for which he is ill-prepared.Hoping to spark a fire in the people of Rarbon, Jorad boldly asserts that the Hunwei have returned, but his words are met with disbelief and open hostility. Despite it all, Jorad prepares for the Hunwei invasion of Rarbon while fighting unseen enemies from the shadows that will kill him if given a chance.Jorad is pitted against his grandfather, his own men, and unseen foes as he struggles to either bring down his enemies or recruit their help in this tale of epic fantasy and science fiction. This action-packed story is the third volume in the War of the Fathers series.The MuggerCriminal defense attorney Mitch Turner has just left the courthouse after a long day when he hears a commotion coming from a nearby alley. He follows it and sees a woman getting mugged. He immediately heads down the alley to see what he can do to defuse the situation. The woman is cooperating, giving everything to the mugger except for her wedding ring. The thief is unsatisfied and demands the ring while escalating his threats.Just when Mitch Turner is about to make a move, the situation changes completely and he is back to square one. If you like legal thrillers, the short story is for you. Mitch Turner is a fast-talking lawyer who looks at the world differently than most and takes risks where others might not. Fans of John Grisham and Scott Turrow will enjoy this story.Red Survivor: The Assassin in the HoldThe tension between Captain John Marchant and First Office Nick Williams is palpable while they are performing a routine check of the ship's hold. They suddenly find a hidden man. Before they can say anything, the man tries to kill Nick. They recognize the man as a Karchuck, an elite assassin trained from youth, before he disappears into the hold of the ship. Nick chases after the assassin, his mind full of questions about the man's presence on the Red Survivor while he struggles to bring in the man alive to get those questions answered.Red Survivor: The McClellan ColonyThe Red Survivor has responded to an emergency alert from the McClellan colony on Neptune 4. When they show up, nobody responds to their messages and Captain Marchant orders Commander Nick Williams to take a team down to investigate. Almost as soon as they arrive, things go wrong. Nick almost gets killed by a large rodent and then later at the door of somebody's home who refuses to come out. When they finally find a survivor of the McClellan colony, the man is crazy and cannot answer any questions. Nick and his team must expand their minds to understand the situation and the strange alien race they are dealing with.ExitHank is in the prison yard when the horizon suddenly turns into a pyrotechnic display of fire and brimstone. The guards force the prisoners back inside, but not before Hank sees the prison walls crumble. He is about to escape when a guard stops him. In this short story of alien invasion, mayhem, destruction, Hank must walk the line between his moral boundaries and the future, facing his own internal demons as well as enemies on all sides. Fans of action-packed science fiction alien invasion adventures will enjoy this story. Pick up your copy today!