Series: Elohim Trilogy #1
Publication date: September 15th, 2020
Synopsis:
At the end of the original Absolution, the Executor traveled back in Time and altered Reality. But by doing so, he set in motion a plan to end his existence and collapse Creation. Because of his actions, there is Absolution: REDUX...
In 1947, a gangster murders private investigator Raymond Adams. In 2011, he's brought back to life for 24 hours to solve the supernatural murder of a Hollywood Adult film star.
When the son of a Pit Lord is murdered in Hollywood, the celestial beings in charge of the Realms ask Raymond Adams to figure who did it and find the victim's missing soul. Without memories of his life, he accepts the case to gain eternal peace. But the job is daunting:
24 hours to nab a killer...
24 hours to find a missing soul...
24 hours to unravel the victim's exotic private life...
24 hours to stop a plot to send the universe into chaos...
With only the help of a possessed cop and a medium, Adams must trek through a Hollywood underground filled with pornography, prostitutes, and sadists, along with supernatural monsters. But can he solve the case when his own haunting memories keep surfacing, telling him exactly what kind of man he was in life?
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Excerpt
His arms were as thick as Jenn's legs and he had to be about six and a half feet tall, maybe more. On his face was a thick handlebar mustache and his eyes were tiny beads of Divine Fire or what some call Hellfire. Marr was a strange creature that made you tense all over.
I didn't like him right away.
Marr was all laughter as he brought us Martinis. The other bikers hovered behind me and Jenn as we sat down on a table Marr had selected. I pulled out the magnifying glass and looked the place over. But something wasn't right. Everything looked exactly the same.
Marr boomed with laughter. "That won't work here."
He knew, maybe about the investigation and everything else. It was better that I found out sooner than later.
"This is good," said Jenn and sipped the Martini.
"Thank you, miss," said Marr.
"What's up with your eyes?" said Jenn. She reached for one and Marr shook his head. The other bikers laughed. "That's... real fire?" She turned to me, aghast.
"It's a nice party trick," I said.
"A party trick indeed... Very good, sir..." Marr's voice was thick with glee, like he had just won the jackpot at a casino. "My clients don't often compliment the work." He looked over the five men behind us. "And it is tricky work, I assure you."
There was a sardonic sophistication to the way he spoke that made him seem out of place. But he was common with common tastes; he had a liter of beer in front of him. Where Lucifer had a sort of grandeur to him, Marr lacked it. Both were creatures of the Pit, but only one was a Lord.
I took a gulp of the Martini and put it down. It really was tasty.
"So, what got you banished and imprisoned?" I said. It seemed like the reasonable place to start.
"Cruelty," he said and chugged some beer. He slammed the glass down and drool and beer left the sides of his mouth in streams.
"How cruel do you have to be to get kicked out of the Pit?" I said and laughed.
Marr laughed too and the table vibrated. "The Pit Lords thought I should follow their rules, stick to their hierarchy," he said and had one of his bikers bring him another liter of beer. "They have us Pit Dogs torture the strongest souls in the Pit, so that those souls can torture the weaker ones, etc. But I always preyed on the weak. It's a delight of mine. What fun is it to torture someone like myself?"
"None, I imagine," I said. "But that doesn't seem reason enough for all this."
He me gave a devilish smile; his fiery eyes burned like the sun. It was a disguise meant to cover up the bitterness in his voice and the anger.
"A Pit Lord tried to discipline me, a newly Ascended dummy who wanted to assert his power. It was a mistake. He didn't know what we are capable of. You strike an angry dog, sir, and it will bite you, even if you are its master. And I did. And the other Pit Lords forced the Committee to act," said Marr. The glee returning to his face.
"Why are you so happy about it?" I said.
"So many questions... You are not here to discuss me, are you, sir?" he said.
"Doesn't hurt, Frank," I said. "Here's another one for you: Why not just throw you in the Pit if you were a bad dog?"
He laughed and this time slapped his knee. "You really are amusing! I will indulge you, sir. Do you know what dogs do best? Form packs," he said with pride. "I am an alpha Pit Dog and if they had kept me there, I would have been trouble for them. It's an honor that they had to throw me out."
"Fair enough. Tell me about Giovanni," I said. "What drew him here?"
"He saw the injustice of what I had to endure and took pity on me," said Marr. "He was a good man. And destined to become a great Pit Lord."
"Feed me a better one, Frank," I said. "Better yet, just tell me the truth."
"He was one of 'em metrosexuals!" said one of the bikers and chuckled. "Tell him how his Pappy dragged him here to help him grow some balls."
Quickly, Marr turned to the talking biker.
"You shut your goddamned mouth, Moose!" said Marr and pounded the table with such force that it cracked it.
He launched the empty beer glass at Moose and it shattered when it collided with his skull. Moose collapsed and no one went to see if he was still alive.
Louis Corsair is an eight-year veteran of the United States Army. Currently living in Los Angeles, California, he spends his time reading books, going on walks, writing, and enjoying the occasional visit to the beach--while trying to earn an honest buck. As a Los Angeles writer, he feels the weight of famous Los Angeles novelists, like Raymond Chandler, John Fante, Nina Revoyr, among others.
