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MFOB

ABSENT THE SOUL

This is BJ Bourg's first published book. It is an anthology containing twelve of his short mysteries. Published by ePress-Online and edited by Herbert Holeman, Ph.D., Sharon L. Connors, and Marlicia Fernandez, ABSENT THE SOUL is now available for purchase through ePress-Online, Lulu, and Fictionwise. Cover art by Cathy Bourg. Back cover photo by Larry Weidel. (Click on image of book to view back cover.)

DESCRIPTION: A body ABSENT THE SOUL is dead, but does it mean that if a person is alive, he or she automatically possesses a soul?

Between the covers of this collection of short mysteries, you'll find both, the living and the dead, who are ABSENT THE SOUL. You'll see the murder victims after the souls have been wrenched from their bodies. You'll step into the lives of the realistic detectives and everyday citizens who are tasked with bringing the killers to justice. You'll grow to love these characters and root for them as they sift through lies, suspects, and clues in their quest for the truth. Finally, you'll meet the killers themselves. You'll learn why they crossed over to the dark side and committed the ultimate crime of violence. If you like mystery and suspense, you'll like what you find in this collection. After reading it, you'll be happy that you are not ABSENT THE SOUL.

Click here to preview ABSENT THE SOUL.

Click here to purchase ABSENT THE SOUL now.

Click here to read Parker Owens' interview with the author.     

ABSENT THE SOUL contains the following short stories:

MUDDY WATERS

EXCERPT:

"Looks like she's smiling." Detective Rick Patterson snapped another picture. 

"Have a heart," I said, "she's somebody's daughter." I jumped from the boat and sank to my knees in the marsh. Muddy water seeped into my shoes and a swarm of mosquitoes rose up from the marsh grass to greet me. I fought my way through the slush to where the grass grew in thicker clumps and followed them until I reached the edge of the gully where Rick stood. Sweat poured off me from the heat of the August sun. I was no stranger to the Southern Louisiana heat, but it was an unusually hot summer. It felt as though Hell's doors had been opened.

PICTURE PERFECT MURDER

EXCERPT:

I tried to get comfortable with that statement before I spoke. “What exactly do you mean?”

“I think she saw what was happening from her bedroom window—”

“And she photographed it?”

“Yes, sir.”

MY DAUGHTER'S KEEPER   

EXCERPT:

"Ransom!"  April called from the bathroom.

We’d been married for over four years and I knew her like the scars on my back.  "Got it!"  I snatched up her terrycloth robe from the bedroom and sauntered into the bathroom.

"Thanks," she said.  "I keep forgetting."

I held the robe hostage and let my eyes rove up and down her cloud-white frame. Her long, midnight-black hair dangled over her shoulders, dripping water onto her plump breasts.  "Nice!"

A COLD MURDER

EXCERPT:

Jeffery swallowed hard. He knew the night air was blowing against his face, but he couldn’t feel the biting cold that was there a second ago. His eyelids were heavy. They started to slide shut and he fought to keep them open. He stared into the light. Why couldn’t he feel his stomach? Shouldn’t there be pain? The headlights flickered....

A DEADLY PHONE CALL

EXCERPT:

When the smell of fresh dirt reached him, Daniel had to pinch his nose to keep from sneezing. He pulled the front of his shirt over his nose and mouth and lay on the earth’s floor beside Liam, trying to ignore the bloodsuckers that swarmed over his bare back like a pack of ravenous vampires. How they found him that fast was anybody’s guess....

A BADGE LIKE MINE

EXCERPT:

“It’s gone,” Johnny said when he finally came back to the phone. “The box is there, but the gun’s gone... and it hasn’t been signed out. What’s going on? Does this have something to do with yesterday?”

“Did he log anything else in?”

“Yeah, a spent casing and a projectile, but they were signed over to Willie in Ballistics.”

“Don’t breathe a word about this...don’t even think about it to yourself.”

A HANDFUL OF EVIDENCE

EXCERPT:

That cold December morning was no different than any other December morning in Triple Oaks. Amid the bustling, last minute Christmas shoppers, Derrick Neils picked his way across Main Street. Had he known what awaited him on the other side of the street, he wouldn't have crossed.

HELL HATH NO FURY

EXCERPT:

The pipe fell from Logan's mouth and with a voice that shook, he asked, "What is this? What the hell is going on?"

"You're getting murdered," Beverly said.

DEVIL'S SWAMP RESORT

EXCERPT:

My armpits were like garden hoses. Somebody must've blown my cover! Johnny nudged my shoulder. I tried to think, but the freshly broken ground was more than unnerving. So, I had found the burial ground, as had been expected by my superiors, but now what? Return in my next life as a map and mail myself to FBI Headquarters?

BEDROOM BATTLE

EXCERPT:

I couldn't believe he was telling me it didn't hurt. "It does hurt!" I yelled. To my horror, blood sprayed onto my dad's bare chest.

ALL IN A DAY'S PLAY

EXCERPT:

After darkness fell, the boys packed their knapsacks and slipped out the back door. When they reached the first barbed-wire fence, Devin stopped Brock. "You don't think we should ask your mom first?" 

Brock shook his head and wiped sweat from his face. "If you don't ask, the answer's never no. Let's go."

HEARTBEAT TO HELL

EXCERPT:

Susan clutched my arm. "Don't leave me."

"I'll just be a minute." I stepped out and stood by the Explorer. The night was graveyard quiet. I started across the highway. "Is everything okay?"

The woman had moved to the door of her car. "I caught a blowout."

"Would you like a ride?"

The woman looked up and down the road. She clutched her cell phone. "I'll be fine. Thank you."

"My name's Joe Everett. My wife's with me. We're on our way to the coast. If you'd like, we can take you to the next town."

The woman chewed on her lower lip. "I don't know."