Scoundrel By Trade

The Premise

EMPS is an anthology of short-to-mid-length mystery stories chronicling the investigations of an elusive and shadowy private investigator, who may or may not be undead. And murder isn't all that's on the table - we've got everything from missing jewels to arson to mysterious disappearances!

The Setting

As mentioned before, this is an urban fantasy! EMPS takes place in the fictional kingdom of Duncaster, primarily in the city of New Wessterspel, a bustling urban sprawl full of cramped apartments, shadowy alleyways, and dingy taverns. The general vibe of the setting is high fantasy, but with a strange combination of imagery and technology, pulling anywhere from the Renaissance to the Victorian era to the early 1950s.

The Characters

In addition to the same setting, this anthology is strung together by a cast of recurring characters! They include:

Of course, Mr. Monroe himself - a mysterious detective with an odd sort of charm and teeth that are just a bit too sharp. "Erasmus's eyes flicked down to Arthur's hands, then travelled up his throat to settle once more on his face. He was having an exceedingly difficult time maintaining his focus. This was often the case with handsome and skittish men."

Inspector Beaumont, Erasmus's connection within the New Wessterspel police force, which is otherwise almost entirely incompetent. "Despite his profession, which put him in all sorts of grim scenarios, Beaumont was a rather jovial man. If his grandfatherly eyes did not indicate this, his choice of accessory often would. Inspector Beaumont had a seemingly inexhaustible collection of outrageous neckties."

Erasmus's upstairs neighbor, Sybil, who assists him with intel. "Good evening, Ras: First things first, you'll find your money enclosed. I'm not taking it, and you can't make me. Ha-ha."

And quite a few more, including an enthusiastic curse specialist, a combination coroner and pathologist who is just super jazzed about Death, and a basement shoggoth!

Other Interesting Tidbits

A few more fun facts that are worth nothing:

Erasmus has the ability to taste memories through someone's blood. This usually comes in the form of cryptic flashes of imagery.

Erasmus and Sybil, due to their respective magical afflictions (one cannot be out during the day, the other cannot go out during the night), have never met face to face. As such, they almost exclusively communicate through handwritten notes passed under each other's doors. However, this has not stopped them from kindling a very close friendship. (Possibly more??)

Despite this being an urban fantasy, every crime Erasmus investigates is committed through almost exclusively mundane methods. (The fantasy elements of the setting are involved in other ways. After all, where would the fun of the mystery be if everyone just used magic for everything?) The police always jump to a magical explanation, which never ceases to annoy Erasmus.