Nell: Marshal of Bodie
Finalist for Killer Nashville’s 2022 Claymore Award for Best Historical!
In the winter of 1892, the gold-mining town of Bodie, California is in decline. Nell Doherty, an 18-year-old young woman with a wooden leg, dreams of leaving and becoming a Pinkerton detective. A tragic shooting presents her with an opportunity to prove she has the skills needed to work for the Pinkertons. Over the objections of most of the town’s residents, Bodie’s justice of the peace deputizes Nell. With the help of Rags, her half-Irish, half-Chinese best friend, Nell investigates the shooting. As they unearth the details of the mystery, Nell and Rags become the targets of ruthless desperadoes who won’t let anyone get between them and a fortune.
“John Mullen has a Western-mystery winner in Nell: Marshal of Bodie. Nell is an intrepid, determined protagonist who allows nothing to stand in the way of her dream to become a Pinkerton agent—not murder, mayhem, or missing gold. Mullen portrays the late 19th-century gold-rush town of Bodie, California, with a nuanced and enthusiastic eye, while weaving a twisty mystery replete with suspects and red herrings. Readers who love mysteries featuring strong female characters set in the iconic West will find much to enjoy in Nell: Marshal of Bodie.”
—Ann Parker, author, award-winning Silver Rush mystery series
“I loved this book. A real gem. Wonderful voice, wonderful prose. A strong female protagonist who easily carries the story. The three-dimensional characters so well drawn they could walk off the page and have a cup of coffee with you.”
—David Putnam, bestselling author of the Bruno Johnson series
“Nell: Marshal of Bodie is an engaging and rollicking tale with a plucky heroine.”
—Anne Louise Bannon, author of the Old Los Angeles mysteries
Winner – San Diego Book Award!
John Edward Mullen’s debut novel, Digital Dick, was released July 1st, 2015.
“In Digital Dick, John Mullen has created one of the most unique sleuths in the mystery world. Suspenseful, funny, and heartwarming, Digital Dick is a winner! Read it and your Satisfaction Index will rise at least 100 points!” — Matt Coyle, author of the Anthony Award winning Rick Cahill crime novels
As a computer with a human personality, Dick Young struggles to understand people. Some would deny personhood to Dick, others who fear him would take him apart chip by chip.
After he witnesses a bloody murder, Dick offers to assist the San Diego Police Department catch the killer. But when the search for the murderer turns up a second body, Dick’s Satisfaction Index plummets. He breaks company with the police and begins investigating the case on his own. As he follows the clues, Dick learns more and more about humans: how they live, how they love and how they murder. He will need that knowledge to overcome the killer who threatens to destroy Dick and everyone that Dick holds dear.
ORDER THE BOOK:
iBooks Barnes & Noble Kobo Smashwords
MORE PRAISE FOR DIGITAL DICK
“Digital Dick is a terrifically funny take on how a computer might view our world. With precise analysis and observation, the ability to compute probabilities and scenarios in nanoseconds, and a Satisfaction Index that gets knocked around faster than a ping pong ball, Dick solves crimes with blazing speed—but also learns that even a computer can have a heart.” — Terry Ambrose, author of the McKenna Mysteries and the License to Lie thriller series
“Talented writer John Mullen gifts readers with Digital Dick, a compelling, emotionally engaging, and beautifully crafted debut novel. I eagerly await his next offering!” — Laura Taylor, 6-Time Romantic Times Award Winner
“When I read on the cover that I would be following the investigations of a computer-person, I was not sure, being used to Data of Star Trek who was so nearly human, that I wanted to do that. Luckily, I flipped the book open and read the first paragraph – and I was hooked. There is a delightful element of humor in both style and subject matter which makes it fun, and it is also an exciting murder mystery….In addition to taking the prize for originality, this book is a great piece of story-telling and a good read. I highly recommend it.” — Lois Wells Santalo, Midwest Book Review, July 2015