Imagine waking up on the mean streets of the Dark City, forced to fend for yourself and find your crew in the midst of a warzone.

Shedding one’s skin and moving on from the past isn’t exactly the easiest feat for protagonist Leroy in “The Peaceful Departed.” Leroy falls back into his old ways of subservience within the gang culture where has so far survived.

Writing this collection of short stories was a lot of fun! It seemed that more and more characters came into view throughout Leroy’s adventures.

Strategizing alongside Leroy while he roamed the Dark City, weighing up who to trust along the way was an exhilarating experience.

I would recommend this collection to anyone who would enjoy reading crime stories with a supernatural twist.

Setting the story within a Dark City with the prospect of two gangs at war with one another while an even bigger conflict looms seems like a fun idea to play with in future iterations of the story.

Who knows I may even bring a detective in on the action!

Thwarting my character’s efforts to take an easy road in the Dark City with events occurring on the global level of the story, whether that be in the Peacefuls’ case – battles with demons and ghouls or the Dreadfuls – fighting against ghosts, spirits and angels; provides plenty of challenges for both sides within the story.

Leroy is a hardened criminal whose luck runs out. Dancing a fine line and failing to keep everyone happy including his dangerous extended family and friends, results in disastrous complications. Thrown into a dangerous new world, I empathise with him for trying to do what he knows best. However, it doesn’t take him long to realise that alliances don’t mean much in the mean streets of the Dark City.

Laravel is the leader of the Dreadfuls. A violent gang comprised of a mix of nasty ghouls and demons. With a face and a headful of burning fire, Laravel is at war with the Peacefuls.

Regular skirmishes between the two opposing gangs are merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of the scale of the conflict. Laravel has bigger and bolder plans to take over the Dark City and he has enlisted the help of dark forces to help him drive the Peacefuls out for good.

I hope you enjoy reading the collection and follow along with Leroy’s journey in the Peaceful Departed.

Peace,

B. D. Barfoot