It's been a rough year for me and The Maze, with the loss of my dad in March and his youngest sister in May, but today I welcome back an author-friend whose novels always lift my spirits. I guarantee they will lift yours too!
A Bullet proof vest made of silk.
In 1881, a faro dealer, Charlie Storms was shot twice by a cranky patron. Tombstone physician George E. Goodfellow discovered that one bullet was stopped by a silk handkerchief in Charlie’s breast pocket. As strange as it sounds, a silk handkerchief prevented that bullet from penetrating.
Now before you cry ‘bullocks’, keep in mind guns were far less powerful than now.
In 1887, Dr. Goodfellow wrote an article titled Impenetrability of Silk to Bullets
[1] for the Southern California Practitioner documenting the first known instance of bulletproof fabric. He experimented with silk vests resembling medieval gambesons, which used 18 to 30 layers of silk fabric to protect the wearers from penetration.
A European, Kazimierz Żegleń used Goodfellow's findings to develop a bulletproof vest made of silk fabric at the end of the 19th century, which could stop the relatively slow rounds from black powder handguns. The vests cost $800 USD each and several gentleman of the Parliament bought and wore them.
Synopsis:
Determining whom to trust is getting very hard, indeed. This may be the most trying cases imaginable. Director Stone has gone missing and it appears Ministers of Parliament are involved. Xavier is arrested and placed in a jail meant to kill him, while Vic, disguised as a woman, attempts to locate the Minister of External Affairs and ask for his help.
Everyone is called in to assist: Jacko, his wife Alice, their son Pete, Samson the Crime Lord, David and Claire, Tubs and his wife Sara, the boys: Cannon and Ham, plus the bloodhound Arroo.
The Wasp who escaped punishment for her attempts to murder her bigamist husband’s first wife last year is back. Vic discovers love letters between Ben, their terrible secretary and the Wasp. Worse yet, he shared Xavier’s financial advice with the Wasp, making her and her husband very wealthy.
With Stone missing, and Barns and Meyers stretched to their limits, Vic decides it’s time to train more of the Scotland Yard officers in intuitive and deductive reasoning. While only half the class makes it through her two-day course, everyone is pleased with her results.
Be warned, Vic’s sister, Claire, is becoming more difficult than ever. Gregory thinks she is going mad.
Once Vic, Cannon, Casey, and Fagan left, Xavier rushed upstairs and returned five minutes later as an old man.
Tubs waited at the door. “I’ll stay in the shadows, but I’m going.”
“I need to check the place out anyway,” Jacko stated.
“Well, damn it all, I’ll go as well.” Samson declared. “Mason spent so little time in my company, he’s probably forgotten me entirely.”
Xavier studied him a moment. “Don’t count on it. Wait here,” he ordered, then hurried upstairs. When he returned, he handed Samson a thick silk vest.
“I am wearing a vest,” he replied.
“Is it bulletproof?” Xavier challenged.
“No. Are you saying this one is?”
“Yes. There was an incident in which an American doctor reported that a man’s silk vest stopped a bullet. He shared the matter with Connors who shared the matter with me. I, of course, asked David to see if he could create such a vest, and here it is.”
“Has it been tested?” Samson asked, doubtful that silk could stop a bullet.
“It has. In fact, several men in the parliament wear them now.”
Samson smiled. “Thank you for sharing this. I would be most willing to buy my own—”
“David handmakes them, and he is a bit busy at the moment, so just enjoy my vest.”
“That is very kind of you. Does this mean you are starting to like me?”
Xavier chuckled. “Not at all.”
Book 8
The Queen’s Diamonds have been stolen, Director Stone of Scotland Yard
is missing, and there is a toxic gas that may kill hundreds of
Londoners.
Free with Amazon Kindle Unlimited
Need to catch up?
Book 1
The greatest sleuth in Victorian England hires a young man who turns out to be a young woman.
Book 2
Oops! The greatest sleuth in Victorian England goes missing, leaving Vic
to rescue him, a suffragette, and about 100 servants. Not to mention an
eviscerating cat. Yes, let’s not mention the cat.
Book 2.5
A romantic detour for Jacko. Want to see how amply rewarded Jacko was when he & Vic save an old woman from Bedlam?
Book 3
The Mesmerist can control people from afar and make them murder for her. Worse yet, Xavier Thorn has fallen under her spell.
Book 4
The problems with secrets is that they always come to light, no matter how you wish to silence them.
Book 5
Changes are a part of life, but these changes almost kill Vic.
Book 6
Muddled cases make Vic very grumpy.
Book 7
Vic is almost killed twice as she tries to prevent a CrimeLords’ War, stop a female Russian spy, and locate Xavier.
All Xavier & Vic books are Free with Amazon Unlimited
Liza O’Connor was raised badly by feral cats, left the South/Midwest and wandered off to find nicer people on the east coast. There she worked for the meanest man on Wall Street, while her psychotic husband tried to kill her three times. (So much for finding nicer people.) Then one day she declared enough, got a better job, divorced her husband, and fell in love with her new life where people behaved nicely. But all those bad behaviors has given her lots of fodder for her humorous books. Please buy these books, because otherwise, she’ll become grumpy and write troubled novels instead. They will likely traumatize you.
You have been warned.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LIZA O'CONNOR’S MANY BOOKS
Investigate these sites:
Liza's Blog and Website ~
Facebook ~
Twitter
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