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The Mephisto Swamp Mystery
Dorian Rockwood’s The Mephisto Swamp Mystery drops readers into a sun-struck 1940s world of soda fountains, boxing gyms, and canoe trips gone very wrong, then sends identical twin brothers Dan and Paul Case into the eerie wetlands of Mephisto Swamp, where a casual graduation adventure turns into the discovery of a hidden counterfeiting operation run out of an abandoned sawmill. What begins with a fake bill in town and some lively family-and-friends banter tightens into a chase story with kidnappings, improvised escapes, and a criminal ring whose reach is much larger than the boys first realize. Dan’s artistic eye, Paul’s physical confidence, and the novel’s swamp setting give the mystery a strong identity from the start.
What I liked most is the book’s temperament. It has the clean engine of a classic adventure mystery, but it is not bloodless or mechanical. The brothers are genuinely likable together; their teasing feels lived-in rather than manufactured, and the dialogue often has a nimble, unforced charm. I especially liked the way Rockwood gives Dan a perceptive, slightly inward sensibility without making him passive. The swamp itself is one of the book’s best achievements: not just spooky, but lush, damp, and faintly infernal, a place that feels painterly and rank at the same time. There is a pleasing old-school straightforwardness to the storytelling, yet it still has enough texture to avoid feeling like a museum piece.
I also found myself responding to the book’s moral grain. Beneath the cliffhangers and peril, there is a steadiness about decency, family, and second chances that gives the story more ballast than a routine caper. The counterfeit plot is exciting on its own, but the novel gets extra lift from the emotional material around the twins’ late father, their mother, and Steve Barton’s tentative place in the family circle. Even the resolution resists pure thumping triumph; it leaves room for mercy as well as victory, which I found unexpectedly affecting. Some beats arrive with serial-style obviousness, but the book’s sincerity works in its favor more often than not.
I would hand this to readers who enjoy mystery, adventure, historical mystery, YA mystery, and amateur sleuth fiction, especially anyone who likes capable teenage heroes, period atmosphere, and danger that stays thrilling rather than nihilistic. It feels closest in spirit to The Hardy Boys, though Rockwood gives the material a more humid, bruised, backwater mood than those books usually carry. I came away thinking this is a brisk, personable, swamp-dark mystery with a square jaw and a pulse.
Pages: 191 | ASIN : B0GDMX7FW2
The Reclusive Chimp
Monkey Flip follows a pair of precocious kids whose father is accused of murder, so they call in a reclusive and grumpy, yet brilliant, talking chimpanzee detective to find the real killer and clear their father’s name. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The book is set in the world of professional wrestling, and many wrestling personalities and storylines inspired the central mystery. Originally, the father was going to be a firefighter, but I love wrestling, almost as much as I love monkeys, so making him a wrestler felt natural. However, it wasn’t until CM Punk held a now-infamous press conference that the mystery truly came together. For the other themes, such as grief and overcoming loss, I drew on my own experiences, as I can be quite the reclusive chimp.
I enjoyed your characters, especially Sebastian Winthrop. What was your favorite character to write for and why?
I actually created Sebastian, the book’s chimp detective, when I was a teenager. Back then, he was Sebastian Winthrop, Millionaire Chimp, and I intended to turn him into a comic strip. Nothing came of it, but I never forgot about him. Writing Sebastian is easy because he’s just an exaggerated version of myself. I also really enjoyed writing Addie, the little girl. I tried to make her like a character in an old Bugs Bunny cartoon. Her interactions with Sebastian were always fun to write, and their love/hate relationship is the heart of the story.
How did the mystery develop for this story? Did you plan it before writing, or did it develop organically?
When I earned my MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, one of my mentors was Victoria Thompson, who wrote the Gaslight Mystery Series. Vicki was the best and taught me everything I know about plotting a mystery. Monkey Flip is my third novel, and I always start with the victim, the suspects, the suspects’ motives and secrets, and the key clues. From there, I structure a loose plot outline, where I know the beginning, the end, and about five “tent pole” scenes that have to be there. That provides the backbone, and then I still have the freedom to discover things along the way. I do a more detailed outline before each chapter, noting the characters’ motivations, obstacles, and goals.
I find a problem in well-written stories, in that I always want there to be another book to continue the story. Is there a second book planned?
Yes, a second book is in the works. This time, the story will take place at a comic book convention. Still ironing out the details, but the actual writing will commence soon. With luck, it should be out next summer.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
When Addie and Bennett Pajakowski learn that their father, the fearsome Bonecrusher Brannigan, is accused of murdering one of his fellow professional wrestlers, they seek the help of Sebastian Winthrop, the world’s greatest detective. So, imagine their surprise when they discover that the reclusive Sebastian is a talking chimp!
Monkey Flip chronicles Sebastian’s investigation into the death of Mitch Mayhem, the heavyweight champion of a local independent wrestling federation. Along the way, Sebastian teaches Addie and Bennett what it takes to be good detectives while they show him that life should be lived and not mourned. The book takes a comedic, satirical look at the fanatical world of professional wrestling and touches on such themes as grief, acceptance, and the importance of family.
Some are already calling Sebastian one of the best detectives in fiction. Others call him the best. Just don’t call him a monkey.
