FICTION

The Uncommon Valour of Quinn McFoule

A light novella with wry humor (and heart)

Quinn is a gentle soul who hasn’t left his flat in more than three years, but when he sees the headlines that proclaim a general lockdown, his noble spirit is kindled; he ventures into his corridor to make sure his fellow blockmates have all essentials.  When the neighbor in Number 18 expresses her need for “fresh verse,” Quinn (the anonymous amateur poet) gets caught in a romance that sends him out into the silent city on a mission of honor. (17,000 words)

Katy Keane and The Case of the Strange Fruit

A progressive homage to 20th-century YA Adventure

Katy is driven, brilliant, and devoted to her widowed father, (an attorney in the town) and uncannily good at solving crimes in her own right.  The crafty young sleuth and the handsome black schoolteacher are pretty good at keeping their romance under wraps, too, but not quite good enough. When he is lynched for crossing the color barrier, she finds herself with a case that’s impossible to resolve. An antidote to MAGA myth nostalgia. (40,000 words)

Also by Kurt Arjay:  

Playing With Fire

Baikal