Reggiecide

By Chris Dolley

Sequel to the WSFA Award finalist What Ho, Automaton!

Guy Fawkes is back and this time it’s a toss up who’s going to be blown up first – Parliament or Reginald Worcester, gentleman consulting detective.

But Guy might not be the only regicide to have been dug up and reanimated. He might be a mere pawn in a plan of diabolical twistiness.

Only a detective with a rare brain – and Reggie’s is amongst the rarest – could possibly solve this ‘five-cocktail problem.’ With the aid of Reeves, his automaton valet, Emmeline, his suffragette fiancée, and Farquharson, a reconstituted dog with an issue with Anglicans, Reggie sets out to save both Queen Victoria and the Empire.

REVIEWS of the Reeves & Worcester Steampunk Mysteries:

“A fun blend of P.G. Wodehouse, steampunk and a touch of Sherlock Holmes. Dolley is a master at capturing and blending all these elements. More than fascinating, this work is also rip-roaring fun!”

—SF Revu

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book View Cafe
• Release date: Oct 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781611382075

Chris Dolley

Chris Dolley is a New York Times bestselling author, a pioneer computer game designer and a teenage freedom fighter. That was in 1974 when Chris was tasked with publicising Plymouth Rag Week. Some people might have arranged an interview with the local newspaper. Chris created the Free Cornish Army, invaded the country next door, and persuaded the UK media that Cornwall had risen up and declared independence. As he told journalists at the time, 'It was only a small country, and I did give it back.'In 1981, he created Randomberry Games and wrote Necromancer, one of the first 3D first person perspective D&D computer games.In 2004, his acclaimed novel, Resonance, was the first book plucked out of Baen's electronic slushpile.Now he lives in rural France with his wife and a frightening number of animals. They grow their own food and solve their own crimes. The latter out of necessity when Chris's identity was stolen along with their life savings. Abandoned by the police forces of four countries who all insisted the crime originated in someone else's jurisdiction, he had to solve the crime himself. Which he did, and got a book out of it - the International bestseller, French Fried: One Man's Move to France With Too Many Animals And An Identity Thief.He writes SF, Fantasy, Mystery, Humour and Memoir. His memoir, French Fried, is an NY Times bestseller. What Ho, Automaton! - the first of his Reeves and Worcester Steampunk Mysteries series - was a finalist for the 2012 WSFA Small Press Award.

Book preview

Reggiecide

_______________

chrisdolley

Copyright © 2012 by Chris Dolley

All Rights Reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

A Smashwords edition

Published by Book View Café

www.bookviewcafe.com

ISBN: 978-1-61138-207-5

Cover art © Chris Brignell - Fotolia.com

Steampunk Font © Illustrator Georgie - Fotolia.com

Cover design by Chris Dolley

This book is a work of fiction. All characters, mad scientists, locations, and events portrayed in this book are fictional or used in an imaginary manner to entertain, and any resemblance to any real people, situations, or incidents is purely coincidental.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to my editors: Jennifer Stevenson and Sherwood Smith.

And, of course, Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.

One

I t is a truth universally acknowledged that a chap in possession of a suffragette fiancée is in need of a pair of bolt cutters.

Which railing is she chained to now, Reeves?

The Houses of Parliament’s, sir. Miss Emmeline and five other ladies are protesting in Parliament Square.

Have the police been summoned?

I fear their arrival is imminent, sir. Shall I fetch your driving coat?

I positively shot out of the door. Reginald Worcester does not dawdle when a damsel is about to be distressed by the long arm of the law. Especially when said damsel happened to be Emmeline Dreadnought who, like Queen Elizabeth when confronted by the Spanish Armada, would not go quietly. And there was nothing that irked a magistrate more than a person who would not go quietly. She could get fourteen days!

I pushed the Stanley Steamer to its limits, turning into Piccadilly on two wheels.

How’s the brain, Reeves? Up to pressure and full of vim?

It appears to be functioning within acceptable parameters, sir.

Reeves’s steam-powered brain was one of the Seven Wonders of the Victorian World. If anyone could save Emmeline from fourteen days of embroidering mail sacks, Reeves was the chap.

Can you see her? I asked as we swung into Parliament Square.

I believe, said Reeves, holding onto his bowler with one hand and the side of the Stanley with the other, that that is Miss Emmeline by the main gate, sir. It does not appear that the constabulary have arrived yet.

I swerved the car towards the small outcrop of humanity clustered around Parliament Gate. Emmeline was on the far right of a line of six ladies. I don’t know if there’s a dress code for protesting, but these ladies would not have looked out of place in the Royal enclosure at Ascot — except for the placards and chains. The Ascot stewards take a dim view of both.

Votes for women! they chanted in unison, waving placards conveying a similar message. Emancipation Now! Votes For Ladies!

A small group of onlookers had stopped to watch the protest. I aimed the car to the right of them and pulled hard on the brake lever. The Stanley stuttered to a complaining halt a few yards short of Emmeline.

Good morning, ladies, I said, rising from my seat and doffing the old driving cap. Sorry to interrupt and all that but ... Emmeline! Quick, jump aboard. The rozzers will be here any second!

Good, said Emmeline, affecting a surprisingly haughty tone. Let them come. Votes for women!

What?

I climbed down from the Stanley and attempted to reason with the young firebrand.

"I don’t think you quite understand, Emmeline. The police take a dim view of the Queen’s peace being disturbed. Especially when it involves people chaining themselves to the Palace of Westminster’s wrought ironwork! You’ll go to prison."

Perhaps I want to go to prison. Votes for women!

"No one wants to go prison. It’s much over-rated. They don’t serve tea until well after six and there are positively no cocktails. Come on, Reeves. Cut those chains."

Reeves! commanded Emmeline. Stay where you are!

If you wish, miss, though ... might I suggest you reconsider your current plan of action?

Don’t listen to him, Emmeline. He’s a man, said one of Emmeline’s sisters-in-chains. I’m not sure if Valkyries had aunts, but if they did — and they were partial to large hats and ostrich feathers — this woman could have been a stand-in for Brunhilde’s on her days off.

Actually, he’s not a man, I countered. He’s an automaton. A dashed brainy one at that. And if Reeves says reconsider, I’d jolly well listen to him.

Emmeline would have none of it. This is not a time for listening, Reggie. This is a time for action.

Reeves coughed, one of his mildly disapproving coughs. He’d aired it earlier upon discovering a pair of duck egg blue spats I’d hidden at the back of my wardrobe. Would not your arrest, and subsequent incarceration, miss, severely limit your ability to protest? he said. If you accompany us now, you can protest again tomorrow but, if you are imprisoned, you will be unable to demonstrate for fourteen days.

Fourteen days of hard embroidery, I added.

Ah, but I’ll have my day in court, said Emmeline. It’s time we took our fight to the judiciary and showed them that women will no longer put up with injustice. Votes for women!

Four contralto voices echoed Emmeline’s call.

This was not going well.

Why don’t you take my vote, Emmy? I never use it.

"That’s very sweet of you, Reggie, but I should have a vote of my own. All women should. It’s outrageous that it’s Nineteen Hundred and Three and women still don’t have the vote."

I think you’ll find that most aunts have had their husbands’ vote for years. I know Aunt Bertha has. I’m pretty sure she has the gardener’s too. One glare from Aunt B and one toes the party line.

I say, boomed a male voice from somewhere to my right. Aren’t you Reginald Worcester, the gentleman’s consulting detective?

I didn’t recognise the chap. He looked like a taller and less menacing version of my old house master at Melbury Regis — Stinker Stonehouse, a man who viewed the protection of the school larder from the nocturnal predations of small boys as the highest possible calling.

"Well this is a rare piece of luck, said the newcomer. Scrottleton-Ffoukes is the name. I’ve mislaid a relative and I need

Reviews for Reggiecide

[julesjones_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

(Note: I received a free review copy of this through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.) An entertaining steampunk pastiche of Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster stories. It's one of a series of shortish stories about gentleman private detective and silly ass Reggie Worcester, his automaton valet Reeves, and his fiancee Emmeline, In this one, the chaps have to investigate the disappearance of Guy Fawkes, who has been revived as a Promethean by one of his descendents. Alas, Fawkes has but one thought left in his head... I found that it worked well even though I hadn't read the earlier stories. Good fun if you like speculative fiction and Wodehouse.

[katyas_26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Book Info: Genre: Steampunk mystery, humorous/Wodehouse parodyReading Level: all ages (if able to read it)Recommended for: people who enjoy steampunk stories, fans of Wodehouse's Jeeves novels, who like to laughMy Thoughts: This is the sequel to What Ho, Automaton! (review linked here where formatting allowed), and a parody of the Wodehouse Jeeves books, set in a steampunk version of Victorian England (right after the turn of the 20th century; they are set in 1903).Again, this was a very funny novella. It was a fast read, and like the first, full of all kinds of wonderful nonsense. The first book featured mostly automata, and only a few Prometheans (creatures sewn together of various parts and reanimated a la Frankenstein); in this book we mostly see Prometheans, with Reeves being the only automaton featured. I'm not certain if there will be any more of these, but if there are I'll be sure to search them out. Dolley has a dry absurdist sense of humor I find very appealing, and I will most likely be picking up more of his books if I am able. I have two more of his books available to me right now, which I plan to read over the weekend, so watch for those reviews coming up.Disclosure: I received a copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer's program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.Synopsis: Guy Fawkes is back and this time it’s a toss up who’s going to be blown up first—Parliament or Reginald Worcester, gentleman consulting detective.But Guy might not be the only regicide to have been dug up and reanimated. He might be a mere pawn in a plan of diabolical twistiness.Only a detective with a rare brain—and Reggie’s is amongst the rarest—could possibly solve this ‘five-cocktail problem.’ With the aid of Reeves, his automaton valet, Emmeline, his suffragette fiancée, and Farquharson, a reconstituted dog with an issue with Anglicans, Reggie sets out to save both Queen Victoria and the Empire.

[luisali-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reggiecide is a funny short story that resembles in some aspect Mel Brooks' films. Like these, is an affectionate parody of a genre (the early crime novel) that twist the usual themes in a wacky, tongue in check, and humorous way. “A person, or persons, with at least one leg between them. Now, who else knew that your relative was here?”I think Mr S-F was pretty impressed by my demonstration of the deductive arts, for he took a moment to reply, his mouth agape in obvious reverence.”This aspect would be enough to make me appreciate Reggiecide, but there are also other elements that made me love this short story: a dash of Steampunk, a quote from Asimov, and the surprise appearance of Karl Marx (“The music hall entertainer, sir. One of the three Marx Brothers — Karlo, Engelo and Lenino — a song, a dance, and dialectical materialism.”).I liked a lot Reggiecide, and now I'm a happy reader, because I discovered a new and enjoyable author.

[releanna · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

having read many of the original P.G.Wodehouse books, I can only say that this parody is really funny and did live up to my expactations - having also read some books by Chris Dolley, which I all thoroughly enjoyed!

[brianewilliams · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer and for no good reason I postponed reading it for way too long. This is actually a real fun book to read - a short detective story set in a fictional Victorian England where there's robots run by steam and dead people are brought back to life (don't take it too seriously!) There's a clever plot -- a revived Guy Fawkes is trying to blow up Parliament. Consulting Detective Worcester and his trusty side kick Reeves are called in the stop the plan. Worcester is a great send up of the stuffy pompous Victorian/Edwardian who really has no talent, but manages to get good results due to Reeves. I think the british call it muddling through., It's a laugh out loud story - easy to read in an hour or so and entertaining.I recommend it to read for real pleasure.

[amamur_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was delighted to receive this second instalment in the adventures of Worcester and Reeves. I thoroughly enjoyed What Ho, Automaton. This caper involved our heroes foiling a dastardly plot to destroy parliament by a reanimated Guy Fawkes. Tons of slapstick humour and mayhem ensue in this novella. A very funny book.

[khrister · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book about Worcester and Reeves, in a steampunk/P G Wodehouse crossover (the first being What Ho, Automaton).Just like in the first book, Worcester is a bumbling english gentleman, and Reeves his trusted automaton. This time, the adventures involves reanimated corpses, explosives, and plot.Overall, it was fast paced and funny, and the wit was dry even in the sewers.

[simonea_533972 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book about Reginald Worcester, a detective who does his best work with a few cocktails in his system. These cocktails are made by his butler Reeves, who is an automaton. In this story, some reanimated corpses go missing. The style of this book is quite funny. There is a dry wit in many parts, that made me chuckle. All in all, the book is a short and light-hearted read, nothing more, but surely nothing less.

[saalaame · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The cover's not much to look at. In fact, I was a little creeped out when I first saw it. Luckily, the blurb saved it from going into my discard pile. Thing is, I love steampunk. Add a dash of humour, and I'm a goner. So yes, I enjoyed this book. It was funny, witty and wacky. Heck, it's got a mechanical butler and a zombie Guy Fawkes. What's not to love?

[pratchettfan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reggiecide continues the adventures of would be detective Reggie and his mechanical butler Reeves. They find themselves investigating the disappearance of a recently resurrected Guy Fawkes.I thoroughly enjoyed this humorous Steampunk novella and am looking forward to further adventures of this trio (Emma, Reggie's fiancee, does play a crucial role in the story as well).

[sjthszn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my first foray into "steampunk". While mildly entertaining, I don't see myself going back for any more. I was glad it wasn't any longer than 60 pages, it was getting tedious keeping up with a variety of characters, all with horribly long & strange names. Probably a good story if you like this genre. Reviewed for Early Reviewers, librarything.com. I received this edition free through the Early Reviewers program.

[soraki_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reggie, his fiance Emmy, and his mechanical butler Reeves are back in another steampunk mystery. They are hired to track down a missing Guy Fawkes. Yes, that Guy Fawkes, the one who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament, the one who has been dead for three hundred years. Their client had recently resurrected his ancestor Guy Fawkes to prove his innocence but some nefarious villain has kidnappped Guy Fawkes instead. A simple missing person investigation turns into a race to prevent the villains from blowing up the Houses of Parliament.

[kaczencja · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's a short steampunk novella and I really enjoyed it. I laughed out loud a few times and most of the time the smile did not disappear from my face. I kind of felt the ending came a bit too soon but other than that (and maybe a bit more editing) I think it was a very quick and enjoyable read.

[rutherford8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This short, steampunk novella was a really enjoyable read. I liked how the tone was light-hearted and humorous. The detective-style of the story line felt like it lent itself to a natural flowing plot line. The character development worked well in conjunction with the world-building; neither were lacking or overdone for the length of this piece--they did not detract from the story line. I would have liked to see perhaps a more detailed climax/ resolution at the end of this novella, but for the shortness it is a great story. With all of the talk about Guy Fawkes, more description and involvement of him at the end of the story would have been rewarding. I wished this story was longer to be able to enjoy the world a bit more.

[lostinalibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this steam punk homage to PG Wodehouse (with a nod to Sherlock Holmes and a slight royal wave to Christie), it is 1903 and reanimating dead relatives has become something of a trend in England. Reginald Worcester, gentleman detective, and his steam operated automaton valet, Reeves have been hired to find Guy Fawkes who was reanimated by a relative to prove his innocence. Unfortunately, Guy has gone walk-about and may be planning on finishing what he started in the 17th c., blow up Parliament while the Queen is visiting.As you might guess from the title, Reggiecide is a humourous take on the steam punk genre which has been known to take itself way too seriously. This short novella is full of puns and corny jokes some of them so old, they were probably already past their tell-by date in 1903 and yet, somehow, at least for me, it worked. No, this isn't great literature but it is damnably funny. It is also short enough to absorb in an hour or two when the holiday spirit is starting to get you down and you need an antidote to annoying relatives who just decided to drop in unannounced for Thanksgiving or Christmas or even that most British of holidays, Guy Fawkes Day.

[jpporter · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book is short, so my review will be as well.Dolley should take the energy he devotes to writing a bunch of mediocre short stuff and try to produce something that is (a) longer, (b) funnier. Too much of the attempts at humor here are just plain silly. There are a few amusing passages (I'm sure there were, although I might be mistaken), but most of the effort seems more appropriate to mindless farce or the stuff run-of-the-mill sit-coms are made of. All of the humor is either forced or the kind of stuff that's so old its got dust on it.The advantages to writing short stuff are (a) much cheaper (I got mine for free, which is about as cheap as you can get), (b) quicker to get through (there's a lot to be said for this advantage), (c) make great gifts (no wrapping, the recipient will be able to put it in their Kindle and promptly forget about it - as I will - and, if you give it to someone you don't like, you may force the Luddite to finally spring for an e-reader only to find they blew $100 on a $2.99 piece of unfunny humor).Oh. The plot. There is one, actually. Guy Fawkes and Sir Roger Mortimer are reanimated (Mortimer died in the 14th Century, Fawkes in the 17th) to help in a plot to blow up the House of Parliament. It's up to Reggie Worcester (a gentleman's detective) and his robot valet Reeves to save the day. For crying out loud. My review is longer than the book. If you like the Three Stooges or Benny Hill, you will still be disappointed in this book.

[josephlyoung · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A Novella farce set in 1903 England. The principle characters are Mr. Worcester, the Gentleman's consulting detective, his man Reeves (an steam powered automaton subject to Babbages laws), Worcester's fiancee Miss Emmeline (a suffragette and protester at the gates of the Westminister's Palace), Snuggles a reanimator (one who revived Guy Fawkes and Sir Roger Mortimer - reanimated known as Prometheans who were orange from use of a French salve called ReVitaCorpse that kept old corpses from turning to dust). Their principal means of transportation was a Stanley Steamer which with the steam powered automaton, Reeves, lends to the description "Steam Punk" as a category for this book. The characters were very loosely modeled after Sherlock Holmes (Worcester) and Dr. Watson (Reeves) and use what Worcester terms logic to attempt to thwart another attempt to blow up the House of Parliament on the morning of the Queen's visit (the original crime that Guy Fawkes was hung, drawn and quartered for). This is a real tongue in the cheek corruption of history as well as Sherlock Holmes character as originally conceived but, the far ranging plot and ever suffering Man Reeves is amusing as they jump between obscure and mistaken conclusions as well as just plain funny situations and reactions. An enjoyable quick read to find out if the Prometheans and their modern coconspirators can succeed where their predecessors failed.

[ljbwell · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the 2nd of Dolley's Reeves and Worcester adventures. A send up of Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster stories, with additional nods to Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein, and a wee bit of British history, Dolley once again incorporates steampunk elements (though less prominent here than in What Ho, Automaton!) and Worcester's brainless sleuthing as he and Reeves are recruited to locate the recently re-animated Guy Fawkes. It's 1903 and there's a new plot afoot, but what is it and who's behind it? The Reeves/Worcester relationship is faithful enough to the Jeeves/Wooster one. While I would have preferred more content and a bit more resolution at the end, and while the whodunit element is fairly obvious, Reggiecide is light and entertaining enough to bring a smile to a commute or a dark, rainy afternoon. Though it probably helped that the entire time I was reading this, there were fireworks being set off for what has apparently been a whole weekend build-up to Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Night on November 5th.

[lesliejung_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

i'm afraid despite its geniality, the story line is weak and it is so derivative that i found it tedious - some ideas are funny (an offstage accident with a clergyman is left offstage for legal purposes - and Dolley doesn't forget, and so that is fun!) but the energy is high, and i can see that the author is having a good time and that's infectious.

[ninichkeh · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I am probably too old to be fair to this book. It has some good ideas -- too many. It seems to be an overstuffed combination of P. G. Wodehouse, sci-fi, with bits of Sherlock Holmes and god only knows what else. The author has read a lot of books, and lets you know it. It is smothered in puns (some of the mildly salacious), very self-consciously tongue-in-cheek, what was once called arch. It is not a lighhearted romp, more like a heavy-handed stomp. I'm sorry, I cannot like this book. Possibly some will find it humourous. Two stars, barely.

[wolfangel87 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I fully have to admit that I did not read the first book in this series. With that being said I think the author did an amazing job of bringing the character Guy Fawkes back to life. The story as a whole reminded me a little bit of Sherlock Holmes with a brilliant character on the investigating scene. This book was a fast paced entertaining read. Towards the ending of the book it seemed as if the author lost his way and just wanted to get the story finished.Note: I received this book from LibraryThing Early Reviews.

[terriko_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is more hilarious Steampunk, Jeeves and Wooster style. The mechanical butler, the suffragette fiancée, zombie Guy Falkes, a zombie dog who really loves sausages, and our hapless hero of a detective... what more could you want?

[media6junkie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Can you imagine Jeeves and Wooster in a steampunk world with a little Frankenstein thrown in? If you think that's a good idea then you are going to LOVE Reggiecide. I find that a good book is enjoyable by the end of the first chapter. This book was good by the end of the first SENTENCE."It is a truth universally acknowledged that a chap in possession of a suffragette fiancee is in need of a pair of bolt cutters."As you can guess this story is a treasure trove of homages as well as just a jolly good romp. Treat yourself to this joyride.

[zjordi_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Funny, extremely well-written, short&sweet.All those words come to mind after reading this little masterpiece that re-creates (not a mere imitation, but a well-crafted re-creation) the style of the Conan Doyle books, with a none too subtle vein of fun that compounds to the enjoyment of the reading.If I had to find a fault in it, I wish the book were longer, to have more time to delve into the life and facts of the gentlemanly detective, his sufragette fiancée, or his mechanical batman.Highly commendable.

[buttsy1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Chris Dolley’s ‘Reggiecide’ is the second book in Dolley’s steampunk Worcester series, the first being ‘What Ho, Automaton’. I read it on a Kindle Touch.Reginald Worcester is a gentleman’s consulting detective, with a passing acquaintance of detective work. Fortunately, he has the support of his automaton, Reeves, and his spunky fiancée, Emmeline.In this episode, Reggie stumbles upon prometheans and necrometheans, reanimated dead people (and pets). Worse is to come – one of the necromeatheans has been misplaced. Guy Fawkes, reanimated to clear his name, cannot be found, and Worcester and Reeves are brought onto the case.The story becomes a bizarre mix of Wodehouse, Frankenstein, Inspector Clouseau and Sherlock Holmes. Dolley pretty much manages to make this assortment work. Once I accepted some of the unlikely names and dialog, I enjoyed this brief story, journeying through an alternative Victorian London, above and below street level.‘Reggiecide’ is light, funny, intriguing and easy to read. I will be looking for more of Dolley’s work when I need to fill a couple of hours and do not want to have to think too hard – ideal for travelling.