The Ishcrin Affair

By Gareth Vaughn

Clem Turner is pretty sure nothing else can go wrong. Assigned by the head of his museum to check out a possible acquisition, his train ride from Chicago to Duluth has been full of problems -- lost luggage, food poisoning, and now an unscheduled stop in the middle of nowhere, Wisconsin. Hoping for a bit of distraction, he decides to check out the local fair, only to run right into a different sort of predicament.

The 1890s aren’t a great time to fall for another man, but with Anton Hess it’s hard to resist. An adventurer and businessman, Anton has captured the legendary ishcrin, a beast with wings, spines, and a nasty disposition, and he’s charging people to see it. For the nickel admission, though, Clem gets much more than he bargained for, and faces the prospect of the greatest disaster of his journey yet -- a broken heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Oct 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685503109

Gareth Vaughn

Things Gareth Vaughn is terrible at: Whistling. Card games. Writing bios. Not adopting cats. Things Gareth Vaughn is okay at: Snow shoveling. Star Trek trivia. Writing stories. Fishing cat toys from under the couch.

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The Ishcrin Affair

By Gareth Vaughn

Published by JMS Books LLC

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2022 Gareth Vaughn

ISBN 9781685503109

Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission from the publisher, with the exception of excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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The Ishcrin Affair

by Gareth Vaughn

8 September 189–

Another disappointment of the journey. As if the loss of half the luggage and the bout of food poisoning weren’t enough, now the train is delayed for repairs due to some spoilt brat’s affinity for setting highly flammable textiles alight under the nose of a less-than-attentive caregiver. By the time I return to Chicago it will be as though I’ve traveled a full year, not the month this will end up taking.

Ah, I can see already this entry is written in irritation—I am pressing pen to page so hard the tip is scratching up the paper at the end of every word. Still, I anticipated none of this heartache when old Mr. Richards urged me to take this trip in his place. He is of less energy by the day, no longer inclined to go running about the country in search of quality pieces for the museum. I can see in his eyes he suspects his years—perhaps his months—are numbered, and he cares only for smooth days.

He was wise, then, to pass this assignment on to me! Is it ungenerous to suspect he would not have survived the noxious meal that laid out the occupants of the entire train on the second day?