Trouble in Paradox: A Comical Time Travel Murder Mystery (Galactic Detective Agency)

Randolph, Gary Blaine

ISBN 10: 1737929988 / ISBN 13: 9781737929987

Published by Gary Blaine Randolph, 2023

Seller Inventory # GOR014021159

Synopsis:

It's Gabriel Lake's most noir, Sam Spade-ish adventure yet, and the stakes could not be higher. A chrono drive malfunction strands the Galactic Detective Agency in 1943 Indianapolis. Then a murder occurs, creating a temporal paradox and putting the timeline in jeopardy, including Gabe's very existence.

With the help of Oren, Zastra, and the rest of the crew, Gabe must step into the gumshoes of a 1940s detective to try to solve the crime and put the future back on the right track. But is Gabe hard-boiled enough to dodge both cops and gangsters? And does he remember enough from his favorite film noir movies to fit into 1943 culture? In this time-traveling mystery, there will be plenty of laughs, plenty of adventure, and plenty of Trouble in Paradox.

Q&A With Author

Q. Why did you choose to do a time travel story in Trouble in Paradox?
A. Because I love time travel stories. Star Trek IV, Back to the Future, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. C’mon.

Q. Was if difficult to get into a 1940s mindset?
A. Not too much. I wasn’t around in the forties, but elements from that time still existed in my childhood — dial telephones, soda fountains, old-style hardware stories. I did library research on Indianapolis in the 1940s. And I immersed myself in movies and mystery novels from that time.

Q. What parts of the story are true to 1940s Indianapolis, and which ones are made up?
A. The fountain in Fountain Square is accurate, as is the Fountain Square Theater building. The other businesses in the neighborhood (other than Hook’s Drugs) I made up, though they were based on types of stores that really existed at that time. The Kit Kat Club is entirely fictional, based entirely on a running gag my friends and I have, especially my friend Gary “Boss” McKinney. Garfield Park is real and existed in that time with their beautiful sunken gardens. The police headquarters did exist as described (at least the exterior), though it doesn’t exist anymore.

Q. How did you avoid anachronisms?
A. I studied a lot of photographs from the period to see how people dressed and what everything looked like. The Google Books Ngram Viewer is a great tool for seeing what terms were used in what periods. To my profound regret, I had to cut several lines that sounded right but used phrases that weren’t used until the 1960s or 70s.

Q. Can we expect more from the Galactic Detective Agency after Trouble in Paradox?
A. Let me answer with a definite probably. Trouble in Paradox wraps up an arc that began with A Town Called Potato. So as I was finishing the book, I felt a sense of completion I hadn’t felt with the others. If the series should end here, I think it ends in a good place. That being said, I have several ideas percolating in my head for more things I would like to do with these characters. My next project will be a second Pelham and Blandings book. After that, we’ll see.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Trouble in Paradox: A Comical Time Travel ...
Publisher: Gary Blaine Randolph
Publication Date: 2023
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Fine