2018 American Fiction Awards Finalist –Mystery/Humor 2018 PenCraft Awards Winner for Literary Excellence "A truly hilarious mystery in the tradition of Janet Evanovich, Thomas Davidson and Rich Leder." –Best Thrillers Murder has come once more to the seaside town of Crab Cove, testing the mettle of "almost handsome" Detective Simon Grave and his "nearly invisible" partner, Sergeant Barry Blunt, who investigate a locked-room mystery with a significant twist: the prime suspects are in the locked room, not the victim, a logic-defying situation that challenges the team at every turn. As if murder weren't enough, they must also investigate the simultaneous disappearance of The MacGuffin Trophy from that same locked room, the studio of artist Whitney Waters, famous for her stylized paintings of red herrings. Who is/are the killer(s)? How did he/she/they get out of the locked room with the trophy, kill the victim, and return unnoticed by others in the room? These and other questions, including the limits of logic and the meaning of life, are posed and perhaps even answered in this quirky, near-future mystery. Yes, there are robots.

American Fiction Awards Finalist - Mystery/Humor PenCraft Awards Winner for Literary Excellence (Mystery) "Boswell continues his genre-defying series in this ambitious adventure…" –Publishers' Weekly ***This box set includes the first three mystery novels in the Simon Grave Mystery series by Len Boswell. Book #6, Simon Grave and the Wrath of Grapes, is now available! A Grave Misunderstanding (Book 1) Murder has come once more to the seaside town of Crab Cove, testing the mettle of "almost handsome" Detective Simon Grave and his "nearly invisible" partner, Sergeant Barry Blunt, who investigate a locked-room mystery with a significant twist: the prime suspects are in the locked room, not the victim, a logic-defying situation that challenges the team at every turn. As if murder weren't enough, they must also investigate the simultaneous disappearance of The MacGuffin Trophy from that same locked room, the studio of artist Whitney Waters, famous for her stylized paintings of red herrings. Who is/are the killer(s)? How did he/she/they get out of the locked room with the trophy, kill the victim, and return unnoticed by others in the room? These and other questions, including the limits of logic and the meaning of life, are posed and perhaps even answered in this quirky, near-future mystery. Yes, there are robots. Simon Grave and the Curious Incident of the Cat in the Daytime (Book 2) Murder rocks the seaside town of Crab Cove, but to solve the crime, Detective Simon Grave must first deal with the curious incident of the cat in the daytime. Murder has come yet again to the seaside town of Crab Cove, testing the mettle of Detective Simon Grave, his "almost invisible" partner, Sergeant Barry Blunt, and his new assistant, Charlize, a simdroid (an android lookalike of a famous person) who fancies herself a match for Sherlock Holmes, in the simulated body of Charlize Theron. When a body is discovered on a deserted beach, alongside a deactivated Betty White simdroid, the game is afoot. Grave must not only deal with the murder, but also come to grips with a deadly prognosis for his retired detective father. The murder and his father's illness take them on a tour of local cemeteries, including a new graveyard that features multiscreen videos celebrating the lives of the deceased. They soon discover that the only way to solve the murder is to first deal with the curious incident of the cat in the daytime. Simon Grave and the Drone of the Basque Orvilles (Book 3) A demon hound haunts Crab Cove, taking its victims as they come. When a mutilated corpse is found in the marshes, Detective Simon Grave rises to the challenge. Everything points to the hound, but it is quickly apparent that the body has been stabbed repeatedly, in a way that suggests serial killer Chester Clink also may be involved. Or maybe not. Grave and his team, including his partner, Sergeant Barry Blunt, and androids Charlize and Smithers, who fancy themselves as Sherlock Holmes and Watson, follow clues that lead them from drone manufacturing plants, to the labyrinthine caves along the shore, to the abode of a strange Scotsman who plays his bagpipes on a bluff above the crime scene. As always in Crab Cove, one killing leads to another, further pressuring Grave to solve the mystery—fast. The year is 2053. Time to... Release the hounds! (And the drones.)

2020 American Fiction Awards Finalist - Humor "Boswell has created yet another comedic gem. A laugh-out-loud, tongue-in-cheek exploration of dastardly deeds and mayhem." -Authors Reading A demon hound haunts Crab Cove, taking its victims as they come. When a mutilated corpse is found in the marshes, Detective Simon Grave rises to the challenge. Everything points to the hound, but it is quickly apparent that the body has been stabbed repeatedly, in a way that suggests serial killer Chester Clink also may be involved. Or maybe not. Grave and his team, including his partner, Sergeant Barry Blunt, and androids Charlize and Smithers, who fancy themselves as Sherlock Holmes and Watson, follow clues that lead them from drone manufacturing plants, to the labyrinthine caves along the shore, to the abode of a strange Scotsman who plays his bagpipes on a bluff above the crime scene. As always in Crab Cove, one killing leads to another, further pressuring Grave to solve the mystery-fast. The year is 2053. Time to . . . Release the hounds! (And the drones.)

"A hilarious, imaginative romp. An absolute joy!" –Michael Hartnett, The Blue Rat When the head of a hovercycle club inexplicably calls in news of his own murder, Detective Simon Grave and his team are drawn in to Crab Cove's hovercycle underworld, a world of loyalty, betrayal, greed, and-yes-irony. As if murder weren't enough, the bombing of an election debate stage has the mayor pressing for a quick resolution to both crimes. It becomes increasingly clear that the crimes are connected, and that the solution will require the unraveling of an elaborate criminal scheme-and more. As with all Simon Grave mysteries, simdroids (androids who are built to resemble famous people) play a critical role in solving the crime. Expect humorous takes on the advance of technology, the effects of global warming, and nothing less than the meaning of life and death-and love. The year is 2053. Time to hop on your hovercycle and take a fun ride!

“Boswell continues his genre-defying series in this ambitious adventure…” –PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY Murder rocks the seaside town of Crab Cove, but to solve the crime, Detective Simon Grave must first deal with the curious incident of the cat in the daytime. Murder has come yet again to the seaside town of Crab Cove, testing the mettle of Detective Simon Grave, his “almost invisible” partner, Sergeant Barry Blunt, and his new assistant, Charlize, a simdroid (an android lookalike of a famous person) who fancies herself a match for Sherlock Holmes, in the simulated body of Charlize Theron. When a body is discovered on a deserted beach, alongside a deactivated Betty White simdroid, the game is afoot. Grave must not only deal with the murder, but also come to grips with a deadly prognosis for his retired detective father. The murder and his father’s illness take them on a tour of local cemeteries, including a new graveyard that features multiscreen videos celebrating the lives of the deceased. They soon discover that the only way to solve the murder is to first deal with the curious incident of the cat in the daytime.

Bravest of the Brave is a chronicle of the life and adventures of David Porter, whose career spanned the formative years of the U.S. Navy, 1796-1843. He rose through the ranks from Midshipman to Commodore. He fought in the Quasi-French War, in the Tripolitan War and against the pirate, Jean Lafitte. During the War of 1812 he took his ship, the frigate U.S.S. Essex, around Cape Horn. It was the first time an American warship entered the Pacific Ocean. There he fought the British and also the Typees in the Marquesas Islands. The voyage ended with a major battle with two British warships at Valparaiso, Chile. After the war he became on of the three Commissioners of the Navy. He was assigned to rid the Caribbean of pirates. During this endeavor he became involved in a controversial decision that resulted in his court-martial. The novel, based on his own writings as well as other historical documents about the period, transports the reader through the tumultuous times of the early Republic. America faced perils not unlike today, aggression abroad from pirates and even attacks at home on American soil. David Porter's courage and bravery at a time of great danger to his country were instrumental in the successful termination of the threats and the development of the U.S. Navy. Porter summarizes his life in an excerpt from a letter he wrote shortly before his death. "There was a time when there was nothing that I thought too daring to be attempted for her (my country); but those times are past, and appear only as a confused and painful dream. A retrospect of the history of my life seems a highly-colored romance, which I should be very loath to live over again; and it would not be believed, if it was written."

Daniel DeForest London argues that the Fourth Gospel offers a potentially transformative response to the question of suffering and the human compulsion to blame. Based on his reading of John 9 (the man born blind), London argues that the Gospel does not offer a theodicy, but rather a theodical spirituality, an experience of praying the question of suffering and remaining open to a divine response. London shows how the Johannine Jesus’s response poses three sets of symbols in dichotomy (day/night, vision/blindness, sheep/wolf), each subverted by another, core symbol (light, judge, shepherd). By interpreting these symbols in light of mimetic theory, he argues that Jesus’s response reveals the scapegoat mechanism in which an innocent victim is blamed by violent victimizers. However, rather than blaming the victimizers, Jesus continues to engage with the characters who appear to be villains: the light of the world transforms night and day into one continuous day; the Good Shepherd welcomes sheep and wolf into his beloved flock. In this way, readers are invited to bring to the Johannine Jesus their own violence, resentment, and wolfish rage regarding the question of suffering and to experience the theodical spirituality of the Fourth Gospel.