The Immorality Engine (36 page)
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Authors: George Mann
Tags: #Mystery & Detective, #General, #Fiction, #Science Fiction, #England, #Mystery Fiction, #Crime, #Murder, #Investigation, #Intelligence Service, #Murder - Investigation - England, #Intelligence Service - England, #Steampunk Fiction
“Of course, Your Majesty.” He turned to leave, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder as if to shepherd her towards the door.
“Oh, and Warrander?”
“Yes, Majesty?”
“There is a switch embedded in this chair that we require you to disable—a legacy of the unfortunate Dr. Fabian.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Of course,” Warrander replied. “I’ll attend to it directly.”
He led the girl away from the seated Queen and into the darkness of the audience chamber. He felt a smile twitch at the corners of his mouth. A new era was dawning, and when the time eventually came, he’d have no need of a switch. Unlike Fabian, Warrander had never minded getting his hands dirty.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My thanks go out to Stuart Douglas, Paul Magrs, Mark Wright, Cavan Scott, Nick Kyme, Mark Charan Newton, Lou Anders, Michael Rowley, Mark Hodder, Mike Moorcock, Scott Mann, Emma Barnes, Liz Gorinsky, Charlotte Robertson, and the many, many others who showed me support during the writing of this book. Most important, heartfelt thanks to my wife, Fiona, and to my children, James and Emily, for putting up with an absentee father and bringing me cups of tea and hugs when I needed them.
NEWBURY & HOBBES INVESTIGATIONS BY GEORGE MANN
The Affinity Bridge
The Osiris Ritual
The Immorality Engine
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE IMMORALITY ENGINE: A NEWBURY & HOBBES INVESTIGATION
Copyright © 2011 by George Mann
All rights reserved.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mann, George.
The immorality engine / George Mann.—1st ed.
p. cm.
“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”
ISBN 978-0-7653-2775-8
1. Intelligence service—England—Fiction. 2. Murder—Investigation—England—Fiction. I. Title.
PR6113.A546I66 2011
823’.92—dc22
2011021548
First Edition: October 2011
eISBN 978-1-4299-8526-0
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