Archibald Fitz
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archibaldfitz.bsky.social
Archibald Fitz
@archibaldfitz.bsky.social
Jobbing writer of spy stories, confessional prose & doppio-driven existentialist dramas. Author: SERVICES RENDERED. Former altar-boy. Journo (retd). Sceptic. Drapetomania sufferer. Interests: PoliSci/Chess/Cats. He/Him. Member: SMFS https://is.gd/zsIcH3
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Can an #expat & disillusioned #Marxist hiding in 1960s #Montreal from the NJ syndicate survive a deadly game of treachery between the #KGB, #FLQ & #SpecialBranch?

#EMBOUCHURE 🍁 #ServicesRendered No.1

- -> #99p / #99cents <--

is.gd/DgQqwh
is.gd/NsUW9z
#BookBub l.muz.kr/i4d
#Goodreads l.muz.kr/yfU
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
I'm reviewing The Bookseller of Inverness by SG MacLean #historicalfiction #bookreview #highlyrecommended
Here’s the blurb A GRIPPING HISTORICAL THRILLER SET IN INVERNESS IN THE WAKE OF THE 1746 BATTLE OF CULLODEN. ‘This slice of historical fiction takes you on a wild ride’ THE TIMES After Culloden, Iain MacGillivray was left for dead on Drummossie Moor. Wounded, his face brutally slashed, he survived only by pretending to be dead as the Redcoats patrolled the corpses of his Jacobite comrades. Six years later, with the clan chiefs routed and the Highlands subsumed into the British state, Iain lives a quiet life, working as a bookseller in Inverness. One day, after helping several of his regular customers, he notices a stranger lurking in the upper gallery of his shop, poring over his collection. But the man refuses to say what he’s searching for and only leaves when Iain closes for the night. The next morning Iain opens up shop and finds the stranger dead, his throat cut, and the murder weapon laid out in front of him – a sword with a white cockade on its hilt, the emblem of the Jacobites. With no sign of the killer, Iain wonders whether the stranger discovered what he was looking for – and whether he paid for it with his life. He soon finds himself embroiled in a web of deceit and a series of old scores to be settled in the ashes of war. Purchase Link https://amzn.to/49hChUR My Review The Bookseller of Inverness is an enthralling mystery set during the years after the events of the Battle of Culloden in 1745. It portrays the uneasy accord in Inverness at the time, with the Jacobites (well, those who survived the repercussions and the battle itself of 1746) and Hanoverians living in an uneasy discord that threatens to crack at the slightest provocation. We have multiple characters from both sides of the divide, but our main character is Iain, a wounded Jacobite survivor of the battle, who is content with his bookshop until events draw him back into the conspiracies and the Jacobites’ ongoing desire to put their king back on the throne. It is deeply enmeshed in the politics of the era, but in the way they affected men and women on a day-to-day basis. Inverness seems small and inconsequential, but it’s a microcosm of what’s happening on an almost worldwide basis, with the Jacobites sent to the Americas as indentured slaves, while those endeavouring to bring their king back to the throne move through the European courts. It is a fabulous novel, especially when the mystery of the dead man in Iain’s bookshop begins to unravel. I’ve been to Culloden on numerous occasions, and a local once stopped me there, walking his dogs, and regaled me with the story of the battle. It was fascinating to stand there and have someone who could bring the battle to life before my eyes, explain everything. It also helps that I’ve visited the locations, and I could envisage much of the environment and how it must have been then. The novel certainly evoked the atmosphere of the location fabulously. The many characters are also engaging. Donald Mor was perhaps a favourite, along with Tomorod, although it is Iain who carries the narrative. I loved this book. I’d had it for ages, but then sat down to read it and couldn’t stop. I mean, it involved a bookshop and then a mystery! I’m off to find some more of SG MacLean’s novels. Posts Stay up to date with the latest from the blog. I’m reviewing The Bookseller of Inverness by SG MacLean #historicalfiction #bookreview #highlyrecommended historical fiction I’m sharing my review for The Ruffler’s Child, the first book in John Pilkington’s Elizabethan mysteries featuring Thomas Finbow #histfic #historicalmystery #bookreview #blogtour historical fiction I’m welcoming Max Eastern and his new historical thriller, Red Snow in Winter, to the blog #RedSnowInWinter #HistoricalThriller #SpyThriller #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #BookBlast #TheCoffeePotBookClub Blog Tour · Coffee Pot Book Club · historical fiction · New Release · WW2 I’m delighted to welcome Marcia Clayton and her new book, Annie’s Secret, to the blog #Victorian #Historical Fiction #Romance #Saga #HistoricalRomance #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub  Blog Tour · Coffee Pot Book Club · historical fiction · New Release · Romance · Victorian Era
mjporterauthor.blog
December 29, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
‘Black Witch Moon’ by Colin Garrow
‘[the author] knows how to grab your attention and draw you into one hell of a story…’
#horror #witches
geni.us/fU08JG #blackwitchmoon
May 14, 2025 at 9:20 AM
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December 31, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
There is no justification for using LLMs etc for writing *professionally*. Some AI formats might be useful for researching, but they should be double checked. But actual writing--if you use AI for actual fiction, for art, it's an admission of cluelessness and a lack of basic storytelling skills.
December 31, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
Walking Alone: Prison Life

I had been in prison a few years. Two inmates had been at each other most of the day, back and forth, the larger woman taunting the smaller woman. #Prison="/hashtag/PrisonLife" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link">#PrisonLife #HardTime #Prison #AnnaKay #SelfHelp
Walking Alone: Prison Life
I had been in prison a few years. Two inmates had been at each other most of the day, back and forth, the larger woman taunting the smaller woman. #PrisonLife #HardTime #Prison #AnnaKay #SelfHelp
dellsweet.com
December 31, 2025 at 11:58 PM
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‘Death on a Dirty Afternoon’ by Colin Garrow
'A quirky, engaging murder mystery...'
geni.us/SKnN
#murder #mystery #IARTG #terrybellmysteries
November 15, 2025 at 9:51 AM
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December 30, 2025 at 7:50 PM
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Death is the New Black. Dominic Piper.

"Another explosive and sexy slice of superlative modern crime fiction from Dominic Piper." - Jane Westmacott.

viewbook.at/DITNB

#BritishDetectives #CrimeFiction #Thriller #DanielBeckett #PrivateInvestigator #MustRead #KindleBooks #Series
December 31, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
‘Death on a Dirty Afternoon’ by Colin Garrow
'A quirky, engaging murder mystery...'
#murder #mystery
geni.us/SKnN
#IARTG #terrybellmysteries
December 31, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
REVIEWERS SAY:
Unputdownable!
Brilliant story
Had me guessing until the end
Unpretentious and gripping mystery
Fantastic Read
Relentless suspense
What will you say about 'TISSUE OF LIES'?
myBook.to/TOL2
#mystery #suspense
December 31, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
🇺🇸🇺🇦 U.S. national-security officials said Wednesday that Ukraine didn’t target Russian President Vladimir Putin or one of his residences in a recent drone strike, - WSJ
December 31, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
those who predicted authoritarianism were both dismissed, & deeply misunderstood, by the media

my latest for @newrepublic.com

newrepublic.com/article/2042...
The Americans Who Saw All This Coming—but Were Ignored and Maligned
Call them the Cassandras: the people—mostly not white and male—who smelled the fascism all over Trump from jump street. Why were they “alarmists,” and how did “anti-alarmism” become cool?
newrepublic.com
December 18, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
Today years old, etc. and yet somehow not in the least surprised.
TIL: Before Hans Asperger or Leo Kanner, a Jewish-Ukrainian psychiatrist named Grunya Sukhareva defined autism in 1925. Both men did not cite her work. She also had documented how it affected women and girls, where the men did not.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grunya_...
Grunya Sukhareva - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 30, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
attn crime writers and readers who imbibe
I did a (very informal) data analysis of the screenplays for the first three (of six) Thin Man films a few years ago. With 152 mentions of 17 key terms like “drink” or “cocktail” in the first film alone, trying to pace with Nick and Nora is a death wish! Stay safe, drink responsibly, and cheers! 🍸
December 30, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
December's round-up:
The complete #MarcDane MOSCOW RULES novella available now as a free eBook:
jswallow.com/the-complete...
The Horus Heresy Collection XVIII French edition is on sale:
www.blacklibrary.com/french/featu...
#StarTrek event next April:
www.waterstones.com/events/james...
December 31, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
B&N pre-order sale now through January 1.
Use code PREORDER25 - The Ninth Circle, Billy Boyle 21, coming 9/1/26.
December 31, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
Classic Crime Novels, Newly Reissued and as Thrilling as Ever www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/b...
Classic Crime Novels, Newly Reissued and as Thrilling as Ever
www.nytimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
Goddamn this is good, and also a way to fire up the real journalists working, and fighting, to tell the truth.
As it happens, I have experience with high-level government demands to stop an explosive, accurate story from running, and I also have experience with 60 Minutes spiking a story I was involved in, so I have thoughts about the travesty at CBS. If you want some journalism anecdotes, here are a lot:
Watching Bari Weiss Murder Investigative Journalism at CBS
Notes from someone who's withstood White House demands to stop an explosive story—and who once even had a 60 Minutes piece spiked
www.forever-wars.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
We're right in the middle of the @barnesandnoble.com Pre-Order Sale! Get 25% off any pre-order with code PREORDER25.

I recommend using it on Enemy of My Enemy: A Daredevil Marvel Crime Novel for any Born Again fans looking for more Hell's Kitchen action before season two!
One week left until @barnesandnoble.com's big Pre-Order Sale! From December 30th to January 1st, use code PREORDER25 to get 25% off books like Enemy of My Enemy: A Daredevil Marvel Crime Novel!

www.barnesandnoble.com/w/enemy-of-m...
December 31, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
Hey! @jqwritesstuff.bsky.social is a fantastic writer of crime fiction and as a reporter for the LA Times. Grab his books. They're excellent.
The newest issue of Dark Waters is out now! And it includes a short story that I coincidentally wrote in the Summer of 2025 in Los Angeles for some reason!

Grab a copy here!
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-water...
Dark Waters vol. 3|Paperback
www.barnesandnoble.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
Love this thread.
Writers write.
We try this, we try that, & we chortle when it comes alive.
And read read read.
That's it! That's the secret!
This set of observations is produced by my scrolling Reddit and otherwise listening to people talk about "how to write."

A) there is no requirement that any of your characters has any sort of "arc" let alone a redemption.

B) there is also no requirement that your fiction has a plot.
December 31, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Newsmax host Greg Kelly suggested that the #Kennedy name should be removed altogether. Kelly referred to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as “a swamp jewel” and described John F. Kennedy as “a beautiful #Democrat that they have elevated to obscene levels.” is.gd/cqi7ah
Trump Shared Clip Calling to Remove Kennedy Name From Kennedy Center
The segment Trump posted claimed Kennedy had been “elevated to obscene levels”
meidasnews.com
December 31, 2025 at 9:40 PM
“Thank you for always being aware of the dangers of Scientology and their successful infiltration of the Trump administration and the federal government overall.”

Leah Remini Warns Scientology Has Infiltrated Trump Admin mediaite.com/a/eispz
‘Very Scary’: Ex-Scientologist Leah Remini Sounds Alarm Over Religion’s ‘Infiltration’ of Trump Admin
Actor and ex-Scientologist Leah Remini said it is "very scary" to see President Donald Trump surrounded by a number of Scientologists recently.
www.mediaite.com
December 31, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Reposted by Archibald Fitz
#AskHistorians Reddit forum, February 2, 2026.

I'll be doing a live Q&A session known as Ask Me Anything (AMA) on my new book #KGBLiterati.

Your chance to "ask me anything" concerning KGB spy fiction & institutional culture. Be there! @socintelhist.bsky.social

reddit.com/r/AskHistori...
December 31, 2025 at 6:02 PM