Book 10: The Chronological Man: The Monster In The Mist, by Andrew Mayne
This is a series of novellas set in the late 19th century about a man, Smith, who investigates strange phenomena where the police have failed. This is the first book in the series, where he meets a new assistant, April Malone. April takes a job as a secretary/assistant, and reads newspapers and magazines and books for research, and makes coffee and sets out pastries every day, for a man she never sees. Then one day, Smith appears, and the adventure begins. People keep going missing in Boston, and it’s up to Smith and April to find out why. Smith felt very much to me like a steampunk Doctor, which made me enjoy the story even more.
Book 11: The Chronological Man: the Martian Emperor, by Andrew Mayne
In the second installment, a Martian makes an appearance in New York, and Smith and April must find out whether it’s a hoax. I enjoyed the first book more than the second, perhaps because Smith was more of a mystery then or because I wanted more of a subplot between Smith and April, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I’ve always been intrigued by steampunk but have never tried reading any books in the genre, and I was not disappointed. Both of these short books are $0.99 on Amazon as e-books, so I would recommend giving them a try!