All Comments on 'The Dregs of Murder'

I really like the way you handled the paradoxes. Kind of a "Kobayashi Maru" scenario where the rules were changed in order to circumvent the no-win problem. I would love to see more of these characters, but unfortunately I think this loop is now closed. This is some damn fine writing.

I enjoyed all 3 stories, well done.

This is a great story, and a fitting capstone to an outstanding series. Thanks for the hard work!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wonderful ending to a great series!

5

What a fantastic story. It had me captivated when I saw the 3rd book was released. I has been a great story from beginning to end, one I am sure I will need to reread a few times. Thanks for your efforts, and but allowing us to read your works

Whew, you tied my head in knots. But I really enjoyed the story, and the characters. And the ending was very satisfying.

I do feel like this book is more like an appendix to the first 2 stories though. The conflict is more of an internal conflict than an external conflict; based on the title and the precedent of the first 2 stories, I was expecting another murder mystery would need to be resolved.

Thank you for a remarkable read. You have a very apt user name!

Great story 👏

Excellent. More please. 5 Stars.

Hi Sanity Check,

“It won't. It can't. If you become a different person because I tell you something you want to know, that person is inside you already. You don't need me to change you. I can't change you. Only you can do thaT.

First, I want to tell you how much I enjoyed the series. It has the makings of a good novel. The plot is good, and your explanation of time travel paradoxes is as good as anyone’s! It is the sudden lack of empathy of your character and her clueless and sanctimonious hypocrisy that I abhor.

I realize this is a strong statement but let me back this up with textual support. First, “the idea of being that different person already.” I could offer the insights of therapeutic traditions that one has to face the problem head on—only then can it be dealt with. Landon is faced with originary trauma caused by parents for an event that he has no recollection of or way to understand. His whole character is defined by his parents’ negative perception. They are not here anymore.

Clueless and unempathetic. Cam has a good life—she knows she is loved and valued by multiple people. Landon is not. He has grown up with negative value, so what is his basis to build some sense of personal identity and sense of reality given his parents sustained efforts to deny it? Not much I think. So, what will be the basis for Landon to find what he needs—especially unlike Cam—he has little formal education or capacity to function in the world; a worry Cam does not have to deal with. So, how will Landon “pull himself up by his bootstraps” in this situation? How will he find the “True Landon Within” without a roadmap? He will manage just like Cam did on her own… even with the skill set she took years to acquire.

Which leads me to: hypocrite. Cam has the help of two people who help her become who she is and of whom she is IGNORANT of when she gets to the island—namely, Happy Cam and Desperate Cam. Her actions set in motion the access to these people who act as EXTERNAL guides to her—she has no access to them prior to this story. Through them she finds how to control her powers and is advised not to do things that would be catastrophic and to which she assents. And yet, she says that Landon has to do it on his own without her help. Because that is what she did? Fuck that! Because he can do this—please explain how when she has so much support and he does not?

This is not rocket science and I am at a loss as to how Cam can even believe that this few she has makes any sense if she actually follows her character’s behavior. Assuming that this makes sense to you that means that there are further adventures for Cam, on her way to becoming Happy Cam.

Happy Cam says:

“ Not stop... but after that night, the night you're living now, you'll lose the desire. You'll find yourself traveling only for convenience, to remind yourself to pick up something at the store you forgot, find where you put your phone, check to make sure you locked the door, that sort of thing. I will sometimes travel to give Hunter the hint he needs, but I don't interact with the past, and I've found traveling to the future... ruins the surprise.”

She also says she didn’t make mistakes. Not helping Landon is not necessarily a mistake. It is growing and recognizing that sometimes extending GRACE to someone who hurt her is a good thing to do, to help develop characteristics and values such as kindness and caring.

The reasons she offered Landon are bullshit. When she has calmed down, she will realize this—I believe—and realize that she did this out of anger at him—he in fact says exactly this and it is a natural reaction for Cam to have in this way. She is not obligated to help him but what bites is that she did not help someone in deep distress. Landon is not working this out on his own—many of us, in real life, need the help of others—therapists and/ or friends / family. Landon has none of these and was poorly served by the Masters who used him badly as a means to an end. They did Landon wrong.

So, Happy Cam uses her power to help Landon with information because this is not changing the past—so the impact moves forward… options to consider—Landon has a second gift that is “self-blocked” by the trauma of the event. That could lead in bad directions but it might help Landon become the person he was meant to be—after all, Cam COULD NOT ACCESS her gift on her own—she needed help (from her hither till now unknown selves AND from the Masters, Her aunt, AND Landon) to become who she was going to be (see the hypocrisy point I raised above). Alternatively, it is just his parents reacting to him using his gift when he was young and shutting him down emotionally. Other options also are available.

So why does Happy Cam not tell about this adventure I propose? She wants Cam to be “surprised” by her own decision when the time comes. Why? She told us so in the quote! And further, Cam only becomes Happy Cam because of the freely chosen choices she makes, something Happy Cam finds out more fully after helping Future Landon.

Anyway, that is my two cents worth. Once again, thank you for the thoughtful trilogy. In my opinion it needs a further adventure to actually show us the solidity and coherency of the path Cam follows…

Simply Outstanding! Hate to see this series end!

Thank you for sharing your stories you are a very talented author!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

What do I think? A masterpiece, no, a master series!

Well done, high to the right.

Thank You for the time and effort put into this series. Wonderful!

I haven't read the other two stories yet but this was great. However I agree with commenter below: I think Landon was handled poorly, I wanted him to know what was that issue in his past so he can move on with his life.

Thaw whole series has been a delight to read, and your treatment of the complicated paradoxes of time travel were insightful. This third instalment brought quite a few potential issues to light, some of which were addressed by the comments made by “onlythelonelylove” below. I must are issue with those comments, because it seems that they ignore the central reality of Cam’s conundrum concerning the unforeseeable effects of altering the past. Changing or illuminating Landon’s past had as much chance of creating a much worse situation than it did in providing a remedy to his sense of loss. I do not find her actions hypocritical in any way. If she had continued on her plan to eliminate her mother’s murder, but chose not to help Landon it could have been construed in that light. However, she discovered the danger of going back to alter the situation that resulted in her mother’s death and chose not to change history in spite of her desire to have her mother back. It was the singular lesson that defined her conclusion regarding time travel in general. Yes, it created a moral dilemma, but one she recognized that she had to avoid by refusing to take risks she could not comprehend or control.

So much for the moralizing! A great story, well fleshed out, with interesting characters. I’d love to read a prequel about her two aunts!