This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Charlie Huston, author of CATCHPENNY.

About CATCHPENNY: Sidney Catchpenny has had a bad run. Laid low by a years-long bout of debilitating depression, he’s all but squandered his reputation as one of the most uniquely talented thieves in LA. There aren’t many who can do what Sid does. He’s a sly, a special kind of crook with the uncanny ability to move through mirrors. And the spoils he’s after are equally unusual. Forget jewels and cold cash—Sid steals curiosities—items imbued with powerful mojo, a magical essence gleaned from the accumulated emotion that seeps into interesting, though often banal objects. That spot on the carpet where your old dog used to lay at your feet? The passed-down family heirloom nobody wants but everybody refuses to throw away? These curiosities are full of mojo, which is both the currency of the criminal underground and the secret source of magic in the world.

When a friend from Sid’s past comes looking for his help with an important client, and the chance to pay off old debts presents itself, Sid seizes the opportunity … as best he can. But the case he stumbles into is more complicated than it seems, and it portends a seismic shift in the world, one that will leave no one untouched. As the fog of his depression begins to lift, Sid sees connections everywhere he looks, and the once disparate threads of the case—a missing teenage girl, an entire bedroom saturated with mojo, and Sid’s own long-dead wife—begin to coalesce.

About Charlie Huston: Charlie Huston writes novels, movies and TV, sometimes comic books and recently a scripted original podcast. 12 of his novels have been published and a new one called CATCHPENNY will be out on April 9. He’s currently writing a screenplay adaptation of his first book, CAUGHT STEALING, for an upcoming movie directed by Darren Aronofsy and starring Austin Butler. He’s recently completed a spec TV pilot called ARCADIA for Tomorrow Studios. His daughter calls it HOT CRIMINAL ISLAND, which is super on the nose. His original scripted podcast about haunted cassette tapes is being developed with Atomic Monster for Audible.

This week’s picks:

• Charlie: Liquid Sky
• Tracy: Dune Part 2
• Patrick: Star Trek:Discovery S5 (Paramount+)

Links:

• Charlie Huston’s Website
• Tracy Townsend on the network formerly known as Twitter
• Patrick Hester on the network formerly known as Twitter
• The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

© 2024 Patrick Hester

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