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Tom Hanratty
Tom Hanratty

832 Followers

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The Wicked Affair of the Golden Emperor A Charles Goodfoote Mystery
The Wicked Affair of the Golden Emperor A Charles Goodfoote Mystery

Charles Goodfoote, mixed-blood Pinkerton Operative, runs the labyrinth of San Francisco's Chinatown to solve a locked-room mystery in 1868.

2021

·
Tom Hanratty
Tom Hanratty

Stories

Published in

ILLUMINATION-Curated

·2 days ago

The Greatest Fear of the Elderly is Not Death

With a personal note on moving along in my 8th decade of life — Some years back, a psychologist told me the greatest fear humans experience is the fear of death. Later, I was informed by someone who works with older folk that residents of nursing homes often hold their breath in an effort to die. Apparently, the fear of death is more prevalent…

Death And Dying

4 min read

The Greatest Fear of the Elderly is Not Death
The Greatest Fear of the Elderly is Not Death
Death And Dying

4 min read


Published in

ILLUMINATION-Curated

·Sep 6

The Wabi-Sabi of My Mind

The beauty of imperfection — My curiosity peaked when I heard the term kintsugi, Japanese for “golden joinery.” Kintsugi is the practice of repairing broken pottery with a resin made with gold, silver, or platinum dust. The results are considered more beautiful than the unbroken item, and, over time, it became an art form. As…

Kintsugi

3 min read

The Wabi-Sabi of My Mind
The Wabi-Sabi of My Mind
Kintsugi

3 min read


Published in

ILLUMINATION-Curated

·Aug 29

‘Too Damned Old’

And other official causes of death — During a recent conversation with a friend, the subject of the deaths in the past couple of years of Russian generals and oligarchs came up. Among those discussed were Anatoly Gerashchenko and Ravil Maganov, both Moscow billionaires who fell to their deaths under suspicious circumstances. While falling or being pushed…

Coroner

3 min read

‘Too Damned Old’
‘Too Damned Old’
Coroner

3 min read


Published in

ILLUMINATION-Curated

·Aug 24

Best Doctor in Tombstone

And his name wasn’t Holiday — While watching the movie Tombstone the other day, I became curious about an unnamed character who was obviously of vital importance in “The Town Too Tough to Die.” Who, I wondered, patched up all the gunshot wounds of the lawmen and outlaws? In the gunfight at the OK corral, for…

Movies To Watch

3 min read

Best Doctor in Tombstone
Best Doctor in Tombstone
Movies To Watch

3 min read


Published in

ILLUMINATION-Curated

·Aug 18

Murder at The Crashing Boulders

A creative non-fiction story — For a Forensic Investigator, dead bodies are the job -the raison d’être. Any suspicious death, whether murder, suicide, or accident, becomes a Medical Examiner’s case. …

Mystery

5 min read

Murder at The Crashing Boulders
Murder at The Crashing Boulders
Mystery

5 min read


Aug 14

Our Illusionary Society

The dangers of a false reality — Jean Baudrillard, a French philosopher and sociologist, once said that America was a country that has layered illusion upon illusion, moving away from reality at a rapid rate. He mentioned the growing influence of TV and the growth of Las Vegas and Disneyland as evidence of his premise of “Hyperreality.” …

Social Media

3 min read

Our Illusionary Society
Our Illusionary Society
Social Media

3 min read


Published in

ILLUMINATION-Curated

·Jul 10

When Words Can’t Be Uttered

Tea settings, flowers, fans, and laundry — In one of my earlier novels, the hero sits down with the villain Lo Ping, a Chinese warlord, over tea. Lo Ping had made sure the cups and teapot were of a specific pattern, color, and arrangement on the table. If the detective had inside knowledge of the secret society…

History

4 min read

When Words Can’t Be Uttered
When Words Can’t Be Uttered
History

4 min read


Published in

ILLUMINATION-Curated

·Jun 16

Respect of Elders

Observations on my 82nd year — My friend, Keewaydinoquay, was an Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) elder. Years ago, I had the opportunity to stay with her for a week at her encampment on Garden Island in northern Lake Michigan. I was one of about 30 visitors; friends, students, and apprentices. …

Elderly

3 min read

Respect of Elders
Respect of Elders
Elderly

3 min read


Published in

ILLUMINATION-Curated

·Jun 9

Using the I Ching to Solve a Murder

It worked in Ancient China — True Crime Here’s an interesting way of solving a crime I found in a book I’m reading: Crime and Punishment in Ancient China, by T’ang-Yin-Pi-Shih During the Ch’in Dynasty (350–394 CE), Tung Feng went off to study for the government examination, returning home three years later. Because of his absence…

Ancient China

4 min read

Using the I Ching to Solve a Murder
Using the I Ching to Solve a Murder
Ancient China

4 min read


Published in

ILLUMINATION-Curated

·Jun 2

Down and Up the Rabbit Hole

One Too Many Questions — Curiosity got to me once again, and, like a novice lawyer, I had to ask just one more question. I read that quantum computers will be the next breakthrough in data processing, and I wondered, “What makes a quantum computer ‘quantum?’ ” That was my first question. The answer, from…

Philosophy

3 min read

Down and Up the Rabbit Hole
Down and Up the Rabbit Hole
Philosophy

3 min read

Tom Hanratty

Tom Hanratty

832 Followers

Book Author

Scribbler of stories, lover of mysteries, retired Forensic Investigator and Tracker of critters. www.thomashanratty.com

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