GOLGOTHA
City of Skulls
By Jaime Ramos
20 pgs
“Golgotha – City of Skulls” is an odd little book labeling itself a novelette. Considering its brevity, it is obviously not a novella. Whereas it seems to fall in that gray zone of what would be called a “long” short story. We know, that’s an oxymoron, but novelette seems to fit here quite nicely.
The story itself concerns a psychic investigator named Johnny Normandy who is called upon by the police of Golgotha, a dark and grim city on the lake shores of Wisconsin. The mayor’s young daughter, Betsy, has been kidnapped and Normandy is the only person with a chance of saving her. Once into the story itself, it soon becomes evident there’s more to the tale. Our hero has an antagonistic relation to his honor the mayor. One that may yield a dramatic surprise before the case is finished.
One should also note, that Ramos conceived the setting of Golgotha to be a shared backdrop wherein other writers will be invited to create their own tales that take place within its environs. This is nothing new in pulps, as we seem to recall publisher Tommy Hancock doing a similar shared world called Sovereign City years ago. That project featured writers like Barry Reese and the late Derrick Ferguson. It’s always a fun idea and we’ll be intrigued to see how this one develops.
Till then, “City of Skulls” is a damn good beginning. Go find a copy and see for yourself.
