The Usurper

**"The Usurper"** is a photographic novel by J.P. Leck and is the forty-first entry (thirty-second, chronologically) in his Endless Elsewhere multimedia meta-narrative. It is the seventh Endless Elsewhere photographic novel. It was released for the Amazon Kindle on March 27, 2020 with physical copies being made available in the Endless Elsewhere shop on April 10, 2020.

## Synopsis

Despondent after the death of his partner Alex Heaney by his own hand (as told in "The Colonnades"), Keith Sorrels has descended into a self-destructive drunken stupor. Upon receiving a job from a new client, Keith finds himself in the clutches of a group called the Beowulves, who have mistaken him for the time-displaced Clarence Grindle.

## Characters

* **Keith Sorrels** - the head of the Unclosing Eye Detective Agency, currently attempting to retrieve a painting for a mysterious client
	+ *Keith is portrayed by **Stephen E. Foxworthy**.*
* **Piper** - the waitress at Joe's Diner, charged with relaying the latest job to Keith on behalf of his mysterious benefactor
	+ *Piper is portrayed by **Lauren Shen**.*
* **Violet** - a Novelty, a monster hunter who confers with Dr. Hardesty before embarking on a clandestine mission abroad
	+ *Violet is portrayed by **Mindy Wesson**.*
* **Dr. Frederick Hardesty** - the official mascot-secretary of the Unclosing Eye Detective Agency
* **A boy** - a young boy who happens upon an inebriated Sorrels
	+ *The boy is portrayed by **Hudson Leck**.*

### Referenced Characters

* **Carolyn Pelfrey** - Keith's first employee at the Unclosing Eye leaves him multiple texts and voicemails while he's on his bender
* **Ryan Tolliver** - recently rescued and recovered in the events of "The Colonnades," Carolyn references him getting his memory back
* **Alex Heaney** - Keith's former partner in the Circle City Police Department
* **Clarence Grindle** - the titular Usurper; a non-corporeal traveler of time and space who can take possession of other bodies
* **Rex Benton** - Violet's predecessor as the Novelty, who hand-picked her as his successor upon his death

## Locations

* **Joe's Diner** - the diner where Sorrels is scheduled to meet a prospective client
* **Circle City Cemetery** - the cemetery from which Sorrels is supposed to retrieve the painting his client has asked for
* **The Unclosing Eye Detective Agency** - the barren office space currently occupied by Sorrels & Co.

## Artifacts

* **The *Codex Reclusione Alio in Oculo*** - a palimpsest once recovered on an early mission by Keith Sorrels
* **The Sarcophagus** - a stasis chamber disguised as a coffin locked away in the undercroft of Circle City Cemetery's mausoleum
* **Grindle's painting** - a painting created by Clarence Grindle which his soul remains searching for across time and space
* **The Brain Box** - the box which currently contains "the greatest scientific mind the world has ever known," that of Dr. Frederick Hardesty
* **The Cross Box** - a suitcase converted for the containment of cursed objects
* **The Vampire Bat** - a baseball bat sharpened to a point designed to facilitate the dispatch of vampires
* **The Zapper** - a tele-force weapon designed by Dr. Hardesty which he bequeaths to Violet before she embarks on her mission

## Links

* "The Usurper" on Amazon
* "The Usurper" (autographed!) in the Endless Elsewhere Store
* "The Usurper" on Goodreads
* "The Usurper" on IndyPlanet