Greta van der Rol loves writing action-packed adventures with a side salad of romance. Most of her work is space opera, but she has written paranormal and historical fiction.

She lives not far from the coast in Queensland, Australia and enjoys photography and cooking when she isn't bent over a hot computer. She has a degree in history and a background in building information systems, both of which go a long way toward helping her in her writing endeavours.

For the Greater Good by Greta van der Rol

A Human settlement is destroyed and all signs point to an Yrmak raid as Imperial agents Tian Axmar and Brent Walker scour the site for clues. One thing they never expected to find was a survivor, a rare alien feline with unusual talents.

As tensions between Humans and Yrmaks ratchet to the point of no return, Tian and Brent must bring all their cyborg skills to bear as they follow a dangerous trail of deception and misdirection.

The feline, now dubbed Puss and strongly bonded to Tian, holds the key to many of the questions driving the investigation. Unfortunately, that bond drives a wedge between Brent and Tian's working relationship, leaving Brent with second thoughts about his decision to become a cyborg.

As the evidence unfolds, it becomes clear that a devious plot to incite an interspecies war will strike at the very heart of the Empire. With lives at risk, there's no time to waste. Racing against the clock, Brent, Tian, and Puss must stop the planned carnage, and this time for Brent and Tian… it's personal.

CURATOR'S NOTE

Greta van der Rol pens space opera tales of action-adventure and heart-stopping romance. The little black cat on For the Greater Good's lovely cover had me instantly captivated. My family has two kitties of the Le Chat Noir persuasion, so I am no stranger to the charms of blue-eyed Siamese-feline companions. Pauline Baird Jones graciously introduced me to Greta. I'm honored to be able to recommend the author's amateur photography as well as her professional books. – Melissa Snark

 

REVIEWS

  • "This story has all the elements I like in science fiction romance - strong, multi-dimensional characters, adventure, exciting action, good versus despicable evil, mystery and, in this case, a small dollop of romance between Brent and Tian, our hero and heroine."

    – Amazon Review

  • "The best thing is the new pet. That is the Puss in space part of the title. Puss in a really great character. She is much more than just a cat. Great story for cat fans."

    – Amazon Review

  • "This was a fabulous, well-constructed story with rich complexities. There are many emotional and relationship issues that need to be addressed."

    – Amazon Review
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

The warehouse stretched a long way back, one side for larger, stacked crates and cartons, and the other lined with shelves. Wan light filtered through high windows, picking out drifting dust motes. The rest of the place was in shadow. Tian didn't bother turning on the lights. A robopick sat in its cradle beside the shelves, powered up and ready to go and an escalator ran from the middle of the floor up to the top story, a mezzanine where Darg had his offices. Tian stood on the bottom step of the escalator, which started up with a soft hum. She turned around, viewing the bottom floor as she rose higher. Yes, the place had been ransacked. Torn boxes littered the ground and clean oblongs in the dust showed where items used to be. But it looked staged, haphazard. A real thief would surely have been more targeted. How much was really missing? The local police reports didn't provide any detailed information. Probably the only one who would have known was dead.

The escalator stopped. A railed off walkway with three closed doors ran along the width of the building. Tian started at the left. The door opened into a jumbled collection of artworks stacked on shelves. Yrmak pottery, delicate Dron silverware, paintings, statues. But all of them faulty in some way; a crack here, a dent there, a scratch spoiling a painting.

Puss jumped up on a shelf and prowled along the row of artefacts, pausing occasionally to look inside.

"You be careful up there. No tossing things off." Kira used to do that, push objects off the table onto the floor, just for the hell of it.

Puss looked down her elegant nose at Tian and pushed at a pot with her paw. It teetered.

"Puss! No!"

The dratted cat jumped up to the higher shelf, but caught the pot and put it back with her tail.

Tian wasn't sure whether to laugh or scold.