Malory

Sci-Fi, LitRPG & Progression Fantasy

Winner of the 2026 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award

Murder in the Temple cover — The Soar Chronicles Book 1 by Malory
The Soar Chronicles · Book 1

Murder in the Temple

A low-Level PI with no Class, no god, and a very punchable face. Welcome to Soar, where faith is currency and murder is part of the market.

LitRPG Hardboiled Mystery Detective
Audiobook Sample

Read by Neil Hellegers

Free on Kindle Unlimited

About the Book

In Soar, you pray to a god or you scrape by without one, and the gods take a cut of everything that moves. Most people pick a side and stick with it. The protagonist of The Soar Chronicles did neither, which is why he’s a Classless private investigator with a face that gets him hit a lot — and why, when a High Priestess turns up dead in her own temple, he’s the only person in the city nobody’s paid to silence.

What starts as a murder is, by chapter three, four murders. By chapter six it’s a question of which god is short a worshipper and which is gaining one. By the end, the answer matters less than what Soar is willing to do to keep the question quiet.

Audiobook performed by Neil Hellegers.

For Readers Who…

love the hardboiled rhythm of Raymond Chandler or the genre-bending detective work in Noobtown and The Land. Heavier on noir, mystery, and consequence than most LitRPG — you’re not here to grind, you’re here to figure out who did it.

Reader Reception

Still the best detective series I've ever read. Classless never meant useless — from book one he showed he was able to function and work, even if it wasn't according to the standards of others. Well done, Malory.
H. House Amazon
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More From Readers

via Goodreads
A bold attempt at a LitRPG detective mystery. The worldbuilding is good and the characters memorable. We follow a private investigator with a mysterious past that left him Classless — at the bottom of the barrel.
NikosGoodreads
A blast. Delightfully different — if you're looking for a noir-type detective story with LitRPG elements. The city of Soar is quite unique. A complete story in this one. Looking forward to the next.
Scott HoffmanGoodreads
Malory has showcased new talents in this mystery series. Intriguing characters fight against a political system made harder because the MC is the underdog. Particularly liked how the relationships are bound together while also allowing us to try and solve the mystery.
ScottGoodreads
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This is Book 1 of The Soar Chronicles. The series continues with Death of a Curator, plus a full library on the books page.
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