Gray Area

Gray Area: The Case of the Hellhound Homicide is a murder mystery novella by R.L. Akers and the second book in the Files of Gray Gaynes series. The novella was published on July 19, 2017.

The story takes place roughly three months after the previous novel, when Gray and his partner Mack are called to investigate a bloodbath crime scene in a posh high-rise office building. Certain details of the scene suggest a supernatural "hellhound" killer. The author's own dedication of this novella suggests this is a nod to Hound of the Baskervilles, one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories.

The author has stated that Gray novellas #2 (this story), #3, and #4 are largely standalone and can be read in any order (or skipped entirely) without spoiling other stories in the series. The main plot of Gray's first story arc is related in books #1, #5, and #6, in that order.

The audiobook production of Gray Area was performed by narrator Marcus Freeman and published on August 8, 2025. Coincidentally, the first chapter of this story occurs on August 9, 2015, almost exactly a decade earlier.

Artwork

As with each Gray Gaynes installment, the chapter numbering within Gray Area is unique. In this case, each number is displayed as a series of slashed Roman numerals... such as might have been inflicted by hellhound claws.

Back Cover Blurb

AN IMPOSSIBLE MURDER, PERPETRATED BY AN IMPOSSIBLE KILLER

When officers answer a 911 call at a high-rise office building, it's immediately clear that a crime has occurred. Gallons of blood soak the walls and carpet of a posh corner office... and yet there's no body. What's more, the security system makes abundantly clear that no one came or went from the room after the apparent victim's arrival earlier that day. With the smell of brimstone lingering on the air, and gouges clawed in the floor and furniture, it almost seems possible that a creature out of myth was responsible for the horrific event.

But the detective on the case doesn't believe in myths. He believes in facts, and he will not rest until all the facts fit together, forming a cohesive picture of this tragedy. And yet, with the added distraction of the challenges he continues to face personally, this case may ultimately get the better of him.

Meet Gray Gaynes: a brilliant investigator, but also a man deeply wounded by his own personal tragedy... A man willing to go to great lengths to hide the truth of the irrevocable changes he is undergoing.