Red Cells
A novella.
Private detective and mutant shapeshifter Jeremy Stake (hero of the novels Deadstock and Blue War) has fallen on hard times in the far-future city of Punktown. When he is offered an opportunity to masquerade as another man to do his prison sentence for him, Stake agrees, but this is a new type of penitentiary — existing in its own pocket universe.
In this isolated prison, a series of gruesome murders have occurred, and the inmates soon force Stake to investigate. Can Stake catch a killer that might not even be human, without becoming just another victim?
Jeffrey Thomas
Jeffrey Thomas (born 1957) is a prolific writer of science fiction and horror, best known for his stories set in the nightmarish future city called Punktown, such as the novel Deadstock and the collection Punktown.
Jeffrey Thomas has received numerous Honorable Mentions in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, and in 2000 both Terror Incognita and Punktown appeared on the preliminary ballot for the Bram Stoker Award (Best Collection). He has been a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award (Best First Novel) for Monstrocity, and a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Deadstock.