Reviewing: "Murder New York Style: 21 Stories By Authors Of Greater New York" Edited By Randy Kandel

Regional anthologies, as opposed to ones on a certain literary them or device, seem to be very popular these days. Usually it is a state or a region of the country but in this case it is a city. One would think it would be published by a publisher there. Instead, and what pulled my attention to it in the first place, was the fact that it was done by the same Texas publisher that did Sylvia Dickey’s “Dance On His Grave” novel. L&L Dreamspell seems to be doing a lot of interesting things in a wide variety of areas.

Murder New York Style: 21 Stories By Authors Of Greater New York
Edited By Randy Kandel
L & L Dreamspell
http://www.lldreamspell.com/
November 2007
ISBN# 978-1-60318-032-0
Large Trade Paperback
339 Pages


Showcasing New York past and present, these twenty one tales by authors of the Sisters in Crime New York/Tri State Chapter contain murder and mayhem in a variety of forms.

“Name Tagging” by Randy Kandel, who pulls double duty as editor and also serves as President of the chapter, revolves around murder and deception at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Friendship leads to murder in “Mister Right” by Ronnie Klaskin in a way you will never see coming.

New York very well could be the shopping capital of the world especially in terms of fake goods. A certain knock off purse in “the Knock Off” by Chelle Martin just might be more trouble than it or the real counterpart is worth.

Bodies in the backyard should not appear before ten in the morning—especially on a Saturday. If one does, it would be nice not to have Mrs. Zablonksky living next door. Once she starts screaming about the body in the backyard there is no way Lydia is going to get back to sleep in “Out In The Cold” by Meredith Cole.

Being the adult child of a cop as well as a cop herself isn’t easy for Ellie in “NYPDaughter” by Triss Stein. Such a situation makes one see the world very differently.

Lies take on a life of their own in “The Lie” by Anita Page. It may be forty years later but the lie never went away.

Teaching business at Hudson College isn’t the background one really needs to catch a test thief in “None of the Above” by Deirdre Verne. Professor Zoe Johnstone is not about to let that stop her as she hunts for a thief.

Also included in this anthology are stories from Cynthia Baxter, Fran Bannigan Cox, Peggy Ehrhart, Erica Harth, Marianna Heusler, Nan Higginson, M. E. Kemp, Margarret Mendel, Terrie Farley Moran, Dorothy Mortman, R. M. Peluso, Pearl Wolf, Lina Zeldovich, and Elizabth Zelvin. The sketches that frame the eight sections of the book were done by Kat (no last name listed) and the cover art was done by Rebecca A. Kandel.

Featuring diverse backgrounds and varied settings such as belly dancing in a nightclub, a vice president’s office, a mill factory, each story is clearly and distinctively New York. Each story features rich characterizations and an avoidance for the most part of graphic violence. Humor occasionally plays a part in these tales which often unroll at a sedately pace whether set now or far in the past. The result is an anthology that will bring hours of pleasure for those so inclined to partake and serve not only to entertain with mystery but to provide a sort of cultural roadmap to the city.



Kevin R. Tipple © 2007