Reviewing short stories either as a single or in a
collection or anthology is always a bit tough as one does not want to give away
too much. Books, such as this one, where every single story has plenty of
twists and turns make it easy. What you have below is just the barest beginnings
of these very complicated tales.
Beat
To A Pulp: Hardboiled 2 opens with “The Takedown Heart: A
Charlie Byrne Grind” by Kieran Shea in a claustrophobic gym office. The office on
the outskirts of Atlantic City belongs to Dodge Lee. He’s got a fighter by the name of Diego
Guzman who might be good if, among other things, a young lady wasn’t involved. Lee wants Byrne to check things out and make
sure the young lady isn’t cheating on him. Once she is cleared and Lee as well
as Guzman knows she is faithful, he can bear down and get ready for the major
fight that is coming up. Byrne owes Lee and he agrees to keep an eye on things
in and out of the ring and see what he can find out.
In a tale set sometime during the years he was in
Rockford, Illinois, Joe Hannibal appears next in “The Loveliest Tale” by Wayne
D. Dundee. Clyde Grammercy claimed a severe back injury in a lawsuit before
leaving the case in the hands of his legal team and heading to Minnesota to
stay with his parents. Hannibal is working the case on behalf of the insurance
company and has witnessed the amazing physical abilities of the litigant with and
without his sexual partner. But, Hannibal has also noticed he is not alone in
his surveillance and that presents a problem.
He has a plan in “The Killing On Sutter Street” by
Paul S. Powers and drove all night to get there. He is going to put the gun to
the guy’s belt buckle and shoot him. He has fantasized about the path the
bullet will take and the damage it will cause. He has just got to find him.
Three months of working out on the rim is over and
Obed is glad to see the planet in “Down, Down, Down, Burns, Burns, Burns” by
Jedidiah Ayres. Drug addiction and murder are just two of the elements at work
in this very complicated story that resists summarizing.
Waiting for somebody to show so you can get paid is seriously
annoying. Haji and Mario have been waiting for over an hour in “Split The Take”
by Eric Beetner and enough is enough. Now they are going to go looking for
Raul. This is not a good time to be known as somebody who knows Raul and therefore
might know where he is. It also isn’t a good time to be Raul either.
According to Hunter, Mortimer is dead in “Vicious
Day” by Mathew C. Funk. It is just 7:03 am and there is a lot to do before
sundown. Territory has be protected, resources allocated, and one does have to
keep up appearances.
“Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time” is an
old mantra familiar to crime readers and writers everywhere. That saying comes
to mind in “Hard Time” by Tom Roberts in a tale that puts a slightly different
spin on it. Deputy U.S. Marshal Taggart is on the way to pick up the redheaded
boy at the jail. The boy isn’t scared that the Marshal is coming as fast as his
horse will get him there, but he should be.
Cash Laramie follows next in “The Wicked” by Edward
A. Grainger. It is 1911 and 56 year old Cash
Laramie is taking a beating from a guy named Mowser. Preacher wants information
and is using Mowser in an attempt to get it. That isn’t going to work.
Being the assistant production manager on the
morning show is pretty much a thankless job. In “Double Your Pleasure” by BV
Lawson, Fred knows his day job is lousy, why he avoids going home as much as
possible, and that there is some creepy guy stalking him. He also knows the night
job is getting old. What he doesn’t know is going to be a problem.
Eric Boswell is eager in “Ghost Story” by Jay
Stringer. Moses Lita, has a couple of years on him and figures the world isn’t
going to change that much. Something is happening out there on the nearby
streets based on the screams and the noise, but, Moses wants no part of it. He needs
to law low as the Gypsy is looking for him in a neighborhood on edge.
Danger from out there somewhere that can be heard
but not seen is also part of the next story titled “It’s Coming “by Jen
Conley. In this case the screams are
coming from a nearby homeless camp. They aren’t the only ones screaming either
as Mandy’s crazy Aunt Ettie keeps screaming on about how “It’s coming.” Nobody
knows what she is talking about either, but, she is screaming it as well as
saying it more and more. Aunt Ettie needs help and she is not the only one.
Cops and bad guys alike are afraid of Ross Grimm. He
scares bad guys because he makes them talk and does not care about rules and
procedures. He scares the brass because they know one day a suspect will die by
his hands and there will be hell to pay. He is a twisted cop and just part of
the complicated puzzle in “Tough Cop” by Charles Boeckman.
The PI knows the three guys who just walked into his
office in “Shut Up And Kill Me” by Robert J. Randisi mean business. Nick
Delvecchio has had a bad beating in the past and isn’t going to let anyone get
a jump on him. The woman who was in his office earlier in the day may have
already done that.
Beat
to a Pulp: Hardboiled 2 features not only an eclectic mix
of writing styles and themes, there is a bit of a Twilight Zone feel to a number of stories. The kind of tale that
would make Rod Sterling proud populates this book. At the same time there are
plenty of reads in the book that are more conventional crime noir type stories
that pack a solid punch. The result is a book that mixes a large variety of
tales together in creating a very good read. The thirteen tales from the
various authors and eras are all good ones and well worth your time.
Beat To A Pulp: Hardboiled 2
Edited
by David Cramner and Scott D. Parker
Beat
To A Pulp
2013
ASIN:
B00BKPR8XG
E-book
(also available in print)
203
pages (estimated)
$1.99
This book was picked up last month during the free
book promotion for my use in an objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013
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