New Alleys For Nothing Men: Crime and
Noir Stories is one of those
cases where the title makes it clear that the reading inside is not going to be
of a light and fluffy nature. If one had not already picked up on the lack of a
feline presence on the cover, or missed the idea that alleys are almost always
trouble, and had no idea what “nothing men” meant, the fact that the subtitle referred
to Crime
and Noir Stories, should have made it clear that these tales won’t make
you feel good about the world. For the male reader, these are not role models
to live your life by though a couple of them might have some highly entertaining
stories to share down at the strip club between acts.
This collection of
short stories by Michael Pool opens with “Waylon, On Rerun.” Waylon is stealing
stuff from a house when Bernie shows at the back fence. Bernie is not all
together and appears to be a bit slow on the uptake as to what is happening at
Mr. Collins’ house. He might be talked into helping with the television and some
other stuff if Waylon works it right.
It is a hot and humid
night as Karl Joyce drinks and smokes. Living in the trailer across from his
house in “Tote The Note” is hard. He is out in the trailer for good reason. IRS
auditor Timothy Sorren is not helping matters at all and neither is his wife,
Claudia.
It is hard to drive
down a snowy street with one hand holding an old t-shirt over the stab wound in
your stomach, but that is what Harman is dealing with in “Two Feet Deep.” That
and the body of Ray Miller in the back end of the old Subaru wagon. Ray should
have stayed at Bingo like he normally did. In addition to dealing with his
stomach wound, Harman has a major problem. How do you get rid of a body when
the ground has been frozen for months and will be frozen for months to come?
The screams at night
are the hardest to deal with in “Edict From Nowhere” 35 years inside means our
narrator has seen a lot in prison and has some stories to tell.
Manny owns Thompson’s
on Twelve Street. He has a soft spot for his fellow ex-cons looking for a
better life so he hired Travis to be a meat cutter. Travis hates the job in “Doo-Doo
The Biker Boyee.” He hated the job until Miss Lynn came in the neighborhood
bodega to place an order.
Standing at the
grave, Terrance barely remembers his grandmother Irma. He will be joining her
soon. He has some things to do first in “Eye Of The Hurricane.”
Franklin has found a
lot of things in returned formal wear, but this is a totally new deal in
“Franklin And The Finger.” How do you explain it to the police? What do you do
if a customer walks in while are holding a severed finger? People might get the
wrong idea about you.
Mandy needs Kate’s
help in “An Art Show Mating Call’ and for very good reason. Timothy Briggs is
causing trouble again.
The very air seems to
be on fire from the noon sun in “Life Of A Salesman.” Our narrator, Marv, is
not very good at selling cars. The customer that just showed up on the lot
appears to be far more trouble than he is worth.
A dealership is a
part of the next story titled “Queen Of The Rotten.” At least Helga is still working
at the strip club even if he gets there two hours later than normal. Waldo’s
might be your typical strip club, but what sets it apart is the magnificent Helga.
Ralston likes to
shoot out car windows using his pellet gun. Nobody is supposed to get hurt.
Until it happens in “Two Pulled From The Waters of Lake Genevieve.”
Mike Treadwell had a
very distinctive plan for when he got out of prison. It is finally going to
happen as the “Midnight at the San Fransican” begins. It has been ten years,
but the forced wait has been worth it.
As made very clear by
the book title, these short stories are not happy in tone or substance. New
Alleys For Nothing Men: Crime and Noir Stories contains tales of men
pushed to the breaking point. Some would argue these men made the choices that
ultimately led to their respective fates. Others would argue that these men
were pawns in an elaborate chess game orchestrated by fate and she is one very cruel
mistress. The tales in New Alleys For Nothing Men: Crime and Noir
Stories are good ones.
New Alleys For Nothing Men: Crime and
Noir Stories
Michael Pool
Short Stack Books
February
2016
ASIN: B018SSZ99C
eBook (also available
in print format)
156 Pages
$2.99
Digital ARC
supplied by the author months ago in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R.
Tipple ©2018
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