Short Story Wednesday: Half Crime by Rusty Barnes

 

As made clear on the cover with the phrase, Short Stories, Half Crime by Rusty Barnes is a collection of short stories. These reads are crime fiction tales, often noir in style, and not ones to read if you want to feel good about people. The nine tales in the read feature characters living on the edge, in more ways than one. Often pushed to the brink, they react.

 

Some stories that resonated with this reader are:

 

Crate Lang ticked off Robbie Moore who is now making his anger publicly known as “Bad Old Boy” begins. Crate does not want to fight. He just wants Robbie to take the money they already agreed to though Robbie does not seem amenable to that at the point. For Crate, the fight is the easiest time he will have in the days to come.

 

In “The Keeper” all he had to do was get the weed to Fuzzy Zemanek at the Tioga County Fair. Fuzzy has a gig there and John, Fuzzy’s supplier and the narrator’s boss, is insisting he make delivery to him at the fair. The lunch sack contains a lot of baggies stuffed with weed. That delivery would normally go to Fuzzy’s house, but John insists it goes to him at the Fair. Obviously, this seems like a bad idea to take it to the Fair. It was, before long, things are going worse and worse and not just because of the zebras.

 

“Big Daddy” is set in the Pocono Mountains in 1995. Stacy Rich was supposed to do just one little thing to make a little money. Instead, she keeps getting squeezed to do more and more and her options are running out.

 

Ray introduced Sissy to him and that snake on her back is captivating. Jared’s woman took the kids and split, so Ray figures Sissy would be good for him. Whether she is or not slowly becomes clear in “Ampersand.”

 

Kelly had an intense romantic relationship in the past, before Brigid, and she knows about it now. The relationship was with a man so she is very confused as to why and who Kelly really is, beyond the father of their kids. Angel, that man, is who Kelly wants to take the family and visit while also making a final clean break. That visit is just one aspect of the very complicated, “In The Blood.”

 

While those particular tales resonated in me, the nine short stories in Half Crime by Rusty Barnes are all good ones. Published by Redneck Press, each short story tends towards the dark side of life as these are not cozy mysteries with ladies, tea, and cats. These are tales with blood, sweat, fear, and huge heaping tablespoons of desperation.

 

These tales, even for characters seemingly in charge, feature people doing the best they can with their own circumstances. Often those circumstances, as well as their own huma nature and the human nature of others, work against them from start to finish. An entertaining read and strongly recommended if you like dark complicated tales.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/43x7sZo 

 

 

My reading copy was either a free book pickup OR the author sent it to me with no expectation of a review. I have no idea now how I obtained it as either one happens a lot with me.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025