Saturday, July 02, 2022
Thursday, June 30, 2022
Noir at the Bar: Dallas TONIGHT!!!
Tonight is the night at The Wild Detectives. I will be reading from my short story, The Beetle's Last Fifty Grand, which appears in the recently released crime fiction anthology, Back Road Bobby and His Friends. I have been told I am reading third tonight so that should be around 7:30 ish. Hope you come out if you are in the area.
Review: Hatchet Island by Paul Doiron
While my review previously appeared here in early May, the book was published earlier this week, so I am reminding you of it today.
Stacy Stevens
and Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch have planned a quiet getaway on Spruce
Island as Hatchet Island by Paul Doiron begins. The plan was to paddle out on
their kayaks and get away from everything. That was before Stacy got a
concerning email from her old friend Kendra Ballard. As it happens, Kendra
Ballard is on nearby Baker Island working as part of The Maine Sea Bird
Initiative Project as Stacy did long ago. Kendra Ballard supervises the two
interns and organizes everything from May to August. Her email was concerning
and she specifically requested Mike to come with Stacy and bring his badge and
gun.
Baker Island is
in a dead zone so they have to go out there to learn what is going on at the
island. Fortunately, the island which is home to numerous types of birds, is
close by and not much of a detour on thus July morning. They make it out to the
island in the fog, despite the near miss with a boat moving at far too high a
speed for the weather conditions. Once they arrive at the island, they are met
by an armed intern who clearly does not want them to land. The intern, Hillary
Fitzgerald, is eventually persuaded to check in with Kendra who makes it clear
she is in charge and she wants Stacy Stevens and Mike Bowditch to come ashore.
Maeve McLeary,
the person in charge of everything overall, has gone missing and none of the
researchers now where she or her boat is or why she is not on the island with
them. In addition to that, some of the locals are harassing one of the interns.
They claim it is all in good fun, but Bowditch knows it is racism and is
disgusted. There are other strange things happening as well.
Within hours,
all that will be eclipsed by the murders.
Stacy Stevens and Game Warden Mike Bowditch are soon in the thick of it and there are suspects galore. Hatchet Island is a complicated mystery filled read that shifts across several islands and puts Stevens and Bowditch in peril several times in the often violence filled read. Hatchet Island is another solidly good book in the long running series.
My reading copy was an ARC via NetGalley.
Kevin R. Tipple
©2022
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: Murder at the Foul Line
Beneath the Stains of Time: Rim of the Pit (1944) by Hake Talbot
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 105 Calls for Submissions in July 2022 - Paying markets
Little Big Crimes Review: Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School by Brian Thornton
Short Story Wednesday Review: The Gift of Murder Compiled and Edited by John M. Floyd
From the
magnificently massive archive...
For the fourth
consecutive year, Wolfmont Press has released an anthology designed to raise
money for the “Toys for Tots” program. Edited by John M. Floyd, this year’s
anthology is made up of many familiar names to anyone who reads short mystery
fiction and novels. Austin Camacho Bill Crider, Earl Staggs, Randy Rawls,
Deborah Elliot-Upton and the other usual suspects are also familiar to readers
who participate in the various online writing groups. Just reading the author
names involved should tell you that the content of the book is going to be
good.
The anthology
opens with “The Seven Dollar Clue” by J.F. Benedetto. Private Eye Mark Sauer
doesn’t want to be a murder victim the week before Christmas. But, when Madame
Zhu Li, head of the Jade Dragon Criminal Triad in New York’s Chinatown, wants
to see him and won’t take no for an answer, he worries this could be his final
dinner.
“Red Christmas”
by Stefanie Lazer follows next in a tale about just how far a parent has to go
to get the right toys for Christmas.
Written from the
perspective of a child, the story, “The Christmas Caper” by Stephen D. Rogers
tells what a child will do to get the toy he must have at nearly all costs.
“Twas The Night”
by Anita Page brings the ongoing economic crisis into focus for a recent layoff
victim. Having retreated to his cabin after his job and his marriage crashed,
the narrator becomes involved in a local disappearance.
If you haven’t
read the Ace Edwards, Dallas Private Investigator series by Randy Rawls you are
really missing out. For this anthology, there is a prequel of sorts to the
series via the tale “Jingle Bell, S. I.” Beyond explaining a little early
history, the tale is silly and light hearted and reflects the occasional mood
of the series.
“Caught On
Christmas Eve” by Earl Staggs has more than a couple of twists in this
shoplifting tale. I had the pleasure of reading this story in advance a few
months ago since Earl and I are both in the same local writer’s group and I
knew then it was a winner.
“The Gift Of The
Margi” by Peg Herring proves that, in the end, during the holiday season
sometimes family is all you can count on.
Deborah
Elliott-Upton crafted a rather disturbing story with her “An Unexpected Gift.”
Impossible to describe without ruining it for readers, I can safely say this
one surprised me. It also proved to be a harbinger of several darker in tone
stories in this anthology.
Known primarily
for his excellent Sheriff Dan Rhodes series, Bill Crider is writing of
werewolves again in “The Werewolf’s Christmas.” Imagine the holidays with a
full moon and you are a werewolf. A guarantee of trouble on the home front.
“Yule Be Sorry”
by Carolyn J. Rose shows just how mad a woman can be when she thinks her
husband is cheating on her.
In a nod to her
excellent novel “Death Will Get You Sober” released last year author Elizabeth
Zelvin brings back Bruce, Jimmy and Barbara in a quick little holiday tale.
Recovering alcoholic Bruce manages to help with a murder case and still make a
quick run to the store in “Death Will Trim Your Tree.”
Everyone has
relatives they don’t care for. Gwen seems to have more than her share in “The
Worst Noel” written by Barb Goffman. Enough is enough and she finally does
something about the issue in this disturbing tale.
The Hannibal
Jones series of novels written by Austin S. Camacho are quite good. It isn’t
any surprise that the tale “No Place To Spend Christmas” involves Hannibal and
his latest case.
The media
constantly warns folks to beware of strangers trying to help you during the
holiday season. Elmer finds out why in “One Good Turn” by Steve Shrott.
I’m not sure
what the folks at Amazon will think if they read “The Kindle Did It” by Gail
Farrelly. I am pretty sure I don’t want a Kindle anymore.
For a police
detective the late night phone call, especially during the holiday season, can
mean only one thing. Ben Barker isn’t thrilled when he is summoned in “An
Inconvenient Killing” written by Herschel Cozine and isn’t going to like what
he finds in this disturbing tale.
Detective Julie
Garcia of Cottonwood, Arizona finally gets a chance to deliver the ultimate
Christmas gift in “The Gift Of Christmas past” by Kris Neri.
The final story
is the “Sprit of Spadena Street” by Marian Allen. When a neighbor is mugged
during the holidays, it is time for the other residents to rally around and
find the perpetrators.
268 pages
including author bios, the anthology features a variety of writing styles and
tones along with a variety of crimes during the holiday season. From the
lighthearted type of stories typically seen in these anthologies in years past
to the dark and disturbing ones included this year there is something for
nearly every reader. John M. Floyd is to be commended for expanding the scope
of the anthology this year to stories that probably would not have made the cut
in past years. Unlike past anthologies, silly cleverness and puns regarding the
crimes and events during the holiday season were kept to a bare minimum.
Readers who prefer syrupy silliness might be disappointed, but those who prefer
a harder edge, even during the holiday season, won’t be disappointed with this
good anthology.
As in past years, sale proceeds after publishing costs will be donated by Wolfmont Press owner and publisher Tony Burton to the “Toys for Tots” campaign.
Material provided by Tony Burton in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple
© 2009, 2022
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