Once more, friends, we dip into the
massive archive….
Moonlight & Misadventure: 20
Stories of Mystery and Suspense opens with a powerful tale by Joseph S.
Walker titled “Crown Jewel.” Keenan Beech has brother issues. Specifically,
twin brother issues. Xavier has now taken something that rightfully belonged
only to Keenan. Xavier knew how to stick the knife in--figuratively-- and
Keenan intends to restore balance by getting back what is his. At least, that
was plan before everything got so very complicated.
Twins and their relationship are also a
major part of the following story, “The Ballard of The Jerrell Twins” by Clark
Boyd. Whether Darrell and Terrell really are or are not twins is not the
question. The real question here is the accepted idea that two heads are better
than one. In this case, they may not be as neither one is all that smart. That
is apparent before the mystery, the nitrous oxide, and many other things come
to light.
Tammy Lee Swanley sets up to watch
Lombard’s Jewelry as “Tammy Loves Derek” by Bethany Maines begins. She has
history with Derek Lombard. The same Derek Lombard coming out of the jewelry
store as he is locking up for the night. She has a plan. In fact, she has a
five-step plan to gain wealth. That plan is now in motion.
Lorretta Bremer with two little ones and
an important job to do she has her hands full in 1921 as she rides a train from
Camden to Atlantic City. You do what you do when you are a widow and on your
own. Things are hard. Finding a body in her hotel room makes things so much
worse. The fact that the body is of Roger MacNair who had hired her for
dictation and typing at the convention is going to be a huge problem in
“Moonset” by Jeanne Dubois.
After reading “Reunions” by John M.
Floyd, you may think again about striking up a conversation on a plane. Larry
Taylor did just that, helped out Roger Farnsworth by paying for his drink, and
things went into motion.
Uncle Kenny has a plan, but Josh O’
Leary does not want to hear it. Uncle Kenny’s plans are never fool proof-- even
when he claims they are-- and often result in long prison sentences. Uncle
Kenny is sure his plan will absolutely work this time because they will keep it
in the family in “A Currency of Wishes” by Kate Fellowes.
Gwen, as a child, started lifting items
here and there. The Barbie doll was the first treasure in “Cereus Thinking” by
Tracy Falenwolfe. She lived with her grandparents, Don and June, who never
leave the campground they run. Manatee Playground Campsite is her home and she
lifts treasures from those folks who tick her off as they come through while on
vacation. By the time she is of legal age, she has long since realized she
needs to get out of there. Leroy Lafontaine might be her ticket out.
Readers go back in time to the early
1930s in the next tale, “Just Like Peg Entwistle” by Robert Weibezahl. In the
time of the big studios and controlled access to movie stars, the sudden death
of Peg Entwistle was huge news. Was it a suicide? Was the death of the young
actress murder? What really happened is the subject of this tale.
The trio is out in the swamp hunting for
a lost treasure in “Scavenger Hunt” by Michael A. Clark. It was lost in
February 1958. All these decades later, the three are deep in the Wassaw Sound
with the faint city light glow of Savannah far to their south. Lit by
moonlight, the search is on.
It is back in time again with the next
short story, “My Night with the Duke of Edinburgh” by Susan Daly. It is the
fall of 1951 and Princess Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Phillip, will soon
arrive in Canada for a royal tour. The group of college students in Toronto
want to make some sort of symbolic public statement regarding Canada’s
sovereignty as a nation. Exactly what kind of statement and the repercussions
of their act are the theme of this tale.
She had a pretty good idea of who her
big brother was, warts and all, and now Oliver is “Dead on the Beach” by KM
Rockwood. At least, she thought she knew everything. But, what she is being
told regarding his death does not make a lot of sense. She starts asking
questions. As any reader should know, not only do snitches get stiches, asking
questions can get you killed.
Mom is dead and now Uncle Peter wants
his share of what the daughters have coming to them. Not that there is a lot in
“Madeline in the Moonlight” by Susan Jane Wright. Mom was an artist and a bit
eccentric so pretty much what you see is what you get. Peter, being Mom’s baby
brother, has no claim but he certainly is pushing things.
Murder is hard and messy work.
Especially when you use a sledgehammer. It was well worth it in “Not a Cruel
Man” by Buzz Dixon. Cleanup should be easy.
Angie Kritt is more than ready to shut
down the old tavern for the night. It has been a long day and she is very much
ready to go in “12 miles to Taylorsville” by C.W. Blackwell. Once she gets rid
of the last few guys from the logging crew, she can do a couple of things and
get home. That is until Meena shows up terrified and on the run.
Old Man Harper is some sort of creepy
perv who likes teen girls. At least, that is what everybody at school says.
Everybody knows what he is and want him gone. Katy, Ron, and Grace-Rose have
decided to give him a push on to somewhere else in “Chicken Coops and Bread
Pudding” by K.L. Abrahamson.
Peter Hayes puts in a lot of unpaid
hours. In “The Promotion” by Billy Houston, that hard work is finally going to
pay off. One way or another.
Just before the power went out, the
police got an alert from the security system at the library. Officers Grabowski
and Tyler are dispatched in “The Library Clue” by Sharon Hart Addy. A broken
basement window means they have to check it out.
The plan is the thing in “Ill Met By
Moonlight, Proud Miss Dolmas” by Elizabeth Elwood. Teaching Drama and English
is hard enough due to the actions of some students who think they are entitled.
Some want to ignore the rules. They seem to have found an ally in the new
principal, Martha Dolmas, who has never taught a class in a day of her life.
Being a public health inspector is a
hard job. Having an overbearing and incompetent boss, as was present in the
preceding story, just makes things worse.
In “The Moon God of Broadmoor” by M. H. Callway, Liz gets reminded that
her job means she has to shovel some stuff. Figuratively and literally.
The last tale is “Strawberry Moon” by
Editor Judy Penz Sheluk. All she wants to do is cross the border into the US.
Unfortunately, she is dealing with a United States border guard that likes his
power a little too much.
From the complicated and powerful
opening tale to the twist ending in the last one, the twenty stories in the
book are all good ones. Moonlight as well as misadventure in a variety of ways
plays a major role in all of them. So does more than a hint of madness in many
of the tales. In some cases, things happened as they always would because of
the nature of the folks involved. In others, the plan failed sometimes in
surprising ways.
Moonlight & Misadventure: 20
Stories of Mystery and Suspense is an anthology that features many
complicated reads. Every tale selected is a good one and well worth your time.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4g3AZj7
Editor Judy Penz Sheluk sent me a
digital ARC of the book with no expectation or promise of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2021, 2023, 2025
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