In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday (11/14/16)

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday (11/14/16)

In Reference To Murder Blog: Media Murder for Monday

In Reference To Murder Blog: Media Murder for Monday

Free Book Alert-- Northern Crime One: New crime stories from northern writers

 Northern Crime One: New crime stories from northern writers
Did Freda’s sister ever really forgive her?
Did the elderly couple really strike it rich?
And who’s the man behind the bunny mask?
From rural noir to urban horror, high concept drama to blunt force trauma, Moth Publishing presents its first collection of prize-winning short stories.
From the inner city to the shires, Santander to Stratford, these northern writers know where the bodies are buried.
With contributions by Karon Alderman, Pat Black, Lynne M Blackwell, Ben Borland, Michael Connon, Adrian Fayter, BLJ Langham, Danny Marshall, Kathleen Mckay, Tom Moody, Emma Oxley, Pam Plumb, Basil Ransome-Davies, Alex Reece Abbott, Martin Robins, Nick Triplow, Betty Weiner, Belinda Weir, MJ Wesolowski and Sue Wilsea.

Review: "SEX, VIOLENCE & HALF A MILLION DOLLARS: Erotic Mysteries" by Michael Bracken

This collection of slightly more than 61K words (approximately 173 pages) contains twenty-four erotic crime stories that previously appeared in various men’s magazines. These are adult stories and that means they are very graphic and detailed with regards to sexuality. The tales appeared in a wide assortment of men’s magazines with most of the publications cited here no longer in print. The stories were first published anywhere from ten to nearly thirty years ago and are now combined together in this good very adult e-book. Nearly all the tales have a final twist at the end that will surprise most readers.

The story book opens with “Adam’s Rib.”  The narrator was sick of Florida so he agreed to swap vacation houses with friends over his wife’s objections. Now it is snowing like crazy and Katrina isn’t happy. Her being upset and the mounting snow day after day begins to take a toll in unexpected ways.

Teddy made the mistake of sliding a twenty dollar bill into the dancer’s G-string and simultaneously pulling out two five dollar bills. Dancers don’t ever make change. The dancer is upset, the bouncer is mad, and things quickly go downhill in “America’s Most Wanted.” Complications rapidly escalate for all in this story that quickly goes a far different way than expected.

In “Wheels Within” Nick sits at the bar next to a woman who clearly has been crying. Her name is Amanda and she has a story to tell that Nick definitely wants to hear. Maybe the sight of his badge will get her to talk. Not only talk, but, just maybe quite a lot more.

It all began in “The Naked City” where a murder case at a cheesy dance club brings in two seasoned detectives and a dancer willing to do more than talk. The homicide case isn’t the only connection between the dancer and the homicide detective, but it’s a start.

Every man knows “Fast Cars, Pretty Women” are trouble.  For this narrator he knows what gets him into trouble and still can’t stop himself.  Kimberly Patterson is large breasted, beautiful, blonde, and drives a Corvette. What more could he want? Even better she needs a little help from our narrator.

Keeping an eye on what goes on in the neighborhood has possibilities in “Watching The Watcher.” If he hadn’t been so busy watching everyone else he might have gotten his contracted work done. Instead, he watches the neighbors and in turn is watched by at least one other.

Nearly every guy has a system and Eddie Garrison does too in “How to Pick up Beautiful Women.”  Eddie’s new drinking buddies in the bar don’t believe he can pick up a beautiful woman---especially the way he looks. They call him on it and have the cash to place the bet. They also plan to set all the terms of the bet as well as pick the female target. What could go wrong?

For the detective in the bar the beautiful blonde has to be somebody’s jilted girlfriend in “Dick For A Dame.”  She is a jilted girlfriend but not in a way one would normally expect. Not only does the client, Christina, have the money to pay she is lonely and does not want to be alone.  Her case can wait till the morning light and may ultimately prove to be his easiest case ever.

“What Comes Around” features the beautiful and alluring Victoria, the narrator, and Kim. The three are girlfriends and sexual partners. They also are not the only grifters working in this particular small town.

In “The Two-Fisted Thinker” Lenny uses both hands to hit what he doesn’t understand. Married to Stella that makes Lenny his brother-in-law and his problem. Stella wants Lenny to get out more and has her talented ways of persuasion. Lenny’s ways are different but everything works for the narrator---up to a point.

Amy leaves her husband in “Trophy Wife” and shows up on the narrator’s doorstep with little else besides a black lace teddy, bottle of wine, and some condoms. Though they had talked about it, Amy never was supposed to leave her husband.  Now that she has gone and left him things will be very different. A poet does need his space.

For the narrator, Becky really came through in “Assholes & Alibis.”  The boss may have deserved to die but the narrator didn’t do it. 

The titled story of the collection “Sex, Violence & Half a Million Dollars” easily contains all that. It also features a kidnapping, a missing business partner, and quite a lot more in this fast moving short story.

There is sabotage at work in “Going Undercover.”  George Miller wants Lisa to investigate because clearly somebody is after his job. Lisa needs the gig and accepts with far more on her mind than the actual job assignment.

It’s been six months and Fred Williams still does not have a job in “The Interview.”  He does have a wife and she is very unhappy. It’s been a long marriage and Fred didn’t realize how unhappy it was until he was unemployed and home every single day. At least he does have a few leads and an upcoming interview.

Sometimes you just have to follow the woman’s lead in “Tail Tailing.” The client wants the job done and you have to do what you have to do. Sex, videotapes, and blackmail are just a few of the things in play in this one.

Being with two women at the same time has a serious price in “Paying the Price.” He gets exactly what he said he wanted.

The blindfolded married man is supposed to be able to tell his wife’s breasts by lips and tongue. According to the bet he agreed to he will have to go through “Twenty Breasts” to do it. If he guesses correctly he will win 20K that his wife Charlene and he desperately need. If he guesses wrong they will lose everything.

“Love With A Perfect Stranger” describes the ultimate scenario of anonymous sex. The mystery man talked her to coming to dinner. Now he has to close the deal.

A threesome is part of the equation in several stories in this collection and certainly is a key part of “Romeo and Juliet and Juliet.” Amazing what a fight in a bar can lead to bedroom wise. It might just help solve a murder too.

It is the only motel in the middle of nowhere and “There’s Cable In Every Room.”  Newly wed Amanda didn’t want to stop for the night, but Steve was exhausted and insisted. Not that they need cable but other folks do in this small town.

The commission check probably isn’t worth the paper it is printed on in “Act Of Commission.”  Being a vacuum cleaner salesman is not working out at all, but at least he does have a couple of promising house call appointments.

You can take the bully out of school but you can’t take the bully out of the boy. Even twenty years later Eddie Gunderson is still a punk bully in “Hot Monkey Love.”  Eddie may have gotten the girl back in High School but the present is way better.

The stretches of boredom in the newspaper business are just one of the elements at work in “Those “Were The Days.” A couple of drinks have loosened the tongue of City Editor Johnny Silverman and he tells quite the tale of a deal back in the 30’s and a powerful crime family.

The complex stories that make up this collection feature crime, deceit, murder, double dealing and many other things. They also feature plenty of beautiful large breasted women often working their own agendas. The stories also feature frank descriptions of sexual positions and sexual acts. Very graphic and detailed sex is prevalent in every story and in most cases there is a final twist changing the reader perception of all that has gone on before.

While sexuality is clearly part of each story, the stories are primarily good crime stories and feature the traits that readers of crime fiction writer Michael Bracken know and love. This very adult collection isn’t for everyone, but if you are okay with adult themes and situations, this collection is a very good one.

SEX, VIOLENCE & HALF A MILLION DOLLARS: Erotic Mysteries

Michael Bracken

http://crimefictionwriter.blogspot.com/

2011

E-Book

$2.99

 

Material supplied quite some time ago by the author in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2012

Anthology Review: "A Woman’s Touch- 11 Short Stories of Murder and Misdemeanors"

Like the anthology Killer Fiction: 11 Short Stories of  Killers, Fixers, and P.I.’s  the anthology does not waste time with an introduction of some type.  While the Killer Fiction anthology had a decidedly noir bent in style, A Woman’s Touch- 11 Short Stories of Murder and Misdemeanors anthology is much more on the cozy side of reading with some stories being very predictable for seasoned mystery readers. 

This anthology published by Sniplits Publishing in 2010 opens with the very talented Libby Fischer Hellman. Larry and Marge Falls took the trip to Vegas in “House Rules” because Marge desperately wanted to do something new and different. But the trip is not going well and the side trip to Red Rock Canyon hasn’t helped. It’s time for change.

Momma was almost always “Crazy” in this story by Laura Hartman. That was hard back in 1956 and that was before Daddy went missing.

Miles Archer follows with his story, “Never Kill a Cat.”  Dolores is elderly and has four cats in her home as her companions. When one of her cats is murdered and hung in her tree, Dolores has a very good idea who did it and how to handle things.

The strange return of a relative who was supposed to have died long ago is the focus of “Aunt Charlotte” by Courtney L. Mroch.  It was June in Tennessee when the car showed up while Ashley Beth was reading on the porch. The lady says she is Ashley Beth’s Aunt Charlotte.  The same woman who supposedly died before Ashley Beth was born thirteen years ago. Lies have been told and that isn’t all as Aunt Charlotte is in real trouble.

Marianne Crone comes next with her flash fiction tale  “Victory” where not listening can get you dead. Are you listening?

The last thing you want in the restaurant you own is a dead man.  Even worse is the fact it was murder.  In “A Feast for Fools” by JoAnne Lucas a local radio host is dead and this is not the kind of publicity they needed at all.

Lerone Johnson testified against a neighbor boy, a gang banger, and now she is very scared in “Do the Right Thing” by Karen Burgess. The gang banger got off and now Lerone and her daughter are in serious danger. Good thing she knows Detective Kathy Martinez who is going to help. She should since she was the one to convince Lerone to testify in the first place.

Libby Fischer Hellman is up again with her story “The Murder of Katie Boyle.” Katie Boyle apparently had been perfect in nearly every sense of the word.  At least she had been perfect while she was alive. Now she is very much dead and stuffed in a closet of her own workout studio on North Shore of Chicago. Elle Forman found her and also knows a few things that might help investigators, Officer Georgia Davis and Detective Matt Singer.

Denise Dietz follows with her story “Annie’s Blue Christmas” where Annabelle Lee knows the news from doctor won’t be good. A terminal disease can be liberating in so many ways for so many people.

“Pyro” by Tracie McBride is a tale where Julie is more than a little sick of her drunken boyfriend Ralph. First he shows up, makes a mess of things, and then passes out in her bed loudly snoring and stinking to high heaven. At least when the next knock on the door happened she wasn’t asleep. This time it was the police telling her Ralph’s car was burning in front of her house.

The final story is “Ants” by M.M. De Voe. The ant on the kitchen counter was a life changer-at least in the mind of one person.  It is a sign and one that has to be acted upon.

The 11 tales that make up the  A Woman’s Touch anthology vary tremendously in writing styles, characters, and situations. All eleven are stories that tend toward the cozy side of things and all are comfortably good. Nothing here pushes boundaries or will shock readers. These are well done stories that often unfold in fairly predictable ways for seasoned mystery readers.

A Woman’s Touch- 11 Short Stories of Murder and Misdemeanors

Sniplits Publishing

http://www.sniplits.com

September 2010

E-Book

$2.99

Material supplied by the publisher in exchange for my objective review.


Kevin R. Tipple © 2012

FFB Review: "Murder to Mil-Spec: A Crime Fiction Anthology to Benefit Homes For Our Troops" edited by Tony Burton

It is Friday and that means it is time for Friday’s Forgotten Books hosted by Patti Abbott.  It is also Veterans Day. Therefore, in honor of Veterans Day, I selected the Murder to Mil-Spec anthology released last year by Wolfmont Publishing. Proceeds from the sales of this anthology will be donated to "Homes For Our Troops" charity found at  http://www.homesforourtroops.org/site/PageServer to assist returning military personnel with their needs.

Not just on Veterans Day, but every single day---Thank you to the men and women who have served as well as those who are currently serving the nation. 

Wolfmont Publishing has a history of publishing a holiday anthology to benefit a charity group. Last year’s holiday anthology titled, Murder to Mil-Spec, provided another good read of strong stories. As in other holiday anthologies published by Wolfmont Press, crime is at center stage. Unlike previous anthologies that restricted events to the holiday season, this time the stories can happen anytime and anywhere. The pursuit of justice is a frequent theme in these stories and can take many forms. Sometimes righting a wrong happens fairly swiftly while in other cases it may take years, even decades, for justice to finally be served.

After a brief forward by editor and publisher, Tony Burton, the anthology begins with "Meet Me by the Priest" by Terrie Farley Moran. The allies are on the outskirts of Berlin, Germany and Corporal Billy is back home in New York for a month leave. The habits of an old friend are going to get Corporal Billy into real trouble if he isn't very careful.

World War Two is also relevant in "Dart Champ" written by Dorothy B. Francis. In a departure from her very good `Key West Mystery' series ("Killer In Control" comes out next June) Agnes Brown is on a mission to recover her very important ring. The ring, made to replicate her hard earned bronze star, is a family heirloom she wants back and Agnes is not about to wait for the local police to solve the case.

Lt. Rongo Layton should have died one way or another during the Korean War for the sins he committed. He didn't. Instead, he came home in one piece and continued to sin. Clooney plans to rectify that in "Tripwire" written by Big Jim Williams.

Elizabeth Zelvin is making quite a name for herself in crime/mystery fiction with her novels "Death Will Get You Sober" and "Death Will Help You Leave Him" along with numerous short story credits in anthologies and magazines. Her story "Choices" is proof that sometimes it is a good thing when the woman walks into your particular gin mill.

The only story to use the current war in Afghanistan as a backdrop is the "The Gift of Life" by Lina Zeldovich. A very moving story that is as much about the clash of cultures as it is about the core of humanity which links us all together.

It is back to World War Two with the next story, "Justice at Sea" by Charles Schaeffer. Aboard the USS Flagstaff there is a killer on board. While many don't care, Johnny Shepherd intends to find out who murdered the Japanese prisoner of war.

It wasn't a murder but a rape that drives events forward in "Tourada A Corda" written by Howard B. Carron. Set in Terceira, Azores, the story features a case where a local girl has been assaulted. Since she is a friend of the family, the narrator intends to find out who did it and provide some justice.

Brendan Dubois comes next with the tale "One More Mission." Back in the day, McIntosh Air Force Base was part of the Strategic Air Command and provided security for the nation and its people. Now days, the place is now McIntosh International Tradeport and nearly everything John Regan remembers is long gone. But, there is still a debt and it has to be repaid.

An airport is also part of the next story. When the airport is closed, the murder suspects are few in "Danger From Within" by Janis Patterson. Fans of the "locked room" type of mysteries will surely enjoy this very good tale where the suspects are few and motivated.

Pranks are a part of most annual games between strong rivals. Occasionally they go wrong. Not usually as wrong as it did here before the Army/Navy game in 1972. "An Officer and a Gentleman's Agreement" written by Barb Goffman shows the wait to right a wrong can be very long indeed.

They may be retired sitting on park benches but senior citizens Joe and Benny know something is off in "Warriors Know Their Duty" written by S. M. Harding. Will anyone listen and take them seriously?

Iraq finally makes an appearance at the end of the anthology with "Salome's Gift" by Dianna Catt. Salome's big brother is fighting in Iraq and, while the news about his status is not good, his package home to her is very special. If only she can find the courage to open it.

The anthology closes with six pages of detailed author bios that include numerous titles of short stories and novels for yet more reading pleasure from these talented authors.

Unlike previous holiday anthologies from Wolfmont Press, these stories are not humorous and there is hardly a humorous line around in any of these very good tales. Instead, the tone of the anthology as a whole is somber. Respect for those who served honorably is present as is disdain for those who did not. Often the point of the story is to serve justice out to those who would be served in an effort to finally address events that happened long before. As such, flashbacks are present in most stories along with brief history lessons.

Murder To Mil-Spec is a good read featuring a lot of strong stories supporting a good cause. Thanks to medical advances military personnel are now surviving catastrophic injuries and come home to discover their homes need major modifications. Proceeds from the sales of this anthology will be donated to "Homes For Our Troops" charity found at http://www.homesforourtroops.org/site/PageServer to assist returning military personnel with their needs.

Not only can you enjoy a really good book, but you can also help the men and women who need our help to fully come home.

Murder to Mil-Spec: A Crime Fiction Anthology to Benefit Homes For Our Troops

Tony Burton, Editor

Wolfmont Press

http://www.wolfmont.com

October 2010

ISBN#978-1-60364-028-2

Trade Paperback (also available on the Kindle)

224 Pages

$12.00

Material provide by editor/publisher Tony Burton in exchange for my objective review.



Kevin R. Tipple © 2010, 2011

Review: "Killer Fiction: 11 Short Stories of Killers, Fixers, and P.I.’s"

With the subtitle of “11 Short Stories of  Killers, Fixers, and P.I.’s” you know exactly what you are getting in this primarily hard-boiled read from Sniplits. Unlike many anthologies that often waste several pages with a well-meaning introduction of some type, this one gets straight into the action.

“Vista with Player” by R. A. Allen opens the book.  Our narrator, an unhappy car salesman, is not having a good day for a variety of reasons. Not just because he can’t hit his golf shots on the course in Memphis, Tennessee. Or that it is the holiday and his kids are in Phoenix with his second ex-wife. Until today, he just thought he had problems. Now, he really does and not just because he never has had any luck in this noir style story.

Mike Wiecek follows with “Chain of Command” in a tale about “day labor for the corporate elite.”  Since the corporate elite are involved, their requirements for day labor are far different than the normal media version of day labor. For one thing, limos are usually involved.  For another, the problem usually involves a lot of money and stock. Both are at play in this one where the financial books are a problem that has to be dealt with quietly and permanently.

Sal knows something is up when her half-brother, Terry calls and then shows up in “Call Out” by Adrian Magson. Maybe it is because…

 “Terry was what some referred to as a career suspect. He acted bent, looked bent and how he’d escaped doing time was beyond me.”

Whatever the deal he is cooking up this time it is most likely going to be trouble. The only real question is what will it cost her?

“Henderson’s Place; The Girl With The Summer Eyes” by Mort Castle follows next.  Dreams are one thing and they may be beautiful. Reality is for different and not so pretty.  In fact, it is boring. Henderson isn’t the only one to feel that way in this very disturbing and very strange story.

Ralph knew he made a mistake when he popped off with a crack about needing more workouts.  A month later Micki presented him with a gift certificate to a nearby fitness center as “Fit to Die” by Thomas Millstead opens. It is also something he can’t decline since she is his fiancée.  At least the upside in showing up at the fitness center is that it will give this private investigator his first homicide case.

McCool is your classic hung over detective in “The Art of War” by Miles Archer. Thank god for coffee, aspirin and secretary like Barbara. Steven Mori is the client this brutal hung-over morning. He owns a waste hauling business on the south side of San Francisco. Organized crime in the form of another waste hauling company wants his company and Mori needs help. To make their point, the family dog is dead. Next it will be his 7 year old son if Mori does not give up his company. He needs a smart solution to his problem that does not involve the feds or local law.

The trip to see the old woman had been bad enough for Terry. It clearly had been a waste of time and a reminder how the rich get richer while the rest of us get screwed. That was the worst of it until the other driver headed eastbound on Ninety-Four between Indiana and Michigan decided it was time to mess with her in “Detour” by Libby Fischer Hellmann. It might not be some random driver. It might be connected to her last job. Could be something else. Whatever reason he has for messing with her, he presents a problem.

Simon Wood comes next with his tale titled “Father Figure.”  Childs is on the job. It is a personal one and he isn’t about to tell anyone about it. It might be his biggest score yet.

Hawaii based private investigator Val Lyons is trying to protect Paula Evangelista in “Kill Leader” by Mark Troy. Her client is a power house on the volleyball court.  So much so, somebody is making threats.  Paula Evangelista is a difficult client, to say the least, and Val is having a very hard time identifying the person or persons behind the threats in this complicated tale. Not only is her client driven to succeed so too is the person trying to get her.

Sydney isn’t getting good customer service at the diner in “Sioux City Express” by Laird Long.   This despite the fact he is a frequent customer. He is about to get a job thirty years in the making and one this  private investigator can’t turn down.

“And Miles to Go” by J. R. Chabot fittingly brings this well done anthology to a close.  A lonely out of the way diner, a weary traveler, and an inconvenience that must be dealt with. Even if it is 1:30 in the morning and all he wanted was a cup of coffee.

Available as single short stories as well, this anthology features eleven good stories. The strong stories in this first anthology are complex tales featuring well developed characters, interesting situations, and the settings as varied as are the writer styles show cased here. The result is an entertaining read.

Killer Fiction: 11 Short Stories of  Killers, Fixers, and P.I.’s

Sniplits Publishing

http://www.sniplits.com/

October 2010

$2.99

Material supplied by the publisher in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2011

FFB Review: "Dice Angel" by Brian Rouff

This week for Friday’s Forgotten Books hosted by Patti Abbott, I have selected a book released in 2002. Dice Angel is far more than a simple story off one man’s bad  luck in Vegas. A good book worth your time.....

Finding a new author that is worth reading is a treat. No matter how good the storyline or plot setup is, if the characters don't come alive for the reader, then the book won't be that good. In this case, everything works across the board, which creates a very enjoyable debut novel by Brian Rouff.

As Dice Angel opens, Jimmy Delaney is on a rather bad roll of luck in life. Not only is his ex-wife Joy (who isn't) giving him a hard time, but burglars have broken into his supper club named Jimmy D's. The club is a legacy from his father who started it from nothing and lately it seems to be a target for every burglar in Las Vegas. This time they got the cash from the video poker machines, which adds up to quite a sum. But that loss seems rather small when he discovers that the IRS wants $50,000 for back taxes and penalties within days and his checks are bouncing all over town.

It appears that his ex brother in law who was his accountant and supposed to be handling all sorts of things, instead embezzled every last cent and took off, leaving behind his marriage and his very ill daughter. Jimmy turns to the usual sources as his world slowly collapses seeking funds to pay off the IRS and keep the club open. The quest for help goes nowhere and as he hits rock bottom, he has nowhere else to turn except to the mysterious lady known as Dice Angel. Supposedly through the means of mystical powers she can bring lady luck back into Jimmy's life so that he can save himself and those he cares so much about.

Beyond the storyline that suffers greatly in my telling, is the fact that this novel is full of interesting characters that actually come alive for the reader. Within a few pages the author pulls the reader into the Vegas he knows so well and the pull is simply irresistible. It is also fascinating to watch Jimmy D crash and resurrect himself and evolve as a character over the course of this 222-page novel. This fast read is over way too soon and hopefully there will be another following Jimmy D., his club, and his somewhat eccentric customers and staff. 

Kevin R. Tipple © 2003, 2011

Short Story Review: "Drop Dead Zone" by Mark Troy

Hawaii based private detective Val Lyon has been and done a lot of things in her life. One thing that links them all together is her need for adrenaline.  Because of that, she is onboard a Cessna airplane preparing to make a parachute jump as this short story opens.

It is her first jump and she is plenty scared. Onboard the small aircraft with her is a cameraman named Justin, and two others, Art and Lori. While both are training instructors and in a romantic relationship, Art has been her instructor from the start. All that hard work is about to pay off as the four leave the safety of the airplane and begin their fall to earth. Not everyone lands via parachute. Suspicions are soon raised by some and with Val on that fatal flight; she has a very personal reason to investigate.  

Nominated for a Derringer Award by the Short Mystery Fiction Society, this story was Val Lyon’s first published story according to the author note at the end. Originally published by Mystery Buff Magazine in 1998, it has recently been released again by Ilium Books. When it was made available for free for a limited time earlier this month, I took the opportunity to pick it up. 

I wasn’t disappointed. Drop Dead Zone  is a good one.

As I noted earlier in the month when I reviewed another Val Lyon short story titled TEED OFF, Mark Troy and I became friends a number of years ago through a local writers group. He has been a huge help to me from a writing angle with my own work as well as personally. This story was published long before I joined the local group. Furthermore, I had never seen it before it appeared free making it available for me to read and review.

I have been writing stories and reviewing since 1998 and that means I have made quite a few friends along the way. I’m not stripping the work of friends from my TBR pile. But, I can and will tell you, the reader, of these relationships when they exist so you can decide whether or not to consider that sort of thing when you read my reviews.

Drop Dead Zone

Mark Troy

http://www.marktroy.net/  

http://hawaiian-eye.blogspot.com/

Kindle e-book

August 2011

Kevin R. Tipple © 2011

FFB Review: "Die Laughing And Other Murderous Schtick" by S. S. Rafferty (Reviewed by Barry Ergang)

DIE LAUGHING AND OTHER MURDEROUS SCHTICK (1985)

by S.S. Rafferty

Reviewed by Barry Ergang

Chick Kelly is a funny guy. 

Seriously. 

But then, he has to be funny. He's a stand-up comic by trade. Having given up the road to run a night club on Third Avenue with Barry Kantrowitz, his former agent turned business partner, Chick also has a penchant for getting into trouble, frequently of the murderous variety, which always ignites the temper of  bullet-headed NYPD Homicide Lieutenant Jaffee. Jaffee would love nothing more than to see him in prison. 

Die Laughing collects seven of Chick's escapades, which originally appeared in either Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine or Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. These first-person narratives are wry, breezy, and so conversational the reader will easily be able to imagine sitting across a table from Chick and being regaled by his predicaments. As in many a real-life conversation, the narrative shifts easily from past to present tense and back again—e.g., "'What in the hell is this about?' Summers asks the two delivery guards. He was agitated because my escort had me in hand and ankle manacles complete with lead chain. I looked like Houdini about to jump in a river."

In "Alectryon Slept," Chick is the prime suspect in the death of Julio Martinez, one of his employees, who owned a valuable fighting gamecock. Julio appears to have been bitten by a poisonous snake. Was he, and is the snake still somewhere in Chick's night club? Or was Julio murdered?

When his young niece and nephew, both of whom were witnesses to the murder of an assistant D.A., go missing, Chick uses his connections among New York City's cabbies to track them down—and identify the murderer—in "Two Tokens to Trouble."

When his headwaiter, Ling, a compulsive gambler, runs up a $50,000 tab with the mob, Chick is approached by Sam Sidlock, "front man for the mob's East Coast gambling operations." Sidlock wants Chick to pay the money so they can return Ling to him. In hock to his eyeballs, Chick doesn't have the money. But he comes up with a wild challenge to Sidlock that could mean big trouble if it backfires in "The Ling Woo Longshot."

"Vodka and Vipers" has Chick accepting an invitation to a Park Avenue society party accompanied by a date, a young performer in a Broadway musical who seems to get the dander up of several guests simply by showing up. When she takes the long hard trip from the penthouse terrace to the pavement, Chick has to prevent the wrong suspect from being arrested by his old enemy, Lieutenant Jaffee. The only way he can do that is to solve the murder himself.

When Chick (nickname for Charles) Kelly comes down with a mild toothache and his regular dentist is on vacation, Barry Kantrowitz's wife Sylvia calls her dental hygienist niece who, in turn, gets Chick an appointment at the office she works for in "Caries Can Kill You." When a patient named Charles Killy dies in the dental chair, Chick has to determine whether he or Killy was the intended target—and who the intender is.

In "Going, Going, Gone and Dead," Chick makes the mistake of telling his sometime paramour, high society dame Tish Loman, and several of her girlfriends that he owns a painting given to him by a deceased artist named Kevin Fleming "to square a bar bill." Fleming's work has become quite valuable, despite the artist's being known for his depravity with regard to some of his subjects, most notably in a painting dubbed The Degraded Madonna. When Chick's cleaning lady, Mrs. Gull, is murdered and the painting stolen from his apartment, he devises an elaborate scheme to solve the murder and recover the painting.

Millionaire church elder Jay Porter Pemberton, a friend of Chick's, has a problem. Having gone up to his summer place in Newport, Rhode Island during the winter storm season to check on the place because of recent severe weather and reports of looting, and having gotten caught in a storm himself, he's staying at the summer home when a woman named Gina Velker pounds on his door. Her car has skidded off the main highway, and she urgently needs shelter. Pemberton puts her up for the weekend—innocently—and then drives her back to New York. Soon after he receives a letter from a lawyer representing Gina's husband, and it appears that the Velkers may have set him up to fleece him for a cash settlement. When the Velkers are murdered and Chick is arrested because of his involvement with Pemberton, professional liar Tall Tommy Tanuka goes into action to prove Chick's innocence in the novelette-length "Tall Tommy and the Millionaire."

I can and do recommend Die Laughing and Other Murderous Schtick to any fan of short mystery fiction who enjoys quick reads leavened with humor and some offbeat characters. My sole complaint is that the book could have used a good proofreader. Misspellings and some punctuation errors abound, which I found odd because the publisher, International Polygonics, Ltd. did immaculate work with many other books they published that I own. Readers who can overlook the errors will get a kick out of  Chick Kelly and company.

Barry Ergang © 2011

Formerly the Managing Editor of Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine and First Senior Editor of Mysterical-E, winner of the Short Mystery Fiction Society’s 2007 Derringer Award in the Flash Fiction category, Barry Ergang’s written work has appeared in numerous publications, print and electronic. For links to material available online, and fiction available for e-readers, see Barry’s webpages. Remember, too, that he has books from his personal collection for sale at http://barryergangbooksforsale.yolasite.com/  He'll contribute 20% of the purchase price of the books to our fund, so please have a look at his lists, one of which includes Die Laughing and Other Murderous Schtick.

Review: "Back of Beyond" by C. J. Box

Cody Hoyt is your clichéd classic troubled cop on the edge.  Divorced, disgraced, alcoholic, with a reputation of being a cop with great investigative instincts but lots of issues,  Cody Hoyt is back home in Montana after everything blew up in Denver. These days he tries to stay sober while working as a detective in the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Department.  On one rainy night, while aimlessly driving around as he does many a night, he is sent to a remote fire damaged cabin in the Big Belt Mountains where there just might be a body inside.

It has been raining for days and that is the only reason that part of the cabin still stands at all. Once Detective Cody Hoyt finally gets to the cabin and starts poking around, he realizes there is definitely a badly burned body in the cabin. The scene appears to be of a man who got drunk, passed out and accidentally burned to death. It could be as it appears and nothing more. The problem is the scene must be staged as far as Cody is concerned because the plane tickets found in the still standing bedroom indicate the badly charred body was that of a man named Hank Winters. Hank was Cody’s Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor and definitely did not drink. Hank was there to save Cody and was doing it--- just barely. Cody Hoyt knows for sure that without question Hank was not about to break his multiple years of sobriety for anything. As far as Cody is concerned, this was and is murder without question.

A view that others in the department do not share.  Especially Sheriff Tubman who is Cody’s boss and worried about reelection more than anything else.  With Cody’s well-earned reputation as a screw up, it comes down to Cody and a tenuous ally in the Department working the case.  A case that generates a trail of a serial killer and a desperate chase in Yellowstone National Park to save the life of Cody’s  teenage son.

C. J. Box also writes the much better Joe Pickett Game Warden Series. Unfortunately this stand alone book does not rise anywhere near to the level of those books. For seasoned readers, many of the characters will be amazingly clichéd and predicable despite the occasional attempt to throw in a twist or two. This creates a read that has the feel of something either written as a movie of the week type deal or to fill a contractual obligation.

The far weaker secondary storyline of the son and others on a multiday trip by horseback through the wilds of Yellowstone brings the main storyline to a dead halt for a number of chapters.  That is unfortunate as this happens when the main storyline has finally moved beyond utter clichéd characters and incredible predictability to something that held reader interest. It results in the reader waiting and waiting for the story to once again get going while time is wasted on many forgettable flat characters. Something that, once started, frequently happens throughout the novel as the reader is pulled back and forth between the main storyline and the secondary storyline to follow various characters. As the secondary and third level characters get picked off one by one, it can become an amusing game to guess which character must die next.

Standing on its own, "Back of Beyond" is barely an average book at best for the reasons noted above.  Compared to the quality books in the Joe Pickett series, this novel comes up far short and is a very disappointing read. While some readers will agree with the blurb, “a non-stop thrill ride” attributed to Harlan  Cohen, others will not and instead hope that C. J. Box gets back to the Joe Pickett series without further time wasting stand alone detours.

Back of Beyond: A Novel

C. J. Box

http://www.cjbox.net

Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s Press)

http://www.minotaurbooks.com

August, 2011

ISBN# 978-0312365745

ARC

Material supplied was an ARC from the Amazon Vine Program at my request. The book is currently available in print and in e-book.

This title is also available as a Macmillan Audio book. At a future date, a copy will be given away here. Contest entry details will soon be posted.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2011

Friday's Forgotten Books: "Map Of Murder: Original Stories of Mystery and Suspense"

Originally published in early 2007, this anthology show cases murder at various locations across the country. Edited by Susan Budavari and Suzanne Flaig, each story is complex and interesting as the involved authors took the mission concept in different ways. Of course, it really isn’t possible to go into any depth about any of the stories without ruining the story for the reader. Suffice it to say, there isn’t a bad one in the bunch and each weaves its own spell upon the reader. With 20 stories involved, hopefully the ones I have chosen below will reflect accurately the scope and breadth of this engrossing anthology.

In Robert L. Iles’ story “Fast Eddie”, Eddie has a plan. Help the young female traveler store her luggage at the Vegas bus terminal and then lift it from the storage locker later. He’s a small hustler and thief who get far more than he thought when he grabbed the suitcase.

We have all had those days where one bad thing happens after another so has a Vegas show girl named “Stella” in “An Off Day” by S. J. Smith. You will get a kick out of this one.

Frank Zafiro brings the border country near El Paso a live “In the Shadow of El Paso.” A beautiful bartender causes problems and pulls a lawman along a journey of love, hate, desperation and despair. This is a powerful story and one that packs quite a punch.

Another favorite, and not just because it is set on the Texas Gulf Coast, is Carole Kilgore’s “Bunuelos for the Beach.” Pete is dead, Gina is heartbroken at the death of her friend and Detective Cantu is on the case.

Heading east and north and a few stories later, readers find themselves deep in the Smoky Mountains in Deborah J. Ledford’s “Smoky Mountain Inquest”. The middle of the night makes for the best time to detect and it is a salvation for Edgar Marconi working a case in the Swain County Sheriff’s Department substation. Heavily atmospheric with a complex character I would like to see more of, this is an excellent inclusion.

No one really wants to find a body. Especially, early in the morning, which is what happens to Sarah in “Death at the Dumpster” by Suzanne Flaig. Good thing a cop is close to help her as the cop is married to her best friend, Marie. Too bad she quickly becomes a suspect.

Beth Groundwater weaves a twisting tale up into the Colorado Mountains in her tale “The Murder Cache.” When you are a good parent, there isn’t anything you won’t do for your child.

Having read and enjoyed Simon Wood’s work before, I was pleased to note his inclusion in this anthology. His story “Prove It” is well worth it and involves a con having to prove what he did on the outside to stay alive in San Quentin.

This anthology also includes stories by Kris Neri, R. L. Coffield, Alan M. Petrillo, Larry D. Sweazy, Dean Wagner and Debi McKay, Judy Starbuck, Robin Merrill, Susan Budavari, Nancy Nielson Redd, Connie Flynn, Rachelle N. Yeaman and Sybil Yeaman and last but not least John Randall Williams. While each story occurs in a different location, each story features complex characters involved in complex cases that lead the reader through a delightful tale. The result is an excellent criss cross trail across America full of murder, deceit, and betrayal.

Map Of Murder: Original Stories of Mystery and Suspense
Editors: Susan Budavari and Suzanne Flaig
Red Coyote Press
www.redcoyotepress.com
ISBN# 0-9766733-3-9
ARC

Material provided by the publisher in exchange for my objective review.



Kevin R. Tipple © 2007, 2010