Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: A Violent Masterpiece: A Novel by Jordan Harper

 

Jordan Harper’s newest piece of crime fiction is, like his last book, about the dark side of the entertainment industry and Los Angeles. In A Violent Masterpiece (Mulholland, 2026) three distinct voices narrate a graphic tale of grimy mayhem and amorality. Jake Deal comes alive when he livestreams the nightlife of Los Angeles to his sensation-seeking audience. Bloody crime scenes, devastating car crashes, nightclub brawls, all are grist to his mill. Of particular interest just now is a serial killer known as the LA Ripper. Kara Delgado works for a secret concierge organization that arranges for entertainment the upper crust of LA can’t buy on the open market such as, but not limited to, drugs and sex parties. She’s been quietly searching for her friend Phoebe who disappeared months earlier and has begun to fear Phoebe was a victim of the LA Ripper. Doug Gibson is a defense attorney who represents the underdog against a criminal justice system that overwhelmingly bulldozes over anyone without status or money.

One of the Hollywood elite normally supported by that system is arrested for pedophilia. The complaints have been piling up and the proof is undeniable. He hires Gibson to defend him, telling him he’s prepared to turn state’s evidence against the crowd he’s been supplying with underage girls to get a better deal for himself. Despite being on suicide watch, Gibson’s client is dead within hours of offering to rat out his friends to the authorities.

The paths of Jake, Kara, and Doug cross eventually and they realize they have common goals. They begin working together to expose the most privileged icons of Hollywood in a hair-raising and explosive resolution.

An explicit story of the worst of LA excesses, strikingly narrated in terse, mesmerizing prose. Expect to see this book on the 2026 best crime fiction lists and on multiple award nomination surveys. Starred reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.

 

·         Publisher: ‎Mulholland Books

·         Publication date: ‎April 28, 2026

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎384 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎0316458406

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-0316458405

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/41HqcVv

 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

ButtonDown.Com: Out Today: Death to Pachuco

 ButtonDown.Com: Out Today: Death to Pachuco

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Left on Rancho: A Novel by Francesco Paola

  

I met Francesco Paola at Left Coast Crime last month during the Author Speed Dating event. For those who have not attended a mystery conference, author speed dating takes place in a large room, where readers sit at tables and authors in pairs walk from table to table and describe their latest book in two minutes. They generally give out bookmarks and other swag. The room usually holds around 30 or 40 tables, and the authors are talked out by the time they reach the last few groups. From the reader’s perspective, it’s a great way to learn about new authors, which is the point of the exercise.

Paola’s debut is Left on Rancho (SparkPress, 2025), an original tale based on Paola’s short-lived career in the California cannabis industry. Andrew Eastman spent 20 years in the Silicon Valley tech world. When his last company collapsed in flames, he was so bruised by the experience that he planned to live abroad for awhile. A call from his childhood best friend Charlie changed his mind. Charlie’s legal cannabis company Kannawerks is floundering. He needs Andrew to apply his corporate management expertise and his knowledge of mergers and acquisitions to shore it up until the company can be sold. Manufacturing is a different world from IT but Andrew’s bond with Charlie ran deep, so he agreed.

The Kannawerks manufacturing facility is on the edge of the Mojave Desert in a small town, with only a for-profit prison that holds immigrants waiting to be deported. Andrew quickly learns that the facility operations need rework, although the staff, many of whom are enthusiastic users of the cannabis gummies they produce, are resistant to structure and process.

The managers fill him in on the legislative side of the business. While cannabis has been legalized in California, the illegal sale of marijuana continues. Firms who have gone through the licensing process to become legal producers and who are subject to regulatory oversight are consistently undercut by their street competitors. Marijuana and its products are still considered illegal federally, which means the stores who buy merchandise from Kannawerks are generally an all-cash business, subject to frequent robberies. (See Light It Up by Nick Petrie, the third book in the Peter Ash series, for another look at this aspect of the legal cannabis industry.)

Andrew recognizes the company is in an impossible situation. He intends to help Charlie find a buyer and make a quick exit until circumstances shift beyond his control.

While the narrative is mostly fresh and unexpected, the theme of immigrant abuse is unfortunately nothing new and downright depressing. Despite Andrew’s extensive experience in the tech world, he is astonishingly naïve in this new setting, mostly due to his loyalty to his childhood friend whom he comes to see he doesn’t really know.

I have mixed feelings about the depth of industry information in the story, which covers the California state legislative quagmire, the production process, the relationships with retail sellers, and funding for start-ups. On one hand it all informs the plot, on the other it approaches the level of a data dump.

I found the ending both surprising and deeply satisfying. Not the usual thriller, readers who enjoy financial crime fiction or who are looking for something new will want to look at this one.

 

• Publisher: SparkPress
• Publication date: ‎February 11, 2025
• Language: ‎English
• Print length: ‎352 pages
• ISBN-10: ‎1684632927
• ISBN-13: ‎978-1684632923

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4tHLEWr

 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

The Hard Word: CANNABIS & KILLING: KELLI STANLEY'S THE RECKONING

 The Hard Word: CANNABIS & KILLING: KELLI STANLEY'S THE RECKONING

Review: The Fatal Saving Grace: An Ed Earl Burch Novel by Jim Nesbitt

 

Some would call it justice. Some would call it revenge. No matter what you call it, the concept has been a long running theme of the Ed Earl Burch series. The same is very much true in the fifth book of the series, The Fatal Saving Grace: An Ed Earl Burch Novel by Jim Nesbitt.

 

This novel picks up a few months after The Dead Certain Doubt. This read addresses those events and brings some of the characters back while also addressing events earlier in the series. That means that it is impossible to review this read without referencing some spoilers if you have not read the previous book. I am doing my best to minimize that aspect of things. But, if you keep reading you were warned….

 

This is a novel of tying up loose ends and settling scores. It begins with Ed Earl Burch barely surviving a far Southwest Texas ambush. These days he carries a shield as an investigator for the Cuervo County District Attorney. Technically that would make the DA his boss, but the reality is that he reports to the Cuervo County Sheriff Sudden Doggett as well as a retired Texas Ranger by the same of Dub McKee. McKee has connections to powerful people and made it happen and roped Sudden Doggett into the plan to give Burch a badge again despite what happened with the Dallas Police way back when. Burch tends to be a burr under Doggett’s saddle as the two men don’t mesh well for a variety of reasons.  

 

Based out of the Sherrif’s Office in Faver, and within a couple of hours drive down to Marfa and Presidio, Burch is teamed up with Deputy Sheriff Bobby Quintero as the two chase down leads on who might have tried to ambush Burch on his way home.

 

Not only is Bobby good company, he has great skills as he was a Ranger and worked in some of the worst trouble spots on the globe. Still, Burch would prefer to go it alone. Because Burch does his own thing. Always.

 

Being a one-man band fits his personality best. Having the badge back after losing it many years ago in Dallas is great and all, but it has not been as good as he thought it would be. He is feeling a bit suffocated by being forced to work with others, go through a chain of command, follow orders, and control his outlaw impulses. He was brought in to get things done as he had the reputation of being a loose cannon that got results, and now he is supposed to work with others after years of going his own way to get justice and settle scores.

 

He is also missing the heck out of Carla Sue Cantrell who recently took off and said she might be back whenever. He has found solace in the arms of a couple of local women, but they are a poor substitute. Inleading the certain lady that can make one heck of a chicken fried steak.

 

(Don’t read this while your hungry as food comes up a lot. Especially if you have not had a good chicken fried steak in years.)

 

In the here and now, Burch was chasing leads on one Lonny Dalrymple and apparently that stirred up somebody to try the ambush. There was a big murder case awhile back and it was believed there were three killers involved. Two are dead. One is death row where he belongs. The case was supposed to be closed and done.

 

But, the supremely talented County Crime Tech, Katie Navarro, was able to identify some additional latent prints from the victim’s Airstream trailer. They belonged to Lonny Dalrymple. Burch had been going around Presidio asking questions and was headed back to his isolated home when a flash of light off of nearby rocks made him react. He jerked the wheel of his old truck and the first shot of many to come hit the roof of his truck instead of his head.

 

The resulting gun battle left the shooter dead and Burch fuming. He is going to go back and brace the people he already talked to, for starters, to track down the parties involved. He wanted to go alone, but Sheriff Doggett told him Quintero was going with him, and that was that. He didn’t want company, but if he has to have some, Quintero is good to have along.

 

Especially when the dead and gone don’t stay either way.

 

As always in this crime fiction series, there is nearly constant graphic violence and quite a lot of graphic sex. There is also a lot of settling scores as this novel winds up several different story arcs. A fast moving read that is over all too soon, The Fatal Saving Grace is also a mighty good read.

 

Strongly recommended.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Xtq3mn

 

 

My ARC digital reading copy came from the author with no expectation of a review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Friday's Forgotten Books Review: The Dead Certain Doubt: An Ed Earl Bunch Novel by Jim Nesbitt

 

With Jim Nesbitt’s recent Facebook announcement that the new book in the series, The Fatal Saving Grace, is coming soon, I have been reminding you each Friday of the series to date. This is a violent crime fiction series that should be read in order. This is the fourth book in the series and the most recent installment.

 

Dallas Private Investigator Ed Earl Burch has a love/hate relationship with West Texas. Loves the land and its stark beauty. Does not care for many of the people--- especially the ones that have repeatedly tried to kill him. But, truth be told, he never felt more alive than when working out there being the manhunter deal where one kills or is killed. It was like working Dallas Homicide without the red tape. Get the bad guys and gals, dead or alive.

 

In the wake of the savings and loan collapse the last decade, these days he is off the pills and making a good living going after the fugitive partners of real estate deals that went bad, finding hidden asserts, and nailing dead beat developers. He has done so well that he got his lawyer paid off and that meant he was free and clear from that shyster. Also did well enough to open an IRA and play in the stock market a little. He is a regular guy these guys with bad knees, mental and physical scars, and is absolutely bored out of his mind.

 

He’s spending his nights at Louie’s when he can’t sleep. Drinking and sharing war stories with a bunch of retired Dallas cops and other folks. Those old stories bring back a lot of memories. Also tends to sooth the voice of his long dead partner.

 

One memory from the past brings a lot of pain and guilt. Juanita Mutscher, at one time had an ex-mother-in-law, Theda Bayer. That woman had a daughter, Rhonda May Bayer. After Theda Bayer died as a result of her own toxic ways, Burch pulled a few strings and greased the wheels so that Rhonda Mae, who was six or seven back then, could go back to Juanita to live at her place out in the country between Midlothian and Venus.

 

It should have been a good deal.

 

It was until her Daddy came back in Rhonda Mae’s teen years, got full custody, and had Rhonda Mae move in with him. Things spiraled out of control. Burch intervened the first few times as she did drugs, booze and more, and repeatedly found herself deep in in consequences and trouble with the law. But, being off the Dallas PD by this time meant he had far less sway or markers to call in to help. He also got fed up riding to her rescue.

 

Now more than a decade later, Burch decides to go see Juanita and to make amends as best as he can. The years have not been kind to her and she makes it clear to Burch she is not long for this world. Her husband is dead and the next stroke she has will no doubt will send her on her way to him in the afterlife.

 

She would not have called. But, since he is at her place seeking redemption, she wants him to find Rhonda Mae. Been over a year since Juanita last heard from her. All she knows is that means the young woman is in trouble, not surprising since she is out in West Texas and mixed up in one of those Texas secession groups. While all the various groups preaching that nonsense are bad news, some are far worse than others.

 

Which one Rhona Mae is in, Juanita does not know. Juanita did save the letters that Rhonda Mae sent and she wrote some about what she was doing so that might help. Most of them were postmarked in Faver. A small town along the border. A place that Burch knows and he also knows the Sheriff down there pretty well.

 

With a starting point, a couple of ideas, his guns, and a handful of memories and ghosts, Burch packs up and goes down to see if he can find Rhonda Mae. It is a quest for redemption and to save the living, if he can. It does not take long for Burch to find blood, bullets, and mayhem. For Burch, this is the way.

 

The Dead Certain Doubt: An Ed Earl Burch Novel is the latest read in the series that began long ago with The Last Second Chance. As such, one expects the read to be complicated, violent, and graphic in terms of that violence as well as intimacy between partners of the night or long-term relationship. Such is true here as author Jim Nesbitt pulls out all the stops in every area.

 

At the same time, a significant part of this book is about Burch’s history and past cases. He has seen a lot and those deals are a major backbone of this book. Some situations, major parts of previous books, are detailed here in multiple paragraph odes of remembrance. As such, it would be best to have read the previous books before embarking on this read.

 

The Dead Certain Doubt: An Ed Earl Burch Novel by Jim Nesbitt is a powerfully dark and very violent crime fiction read. It is also incredibly good. 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4qEfquw

 

My reading copy was an ARC provided by the author with no expectation of a review. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023, 2025

Friday's Forgotten Books Review: The Best Lousy Choice: An Ed Earl Burch Novel by Jim Nesbitt

 

The Best Lousy Choice: An Ed Earl Burch Novel begins with Ed Earl Burch hurting in more ways than one. Demons haunt his dreams and are a specter barely unseen during his waking hours. Narcotics and lots of whisky keep things a little bit at bay, though working is what works best for the private investigator that was once many years ago, a Dallas Homicide Detective, who believed in the law and that justice would rule the day. Burch knows better now and has the many physical and mental scars to show for it.

 

The year is 1989 and the legendary Dallas Cowboys barely exist in name only thanks to that shyster owner out of Arkansas. The Oklahoma Sooners suck and will always suck, as any true Texan knows, and Louie’s Bar is the best place for booze and Campisi’s on Mockingbird is the best for pizza. One often finds Ed Earl Burch in one place or the other, more often Louie’s, and that means those that know Burch know where to find him. One such person is Fat Willie Nofzinger, his lawyer, and a man that can’t be ignored. Nofzinger holds the note on Burch’s business and has the cards that, for now, have kept Burch out of the county jail. So, Burch has to listen to Nofzinger and do what he wants, but he doesn’t have to like it or make it easy on him

 

The last thing Burch wants to do is to go out to West Texas. He barely survived events out there last time and some folks would love it if he came back so they could settle scores. The fact that it is a divorce case, the type of case Burch absolutely hates, does not improve the situation.

 

Fat Willie Nozfinger has a rich female client by the name of Nita Rodriguez Wyatt. The very wealthy woman has heard of Burch, wants him hired, and knows enough to go through Nozfinger to get him on the case. A case from a while back and a talkative former client who was very grateful for the help means Wyatt wants him and won’t take no for an answer. Not that Nozfinger is going to allow Burch to say no as Nozfinger also stands to make buck off of Burch working the case. Refusal to take the job means severe consequences for Burch and ones he can’t accept.

 

Hating every second of it, all Burch can do is pack up and head out to West Texas. Plan is to do his five days of supposedly easy money and pocket his cash, while also separately slashing a bit of his debt to Nozfinger, and get back to Dallas without anyone being the wiser. That was before the gun play, public and not so public carnage, a possibly bent sheriff, an obvious and very bitter family feud, and more come into play. Ed Earl Burch is in a world of trouble before he hits the sun-baked wilds of West Texas and things are only going to go downhill in an escalating violent way.

 

 

The Best Lousy Choice: An Ed Earl Burch Novel is the third in the series that began with The Last Second Chance followed by The Right Wrong Number. One expects before one opens the book that there will be plenty of action, carnal adventures, frequent carnage, along with plenty of observations about Texas history and some sarcastic comments about life in the great state of Texas. Things will be graphic and detailed in terms of settings, language, and violence. Author Jim Nesbitt meets and exceeds those expectations in The Best Lousy Choice: An Ed Earl Burch Novel.

 

This review is a mere West Texas mirage glimpsed on the distant horizon down a crooked two-lane macadam roadway. The review just does not do the book justice and the read is an intense and a violent crime fiction read. A book that, like the series itself, is highly recommended. It would be best to read in order, but do what you will.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/42WbDhT 

 

Material in the form of an ARC was provided with no expectation of a review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2019, 2025

Friday's Forgotten Books: The Right Wrong Number: An Ed Earl Burch Novel by Jim Nesbitt

 

After reminding you of the first book in this very good crime fiction series, The Last Second Chance, last Friday, I thought I would remind you today of the second book, The Right Wrong Number: An Ed Earl Burch Novel by Jim Nesbitt. Best to read in order. Dodge the flying ashtrays.

 

It has been several years since the events of The Last Second Chance: An Ed Earl Burch Novel and private detective Ed Earl Burch still carries those scars and many more. Many of those scars haunt his dreams and daylight memories often inspired by drinking, smoking, or the way a woman’s hair moved on the lady across the bar. Dangerous women were always his downfall and one of those has crawled back into his life.

 

Her name is Savannah Crowe these days though Ed knew her in every sense possible before she got married. She lives down in Houston and is married to an attorney who does oil and gas partnerships. At least that was what he was supposed to be doing. Apparently he was shady, at best, and now he is dead. No doubt murdered by some guys out of New Orleans who are looking for the money he stole. Savannah wants Ed Earl Burch to come down from Dallas and protect her. Not just from those guys out of New Orleans, as the cops are also pushing hard at her thinking she killed her own husband, and there might be some other players as well.

 

Sure, she can hire the best attorney in Texas, a certain man by the name of Racehorse Haynes, but having the money to do that is not enough. A lot more than she has is missing because her husband stole it. Savannah wants Ed Earl Burch to find her husband---the body left in the flaming wreckage wasn’t positively identifiable--- or the guys who killed him. If he can find either party, the money should also turn up.

 

Being broke thanks to a downturn in business as the economy improves under President Clinton means Ed Earl Burch is already in a bind before his attorney pushes him hard. His attorney concocted an elaborate evidentiary pyramid to keep his rear end out of prison at the cost of 20k plus and is calling everything due and payable now. He can’t pay so the prison option and far worse things are back on the table. He has other money trouble as well. While Savannah is willing to offer far more than money to Ed Earl Burch for coming down and helping out, all he wants is money with at least half of his fee upfront to stall out the attorney. She’s trouble, but she can pay the bucks, and he needs the bucks desperately.

 

Before long, he is down in Houston, and all hell is breaking loose. The case will lead him across Texas to a little place just down south of Big Bend in Northern Mexico for a final showdown to settle lots of scores.

 

The Right Wrong Number: And Ed Earl Burch Novel is a sequel of sorts to The Last Second Chance. Sequel in terms of the characters, grudges held, and memories that haunt the living as more than one character from the first book appears here as the point of view shifts throughout the read. That means it is very important to have read that book first before taking on this read.

 

Readers should also be aware that, as they were in the first, graphic language and descriptions in terms of sexuality as well as plenty of violence are present in this read. This is a hard hitting and graphic crime fiction read written in a noir style. Therefore, the full range of language is used and a substantial portion of it is graphic in terms of description regarding sexual situations, violent actions, motivations of others, etc. as the read shifts in point of view. Those point of view shifts are very frequent by way of a number of characters throughout the book while maintaining a fast paced and often violent flow of action.

 

A read that powers along with plenty of action while providing some serious as well as funny social commentary, The Right Wrong Number: An Ed Earl Burch Novel is another mighty good read from author Jim Nesbitt. Both books are highly recommended. The third book in the series is underway according to a recent comment on Facebook by the author.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/47a5srP

 

 

An ARC was supplied by the author’s publicist, a long time ago for my use to read and review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2018, 2025

Friday's Forgotten Books: The Last Second Chance: An Ed Earl Burch Novel by Jim Nesbitt

 

With Jim Nesbitt’s recent Facebook announcement that the new book in the series, The Fatal Saving Grace, is coming soon, I thought I would remind you today of the great first book in the series, The Last Second Chance: An Ed Earl Burch Novel. This is a violent crime fiction series that should be read in order.

 

 

In the wreckage of the S&L crisis of the late 80s and early 90s, Ed Earl Burch works as a private detective. His office located near Mockingbird and Central in Dallas in a shabby office park with a view of the time and temp sign over at the Dr. Pepper Plant. It features the noise of the traffic, an air conditioner that wheezes and does not cool, and a man with a serious thirst for alcohol.

 

Ed Earl Burch is hanging on as best as he can. He has made a few bucks thanks to the scavengers that have come to feats on the remains of the S&L crash as well as former business partners looking for their partner or bank officers looking for the developer that just vanished. He has connections all over town and beyond dating back to his days with the Dallas PD. That fact, as well as his low overhead in an increasingly vacant building, has helped him survive.

 

About ten blocks away is a small Mexican joint on Ross. Owned by Arturo Garcia, the place known to everyone as “Café Garcia” is always open to Ed Earl Burch. Bringing home the pregnant teenage daughter of Arturo Garcia means there is always a plate of food and a beer for Burch. It has been that way for quite some time so it means it is one of several locations that Burch can be predictably found.

 

The woman with the gun who interrupts his late dinner has other plans. After dropping a name from the past, at gunpoint she escorts him out to her car. Before very long, they are north of Dallas, up in Grayson Country, and on the land of a man who has left the life of crime behind for the life as a gentlemen rancher. Appearances, if one ignored the gun toting guards scattered everywhere, could be deceiving.

 

Burch knows exactly what Norville Ross is and could have done without the jaunt down memory lane. But, Ross wanted him here and made sure he was brought in as safely and as quickly as possible. Coming himself was not an option. The woman’s name is Carla Sue. Ross sent her to bring back Burch so that he could discuss with him a business proposition that each could find mutually satisfactory.

 

If any of them can say alive long enough to seal the deal.

 

The Last Second Chance: An Ed Earl Burch Novel by Jim Nesbitt is a violent crime fiction ride across Texas. Written in a noir style it features a read where the language is coarse, the sexual situations are graphic, and bullets and blood are on nearly every page. Burch takes no prisoners and will unleash hell on those who come after him and those he cares about.

 

Along the way, there will be heavy toll in carnage and death with plenty of ghosts of the past to keep him company in quiet moments.  Author Jim Nesbitt is building the bottom floor of a series with The Last Second Chance: An Ed Earl Burch Novel. A novel that packs quite the punch and is highly recommended.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4nKZvZs

 

 

According to Amazon, I picked this up in the middle of last November. I don’t know now if I took advantage of a free read promotion or used funds in my Amazon Associate account. Either way, I did it after a publicist contacted me about reviewing the second book in the series, The Right Wrong Number. A paperback copy of that read is in my TBR pile.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2017, 2025

Short Story Wednesday Review: Bleed American by John Kenyon

  

While Facebook is problematic these days, especially with all the AI moderation garbage and AI fake generated pages and other issues, every now and then, the Facebook Memories deal is worth the slog into the past. Such is the case here with this review on a story from September 2011.

 

I have always been seriously annoyed by folks who felt it was okay to hang the American flag behind the couch, thumb tack the flag to the dining room wall, etc. Apparently, no nonsense Foley feels the same way in “Bleed American” published at Shotgun Honey yesterday. It isn’t just about the flag. Principle is very important and apparently Kyle does not get it in this short story written by John Kenyon. A quick and good read well worth your time.

 

Surf over to Shotgun Honey, if you haven’t already, at https://shotgunhoney.com/fiction/bleed-american-by-john-kenyon/  and read “Bleed American.” It isn’t the only good short story there. Just the most recent. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2011, 2025

ButtonDown.Com: Crime Comics Anthologies: Noir, Noir is the New Black, First Degree, Gangland, Crime Pays

ButtonDown.Com: Crime Comics Anthologies: Noir, Noir is the New Black, First Degree, Gangland, Crime Pays 

The Hard Word: THE DARKEST SHADOWS OF A CITY: HAMBURG NOIR edited by JAN KARSTEN

 The Hard Word: THE DARKEST SHADOWS OF A CITY: HAMBURG NOIR edited by JAN KARSTEN

The Hard Word: "WHAT DO WOMEN WRITE WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING?": EVERY EVIL UNDER THE SUN'S ALEXANDRA BURT, V.P. CHANDLER, & LAURA OLES

 The Hard Word: "WHAT DO WOMEN WRITE WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING?": EVERY EVIL UNDER THE SUN'S ALEXANDRA BURT, V.P. CHANDLER, & LAURA OLES

The Hard Word: TOP OF THE PYRAMID: MEGAN ABBOTT'S EL DORADO DRIVE

 The Hard Word: TOP OF THE PYRAMID: MEGAN ABBOTT'S EL DORADO DRIVE

The Hard Word: HOLLYWOOD HELL: DANA WILSON'S MAKE WITH THE BRAINS, PIERRE

 The Hard Word: HOLLYWOOD HELL: DANA WILSON'S MAKE WITH THE BRAINS, PIERRE

The Hard Word: PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST AS A YOUNG CRIMINAL: FRANK M. YOUNG'S NEVER ODD OR EVEN

 The Hard Word: PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST AS A YOUNG CRIMINAL: FRANK M. YOUNG'S NEVER ODD OR EVEN

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

Short Story Wednesday Review: Dark Yonder: Issue 1

 

From the archive…

 

Dark Yonder: Issue 1 opens with two introductions. The first is by editor Eryk Pruitt in which he pays homage to Thuglit. The second is by editor Katy Munger where she expresses her love for short stories, the of “idea neo noir,” and how it relates to what they are going to publish. Then, after a drink recipe, it is on to the stories.

Mike McHone starts things off with “Perforation Of A Moment.” Birch Run, Michigan, is not a favorite place for Josh Howard. He went back there to either finish his novel or commit suicide. Which it will be is a tossup. It is late October and the 49-year-old man is going through some things. He has not seen nothing yet.

In “The Twenty-One Foot Rule” by Mick Mamatas, one is reminded that bringing a gun to a knife fight is an interesting choice. Tracy and Robin are twins. They are in a constant battle for supremacy, one way or another.

“Dorothy” by Anna Elin Kristiansen is a tale of what happens after the slap. Her husband never should have slapped her. He did. Things had not been that great lately, but even he knows he should not have done that. Now he wants it all to blow over and to be easily forgotten.

Beni is being forced to be a child soldier in “Beni” by Greg Williard. His fate is grim, even if he survives the training. That same training might give the skills he needs to deal with those who killed his parents and changed his live forever.

Todd Pierce is working the bar as “Verna Maxwell” by Dana King begins. She came into the bar, started a tab, and likes Vodka Collins. Her walking into his bar is going to start a string of events that will ultimately lead to violence. The only question is what will happen and how bad it will be.

Reni knew somebody was in the house, but Teddy refused to get up and look. She used to be a cop, still has her K9 partner though he is up in years, and has the 1911 cold Teddy’s father used in WWII. She also has home field advantage in “Home Game” by Craig Faustus Buck.

After a string of short stories firmly grounded in noir style crime fiction, the next several stories are more science fiction or fantasy general tales. While enjoyable reads, they may not fit how you see the noir word, neo or otherwise.

“The Worst Game Of Baseball Ever Played” by Adam Breckenridge features a world gone mad. The unrest starts in the stands of a baseball stadium and soon spills over into the surrounding neighborhood. Extreme violence with no sign of law enforcement. Is our hero going mad? Is the world ending? Neither? Both? The answer is in the mind of the reader as this one is very much open to interpretation.

An incident at school means he is suspended and going home. Mom’s a bit worried about why he did what he did in “A Harvest Of Malice” by Matt McHugh. The story within the story is an ancient and powerful message-- if he listens.

It is 1965 and King Booker has a plan in “The Entitled Life And Untimely Death Of King Booker” by P. M. Raymond. New Orleans. Voodoo. Need I say more?

The final story returns the reader to a more crime fiction noir style bent and without the paranormal in Johnny Shaw’s “Or Not To Be.” A poker game in a bar goes wrong. At least it did for the guy who got invited to the game, won big, and now has one heck of a problem staying alive and keeping his winnings.

Dark Yonder: Issue 1 is an interesting mixture of stories. All the tales are solidly good. Some are more clearly crime fiction rooted noir type tales than others. Science fiction and fantasy elements are present in three tales. More than anything or any label, these are dark tales and not ones that make you feel very good about anyone involved. As was the legendary Thuglit, this is not a read that makes you feel all warm and gooey about humanity. The overall result here is an interesting and enjoyable read as well as a new market to keep an eye on going forward.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4lOsPxt

 

My eBook reading copy was a gift from a friend.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023, 2025