Short Story Wednesday Review: Techno-Noir Editors Eva Batonne and Jeffrey Marks

 

From the magnificently massive archive….

 

The dark side of technology is often reported in the day’s news. The modern problem of identify theft was a topic long ago covered in classic science fiction. With such problems and others being daily fodder for the media which seems to be driven by sensationalism these days, it isn’t surprising that authors in other genres are going to explore the positives and the negatives of technology. The mystery field, out of the remaining genres, seems to be not only the most suited to do so, but the genre leading the pack in the form of novels, anthologies, and collections.

 

Case in point is the recent anthology release, Techno-Noir, edited by Eva Batonne and Jeffrey Marks. In the book, which contains eighteen stories by as many authors, the roles of technology, morality, deceit and consequences are considered. Some authors and the resulting stories play on the classic stereotypes in the mystery field and twist them while others go in a different direction. A couple of works contain some humor but most of the stories in the anthology are deadly serious as is subject matter. Like all anthologies, it’s hard to go into detail on all the strong stories so just a couple will be covered here.

One that really jumps out is “Suspicion” by Leann Sweeney. Keeping one’s mental health secret is important because even the paranoids do have enemies.

 

“Cookie Monster” by Tim Wohlforth also stands out for divine retribution on a dishonest computer salesman.

 

Driven by memories that won’t let go, “All the World is a Stage” by Rick McMahan also works very well and gives the reader a lasting image.

 

That isn’t to say the other authors, Libby Fischer Hellmann, Nick Andreychuk, Michael Bracken, Earl Staggs, Eva Batonne, Stephen D. Rogers, J. Michael Blue, Flora Davis, Bill Crider, Jeffrey Marks, Arla Gregory, Linda Posey, Kris Neri, H. Robert Perry, and Vera-Jane Goodin didn’t contribute excellent stories. They did. But any reader, or reviewer for that matter, is going to have personal favorites. The above are mine. Your experience will vary. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple © 2005, 2010, 2022

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How Not to Get Happily Published

Review: "Blood Of My Blood: A Smokey Annicelli Mystery" by Ralph Pezzullo

Tony “Smokey” Annicelli still knows people on the NYPD even though it has been quite a few years since he wore the uniform. When Luke, his best friend on the force, calls him and says that he better get over the fourth floor of a building at Two-forty-seven West Twenty-Ninth Street, Smoky doesn’t ask a lot of questions. Despite the urgency in Luke’s call, he is made to wait with his questions unanswered.

Finally, Detective Donnelly, after dragging him around awhile talking to people, takes him to the bloody mess of a body for identification.  An identification Donnelly seems to have already made, but wants Smokey to see the dead person to cause Smokey pain. Mission accomplished as the deceased was/is Ricky Bravere, the son of Smokey’s best friend, Evan.  The same son who was also Smokey’s godson. The same godson he had sworn to protect all those years ago as his friend lay dying in the hospital.

Guilt over the past haunts Smokey as he investigates the death of his godson. Not just the guilt over a godson that he lost track of over the years and failed to protect, but guilt as well over a horrifying incident that happened long ago when Smokey was young. It changed him forever and the death of his godson will bring that and other painful episodes to light in brutal ways. That guilt over the past he feels so deeply in so many ways will have a huge toll and yet also serve as a motivator in this often nightmarish and very complex mystery published by Zumaya Enigma. A mystery that is so complex, to say more would create potential spoilers for readers and thus ruin a very good and often violent book.

Readers are strongly cautioned that Blood Of My Blood: A Smokey Annicelli Mystery and sequel to Eve Missing features explicit language, graphic violence, and various adult activities. As such, this is an adult novel aimed to adult mystery readers who have no issues with language or content. Those readers that prefer their bad guys to say, “Gosh darn” and the like instead of string of obscenities are strongly encouraged to skip this title and pick something else. This is a hard edged book that tells a compelling dark tale filled with violence, drugs, unredeemable criminals, rock and roll, and more and is a very good read. It just isn’t a book for everyone.

Blood Of My Blood: A Smokey Annicelli Mystery

Ralph Pezzullo

Zumaya Enigma (division of Zumaya Publishing)

http://www.zumayapublications.com

June 2012

ISBN# 978-1-61271-059-4

Paperback (available as e-book)

202 Pages

$12.99

Material supplied by publicist PJ Nunn owner of BreakThrough Promotions in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2013

Review: "Techno-Noir" Edited by Eva Batonne and Jeffrey Marks

The dark side of technology is often reported in the day’s news. The modern problem of identify theft was a topic long ago covered in classic science fiction. With such problems and others being daily fodder for the media which seems to be driven by sensationalism these days, it isn’t surprising that authors in other genres are going to explore the positives and the negatives of technology. The mystery field, out of the remaining genres, seems to be not only the most suited to do so, but the genre leading the pack in the form of novels, anthologies, and collections.

Case in point is the recent anthology release Techno-Noir edited by Eva Batonne and Jeffrey Marks. In the book, which contains eighteen stories by as many authors, the roles of technology, morality, deceit and consequences are considered. Some authors and the resulting stories play on the classic stereotypes in the mystery field and twist them while others go in a different direction. A couple of works contain some humor but most of the stories in the anthology are deadly serious as is subject matter. Like all anthologies, it’s hard to go into detail on all the strong stories so just a couple will be covered here.

One that really jumps out is “Suspicion” by Leann Sweeney. Keeping one’s mental health secret is important because even the paranoids do have enemies.

“Cookie Monster” by Tim Wohlforth also stands out for divine retribution on a dishonest computer salesman.

Driven by memories that won’t let go, “All the World is a Stage” by Rick McMahan also works very well and gives the reader a lasting image.

That isn’t to say the other authors, Libby Fischer Hellmann, Nick Andreychuk, Michael Bracken, Earl Staggs, Eva Batonne, Stephen D. Rogers, J. Michael Blue, Flora Davis, Bill Crider, Jeffrey Marks, Arla Gregory, Linda Posey, Kris Neri, H. Robert Perry, and Vera-Jane Goodin didn’t contribute excellent stories. They did. But any reader, or reviewer for that matter, is going to have personal favorites. The above are mine. Your experience will vary.




Techno-Noir
Edited by Eva Batonne and Jeffrey Marks
Zumaya Publications
www.zumayapublications.com
2005
ISBN #1-55410-266-9
Large Trade Paperback
223 Pages



Kevin R. Tipple © 2005