We all lost a lot with the recent passing of Earl
Staggs. Fortunately, the books and the
short stories live on. It seemed appropriate to remind you again of Barry
Ergang’s 2011 review of the Short Stories of Earl Staggs. For the full
list of reading suggestions check out Todd Mason’s Sweet Freedom blog.
SHORT STORIES OF EARL STAGGS
Reviewed by Barry Ergang
In
the interests of full disclosure, let me explain at the outset that Earl Staggs
and I have been friends for a number of years, going back to when I joined the
staff of the then-named Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine as an
editorial reviewer and Earl was Managing Editor. No more than a year later,
maybe less, some changes occurred with the staff, and Earl asked if I'd like to
be one of three fiction editors. I accepted the position and, when a year or
two after that Earl stepped down as M.E. to serve as Editorial Consultant for
the renamed Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine, he offered me his former
position and I accepted.
Prior
to the publication of Short Stories of Earl Staggs, I had read some of
Earl's short fiction as well as his excellent--and recommended--novel, Memory
of a Murder. I correctly assumed, therefore, that reading this collection
of fifteen stories, each of which is prefaced by an author's note about its
origins, would be a satisfying experience.
The
book opens with the Derringer Award-winning "All the Fine Actors," in
which a hitman assassinates a local sheriff. Both he and his employer are aware
that people too often aren't what they seem, and both know the collection
of his fee won't be an easy task.
"A
Rainy Day Robbery" is a lighter-weight tale about the fictional Watango
County, Texas Sheriff Mollie Goodall who, while trying to track down a thief,
has to contend with a broken fingernail, every mention of which made me wince.
A
tough former Baltimore cop, now living and working as a bail bondsman and
sometime bounty hunter, returns to his hometown to pursue an escaped criminal
and confront some people and issues from his past in "Baltimore
Bounty."
"Battered"
concerns Detective Sam Hollis's rabid determination to nail a longtime abuser
who has finally killed his victim. Hollis has his own demons to deal with while
trying to salvage his marriage.
After
his sister's funeral, a visiting small-town cop arranges a meeting with her
estranged husband, a wastrel pretty boy, in "Brother-in-Law."
Ostensibly to discuss which of them as the woman's survivors gets what, the
meeting has a much darker purpose.
The
weakest story in the collection for me was "Caught On Christmas Eve,"
the tale of a twelve-year-old wannabe thief and the man who witnesses what he's
up to at a department store's jewelry counter. Originally written for a
Christmas anthology , it's predictable and sentimental--but redeemed by not
being too soppy.
A
contract killer who prides himself for being meticulous and thorough gets the
shock of his life when a woman he killed walks into the restaurant in which he
regularly dines. Before the evening is over, he's in for dyspepsia-inducing
surprises in "Dead Woman Walking."
"Fig
Newtons and Heavy Bags" is the lightweight tale of two spinster sisters
who aren't quite what they seem.
Another
Mollie Goodall story, "Robbery On Christmas Eve," concerns the theft
of church funds from a locked office. How the thief got in and out, as well as
who the thief is, are the puzzles Mollie must solve.
In
"Room Six," a small-town sheriff sets a simple trap to determine
which of three wealthy, spoiled brothers murdered a nineteen-year-old woman.
"Silky's
Getaway" is a brief comic tale about a professional burglar's encounter
with a most unlikely obstacle.
Not
without moral qualms, a cop exceeds standard procedural boundaries to dispense
the justice the courts failed to in "Taking Richie Gold Down."
On
her daughter's wedding day, Amanda Barnes is kidnapped by a man who has held a
grudge against her for twenty years, a man who stirs up memories of her
harrowing past in the tense and exciting "That Night in Galveston."
"The
Chopsticks Clue" resulted, as the author explains in his prefatory note, from
an editorial challenge. Homicide Lieutenant Sue Townes encounters her former
partner Millie Walker, now a meter maid, while investigating a stabbing death
at a Chinese restaurant. More interesting than the crime itself is the
animosity Sue has toward Millie because of an incident in their past.
Sheriff
Mollie Goodall makes another appearance in the comical "The Naked Man On
the Roof" when she has to talk the titular character down from the roof of
a deserted icehouse (the fall from which wouldn't kill him), learn why
he's despondent, and then solve a crime.
Chief
of Police Harry Winfield learns from a pair of Dallas cops, to his surprise and
disheartenment, that Pam Wilson is wanted for the murder of a prominent
attorney in "The Waitress." She swears she didn't kill him but knows
who does--but won't reveal the murderer's name lest she be forced to reveal
things about herself she can't afford to reveal. Harry must determine where the
truth lies.
Short
Stories of Earl Staggs is a nicely varied collection of light
and dark, humorous and serious, soft-boiled and hardboiled crime stories. The
author writes in a smooth, accessible prose style, delineates characters
nicely, and has an excellent sense of pace. To my friend and former colleague,
the venerable Earl of Staggs, I say, "Well done, amigo. Give us
more." To you who are reading this review, I say, "If you enjoy good
short crime and mystery fiction, get yourself a copy of this collection, which
is available in electronic and paperback formats, because the Earl Staggs
byline always guarantees a pleasurable reading experience."
Barry
Ergang © 2011, 2014, 2020
Among other works, Derringer Award-winner Barry Ergang's own impossible crime novelette, The Play of Light and Shadow, is available at Amazon and Smashwords as is his recently released book of poetry, Farrago, and other entertaining reads. For more on Barry’s books as well as his editing services, check out Barry’s website.
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