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pshelling's review against another edition
4.0
Entrée to Murder by Nicole Kimberling and Stranger in the House by Josh Lanyon were both excellent. Part of what took me so long to read this that not all the stories in the anthology gripped me the same way. That's the risk of getting an anthology, but I think that this one is worth a buy for the two aforementioned stories above.
anniekayefic's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Overall these stories are a 4/5. Of 8 stories, I DNF one and finished but didn’t love one. The absolute best was A Country For Old Men by Dal Maclean - if I could give it more than 5 stars I would.
siriusbusiness's review
4.0
My only issue is many if them felt like they could or should be longer. I decided on this rating because I would read a sequel to any of these stories and I would recommend this anthology to other readers. I listened to the audiobook, the narrators are absolutely fabulous.
Individual ratings:
4/5 Entrée to Murder by Nicole Kimberling
2.5/5 Twelve Seconds by Meg Perry
2/5 Reality Bites by S.C. Wynne
3.5/5 Blind Man’s Bluff by L.B. Gregg
5/5 A Country for Old Men by Dal Maclean
3/5 Pepper the Crime Lab by Z.A. Maxfield
4.5/5 Lights. Camera. Murder. By C.S. Poe
3.75/5 Stranger in the House by Josh Layton
Individual ratings:
4/5 Entrée to Murder by Nicole Kimberling
2.5/5 Twelve Seconds by Meg Perry
2/5 Reality Bites by S.C. Wynne
3.5/5 Blind Man’s Bluff by L.B. Gregg
5/5 A Country for Old Men by Dal Maclean
3/5 Pepper the Crime Lab by Z.A. Maxfield
4.5/5 Lights. Camera. Murder. By C.S. Poe
3.75/5 Stranger in the House by Josh Layton
missawn's review
4.0
I don't usually like anthologies/short stories ... but I enjoyed this! The quality of the writing is better than I have come across before -- and there are a couple of stunning reads that are well worth the price of admission. Here is a summary of what I thought of each:
1. ENTREE TO MURDER by Nicole Kimberling
Predictable and not a whole lot of substance. Some really bizarre twists and turns ... an uncomfortably inappropriate workplace relationship. Still a cute romance but nothing particularly remarkable. (3 stars).
2. TWELVE SECONDS by Meg Perry
This story started with incredible pacing and I was hooked right away. Then I had a whiplash moment where everything changed and nothing made sense (re. an alien personality transplant occurred that was ultimately fatal to the story). I ended up DNF'ing this one ... unfortunately.
3. REALITY BITES BY S.C. Wynne
Bravo! This was absolutely ridiculous but so much fun. A unique story that was quite delightful (4 stars) ...
4. BLIND MAN's BUFF by L.B. Gregg
Read description and a few pages in decided to DNF this one.
5. A COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN by Dal Maclean
Definitely a standout in the collection. I loved the writing and particularly the descriptive setting. If you loved [b:Scrap Metal|13157635|Scrap Metal|Harper Fox|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328327742l/13157635._SX50_.jpg|18336044] then there is a very good chance you will love this as well. (4.5 stars).
6. PEPPER THE CRIME LAB by Z.A. Maxfield
I ended up DNFing this one as well. Probably because of all the busybodies (which I hate) in the apartment block where the murder takes place. I just didn't get into this one ...
7. LIGHTS. CAMERA. MURDER. by C.S. Poe
New to me author. I did enjoy this one very much ... Marion was a touch too perfect to be real but this was overall decent (3.5 stars).
8. STRANGER IN THE HOUSE by Josh Lanyon
This is the reason why this author is the absolute best in this genre. This was excellent! I loved Montreal -- I loved the characters and the house -- the spooky atmosphere and quirky characters. The ending was a little abrupt and did not carry the same oomph that the rest of the book carried -- but I enjoyed it tremendously. This was definitely one of the stories that make this a rare 4-5 star anthology (4.5 stars).
1. ENTREE TO MURDER by Nicole Kimberling
Predictable and not a whole lot of substance. Some really bizarre twists and turns ... an uncomfortably inappropriate workplace relationship. Still a cute romance but nothing particularly remarkable. (3 stars).
2. TWELVE SECONDS by Meg Perry
This story started with incredible pacing and I was hooked right away. Then I had a whiplash moment where everything changed and nothing made sense (re. an alien personality transplant occurred that was ultimately fatal to the story). I ended up DNF'ing this one ... unfortunately.
3. REALITY BITES BY S.C. Wynne
Bravo! This was absolutely ridiculous but so much fun. A unique story that was quite delightful (4 stars) ...
4. BLIND MAN's BUFF by L.B. Gregg
Read description and a few pages in decided to DNF this one.
5. A COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN by Dal Maclean
Definitely a standout in the collection. I loved the writing and particularly the descriptive setting. If you loved [b:Scrap Metal|13157635|Scrap Metal|Harper Fox|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328327742l/13157635._SX50_.jpg|18336044] then there is a very good chance you will love this as well. (4.5 stars).
6. PEPPER THE CRIME LAB by Z.A. Maxfield
I ended up DNFing this one as well. Probably because of all the busybodies (which I hate) in the apartment block where the murder takes place. I just didn't get into this one ...
7. LIGHTS. CAMERA. MURDER. by C.S. Poe
New to me author. I did enjoy this one very much ... Marion was a touch too perfect to be real but this was overall decent (3.5 stars).
8. STRANGER IN THE HOUSE by Josh Lanyon
This is the reason why this author is the absolute best in this genre. This was excellent! I loved Montreal -- I loved the characters and the house -- the spooky atmosphere and quirky characters. The ending was a little abrupt and did not carry the same oomph that the rest of the book carried -- but I enjoyed it tremendously. This was definitely one of the stories that make this a rare 4-5 star anthology (4.5 stars).
jeansbooks's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
bookcraft's review against another edition
4.0
Ratings for individual stories, with any notes:
"Entreé to Murder" by Nicole Kimberling
â â â â â (4/5 stars)
Drew and Mac are great characters, and I particularly love how Drew's impression of Mac changes as he gets to know him.
"Twelve Seconds" by Meg Perry
â â âââ (2/5 stars)
This felt like a first draft rather than a final story; my fingers itched to take a red pencil to it. There was a lot of telling rather than showing.
"Reality Bites" by S. C. Wynne
â â â ââ (3/5 stars)
The characters never quite seemed real to me. I think there just wasn't enough sensory / evocative detail when it came to both place and character.
"Blind Man's Buff" by L. B. Gregg
â â â â â (4/5 stars)
I noticed some weird word choices and ungrammatical sentences that don't seem to be an intentional part of the stream-of-consciousness narrative style, but that's a pretty minor quibble. Also, I'm very much over the "fat villain" trope. Otherwise, though, this was a really excellent adventure story.
"A Country for Old Men" by Dal Maclean
â â â â â (5/5 stars)
There's so much about this story to unpack. It really made me think about duty versus personal happiness and the shift in how Western culture has prioritized the two over the last couple of centuries. (Cool-to-me side note: It's set on the island my dad's family comes from.)
Content warning: Internalized homophobia
"Pepper the Crime Lab" by Z. A. Maxfield
â â â â â (4/5 stars)
Worst title pun ever!
"Lights, Camera, Murder" by C. S. Poe
â â â ââ (3/5 stars)
These ought to be the kind of characters that I really love, but I didn't quite connect with them.
"Stranger in the House" by Josh Lanyon
â â â ââ (3/5 stars)
Interesting characters who have actual depth. Great sense of place; I can clearly picture the mansion and its eclectic contents.
"Entreé to Murder" by Nicole Kimberling
â â â â â (4/5 stars)
Drew and Mac are great characters, and I particularly love how Drew's impression of Mac changes as he gets to know him.
"Twelve Seconds" by Meg Perry
â â âââ (2/5 stars)
This felt like a first draft rather than a final story; my fingers itched to take a red pencil to it. There was a lot of telling rather than showing.
"Reality Bites" by S. C. Wynne
â â â ââ (3/5 stars)
The characters never quite seemed real to me. I think there just wasn't enough sensory / evocative detail when it came to both place and character.
"Blind Man's Buff" by L. B. Gregg
â â â â â (4/5 stars)
I noticed some weird word choices and ungrammatical sentences that don't seem to be an intentional part of the stream-of-consciousness narrative style, but that's a pretty minor quibble. Also, I'm very much over the "fat villain" trope. Otherwise, though, this was a really excellent adventure story.
"A Country for Old Men" by Dal Maclean
â â â â â (5/5 stars)
There's so much about this story to unpack. It really made me think about duty versus personal happiness and the shift in how Western culture has prioritized the two over the last couple of centuries. (Cool-to-me side note: It's set on the island my dad's family comes from.)
Content warning: Internalized homophobia
"Pepper the Crime Lab" by Z. A. Maxfield
â â â â â (4/5 stars)
Worst title pun ever!
"Lights, Camera, Murder" by C. S. Poe
â â â ââ (3/5 stars)
These ought to be the kind of characters that I really love, but I didn't quite connect with them.
"Stranger in the House" by Josh Lanyon
â â â ââ (3/5 stars)
Interesting characters who have actual depth. Great sense of place; I can clearly picture the mansion and its eclectic contents.
ccgwalt's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 B+ Overall
I enjoyed this anthology immensely. I was only disappointed that we were told in the prologue several stories were the start of a new series, but in reality only one novella (Twelve Seconds) has a followup.
The novellas are narrated by either Joel Leslie or Kale Williams, and all the narrations are excellent. I definitely recommend this on audio! Almost 29 hours of enjoyable mm suspense.
1- Entree to Murder by Nicole Kimberling is sort of a cozy mystery. I wish it were a series because I'd enjoy reading more. Narration by Kale Williams. B
2-Twelve Seconds by Meg Perry involves a murder investigation during a failed rocket launch. I enjoyed the investigation and the relationship. Narrated by Joel Leslie. B
3-Reality Bites by SC Wynne, narrated by Kale Williams. Good characters, interesting mystery. B
4-SKIPPED: Blind's Man Bluff by LB Gregg. I can't speak to the quality, only that after listening a little while I realized it wasn't my thing. I thought the characters were early 20's from their actions, but they were 30.
5-A Country for Old Men by Dal Maclean, expertly narrated by Joel Leslie (there was a fair amount of Gaelic). This was beautifully written even if the pacing was a little slow, or perhaps languid is a better term. I loved the emotional story and the second chance romance. One of my favorites! A-
6-Pepper the Crime Lab by Z.A. Maxfield, narrated by Joel Leslie. This was a fun mystery and would make a nice cosy-esque series. B+
7-Lights, Camera, Murder by C.S. Poe, narrated by Kale Williams. One of my favorites of the anthology,this has a great mystery and a sweet romance. I wish this was a series, too. A-
8-Stranger in the House by Josh Lanyon, narrated by Joel Leslie. While the mystery wasn't quite as complex as some of the others, the resolution caught me by surprise and I enjoyed it. I liked the main characters. Nice story made better by Joel's narration. B
I enjoyed this anthology immensely. I was only disappointed that we were told in the prologue several stories were the start of a new series, but in reality only one novella (Twelve Seconds) has a followup.
The novellas are narrated by either Joel Leslie or Kale Williams, and all the narrations are excellent. I definitely recommend this on audio! Almost 29 hours of enjoyable mm suspense.
1- Entree to Murder by Nicole Kimberling is sort of a cozy mystery. I wish it were a series because I'd enjoy reading more. Narration by Kale Williams. B
2-Twelve Seconds by Meg Perry involves a murder investigation during a failed rocket launch. I enjoyed the investigation and the relationship. Narrated by Joel Leslie. B
3-Reality Bites by SC Wynne, narrated by Kale Williams. Good characters, interesting mystery. B
4-SKIPPED: Blind's Man Bluff by LB Gregg. I can't speak to the quality, only that after listening a little while I realized it wasn't my thing. I thought the characters were early 20's from their actions, but they were 30.
5-A Country for Old Men by Dal Maclean, expertly narrated by Joel Leslie (there was a fair amount of Gaelic). This was beautifully written even if the pacing was a little slow, or perhaps languid is a better term. I loved the emotional story and the second chance romance. One of my favorites! A-
6-Pepper the Crime Lab by Z.A. Maxfield, narrated by Joel Leslie. This was a fun mystery and would make a nice cosy-esque series. B+
7-Lights, Camera, Murder by C.S. Poe, narrated by Kale Williams. One of my favorites of the anthology,this has a great mystery and a sweet romance. I wish this was a series, too. A-
8-Stranger in the House by Josh Lanyon, narrated by Joel Leslie. While the mystery wasn't quite as complex as some of the others, the resolution caught me by surprise and I enjoyed it. I liked the main characters. Nice story made better by Joel's narration. B