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mikedeab63's review
3.0
This group of 13 stories is well balanced, hitting many different types of suspense/thriller set-ups, and well written across the board. Each story is worth reading for fans of the genre. Standouts for me included:
Death's Brother by Bill Crider - a nasty little story of a mid-life crises, a cuckolded lover and a femme fatale (of course).
Poisoned by Stephen Gallagher - a disquieting story of creeping menace that develops to a sharp and heartbreaking conclusion.
Fire in the Sky by Joel Goldman - a quick Depression era tale that feels almost like a Bonnie and Clyde origin story.
The Jade Elephant by Libby Fischer Hellmann - a seemingly straightforward tale of old crooks, growing older and repentful takes a hairpin turn at the conclusion.
The Chirashi Covenant by Naomi Hirahara - the post-war Japanese American community is the locale (and this is one that I feel could work as a whole book) for a well written tale of an unlikely tryst gone too far.
A Handful of Dust - a late night meetup at a run down bar, the build up works a bit more than the payoff, but these are great characters I wouldn't have minded more story about.
This collection as a whole never misfires. Each author and story brings a unique dynamic to the genre. Well worth the 2.99 for the tales and potentially to discover a new writer.
Death's Brother by Bill Crider - a nasty little story of a mid-life crises, a cuckolded lover and a femme fatale (of course).
Poisoned by Stephen Gallagher - a disquieting story of creeping menace that develops to a sharp and heartbreaking conclusion.
Fire in the Sky by Joel Goldman - a quick Depression era tale that feels almost like a Bonnie and Clyde origin story.
The Jade Elephant by Libby Fischer Hellmann - a seemingly straightforward tale of old crooks, growing older and repentful takes a hairpin turn at the conclusion.
The Chirashi Covenant by Naomi Hirahara - the post-war Japanese American community is the locale (and this is one that I feel could work as a whole book) for a well written tale of an unlikely tryst gone too far.
A Handful of Dust - a late night meetup at a run down bar, the build up works a bit more than the payoff, but these are great characters I wouldn't have minded more story about.
This collection as a whole never misfires. Each author and story brings a unique dynamic to the genre. Well worth the 2.99 for the tales and potentially to discover a new writer.
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