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A review by claudia_is_reading
Footsteps in the Dark by Meg Perry, Z.A. Maxfield, C.S. Poe, L.B. Gregg, Nicole Kimberling, S.C. Wynne, Dal Maclean, Josh Lanyon
4.0
I loved almost every single story on this anthology, and the ones that I didn't love, I liked very much.
So, let's go with each one of them.
Entrée to Murder by Nicole Kimberling
I really liked this one. The mystery is really well done, gripping and very entertaining. The strained relationship between Sam and Drew is the perfect background to all what's going on. Now, regarding the romance, I have only one complaint: after the original description of Big Mac, I couldn't help to picture him as Hoss Cartwright, from Bonanza. Do you remember him? Not the best image for a romance :P
Twelve Seconds by Meg Perry
Oh, I liked both, the mystery and the romance here. And I loved how smart is Justin :) I'm not a great fan of dual POV's, but then, that's me :P And it was a nice introduction to someone who is a new author for me.
Reality Bites by S.C. Wynne
Okay, full disclosure: I LOVE S.C. Wynne's writing. Truly love it. So I went to read this already knowing that I was in for a treat :P And, of course, the story didn't disappoint me. A very well done mystery, an opposites-attract romance with characters I really liked and a fabulous ending. What else could I wish?
Blind Man's Buff by L.B. Gregg
Okay, this reads like a horror movie. c'mon! Beautiful people stranded in a closed-off mall with a serial killer on the loose? Classical! The story is gripping, exciting and full of tension. Believable, as all the people participating in the game is at their peak physically. There is no romance, really. Except is you want to consider this as WORST FIRST DATE EVER. If it were been a date. Which wasn't, no matter what Tommy and Jonah where expecting :P
Really entertaining.
A Country for Old Men by Dal Maclean
Hands down, my favourite story. Beautiful, mournful, permeated with a sense of loss almost until the very end, this is one of these stories that stay with you for a long, long time. The writing is simply gorgeous, poetic and evocative. The description of that town frozen in time is perfect; for moments you forget that this is going on at the present times, until something (a cell phone, a mention to Twitter) reminds you.
Calum's story is... heartbreaking. That he's willing to betray himself to fit in what he thinks is his destiny and his duty...
And those letters! Those letters that Calum is getting in his email and that seems to fit so well whit was going on!. Even the mystery is surrounded by lore and old stories. What can I say? It's wonderful. But then, it's a Dal Maclean's story :)
Pepper the Crime Lab by Z.A. Maxfied
And this one is the one I liked the less. Maybe coming after 'A Country for Old Men' has something to do with it, I don't know...
I really didn't engage with the characters and when one of the MCs is an ex-cop, now bodyguard, you'll expect that he'll be, at the very least, helping to solve the mystery. And yet... the mystery is solved by accident :/
Sorry, but not my cup of tea.
Lights, Camera, Murder by C.S. Poe
Another one of my favourite authors, and another great story. The characters are simply fantastic. And Marion! Oh, Marion is just... perfect! The mystery is really well done and keeps you wondering until the end, so masterly executed! And I love that is Marion, at the end, who saves the day (and Rory's life).
Another fantastic read, and I really, really hope will be seeing more of these two =D
Stranger in the House by Josh Lanyon
Josh Lanyon is another favourite (yes, I'm a lucky girl, all of my favourites in one anthology :P), so it will come as no surprise at all that I loved this story, too. The setting is simply perfect: an old house, filled with childhood memories, that suddenly feels less than welcoming; an old crush who (maybe without even noticing) inflicted a life-defining hurt; a dead man at the bottom of a magnificent marble stair, crushed by a huge bronze sculpture; little objects missing...
And I was so wrong about the culprit! *laughs* Another excellent story :)
So, if you, for whatever reason, wasn't sure about going for this anthology, go for it! I can't recommend it more.
So, let's go with each one of them.
Entrée to Murder by Nicole Kimberling
I really liked this one. The mystery is really well done, gripping and very entertaining. The strained relationship between Sam and Drew is the perfect background to all what's going on. Now, regarding the romance, I have only one complaint: after the original description of Big Mac, I couldn't help to picture him as Hoss Cartwright, from Bonanza. Do you remember him? Not the best image for a romance :P
Twelve Seconds by Meg Perry
Oh, I liked both, the mystery and the romance here. And I loved how smart is Justin :) I'm not a great fan of dual POV's, but then, that's me :P And it was a nice introduction to someone who is a new author for me.
Reality Bites by S.C. Wynne
Okay, full disclosure: I LOVE S.C. Wynne's writing. Truly love it. So I went to read this already knowing that I was in for a treat :P And, of course, the story didn't disappoint me. A very well done mystery, an opposites-attract romance with characters I really liked and a fabulous ending. What else could I wish?
Blind Man's Buff by L.B. Gregg
Okay, this reads like a horror movie. c'mon! Beautiful people stranded in a closed-off mall with a serial killer on the loose? Classical! The story is gripping, exciting and full of tension. Believable, as all the people participating in the game is at their peak physically. There is no romance, really. Except is you want to consider this as WORST FIRST DATE EVER. If it were been a date. Which wasn't, no matter what Tommy and Jonah where expecting :P
Really entertaining.
A Country for Old Men by Dal Maclean
Hands down, my favourite story. Beautiful, mournful, permeated with a sense of loss almost until the very end, this is one of these stories that stay with you for a long, long time. The writing is simply gorgeous, poetic and evocative. The description of that town frozen in time is perfect; for moments you forget that this is going on at the present times, until something (a cell phone, a mention to Twitter) reminds you.
Calum's story is... heartbreaking. That he's willing to betray himself to fit in what he thinks is his destiny and his duty...
And those letters! Those letters that Calum is getting in his email and that seems to fit so well whit was going on!. Even the mystery is surrounded by lore and old stories. What can I say? It's wonderful. But then, it's a Dal Maclean's story :)
Pepper the Crime Lab by Z.A. Maxfied
And this one is the one I liked the less. Maybe coming after 'A Country for Old Men' has something to do with it, I don't know...
I really didn't engage with the characters and when one of the MCs is an ex-cop, now bodyguard, you'll expect that he'll be, at the very least, helping to solve the mystery. And yet... the mystery is solved by accident :/
Sorry, but not my cup of tea.
Lights, Camera, Murder by C.S. Poe
Another one of my favourite authors, and another great story. The characters are simply fantastic. And Marion! Oh, Marion is just... perfect! The mystery is really well done and keeps you wondering until the end, so masterly executed! And I love that is Marion, at the end, who saves the day (and Rory's life).
Another fantastic read, and I really, really hope will be seeing more of these two =D
Stranger in the House by Josh Lanyon
Josh Lanyon is another favourite (yes, I'm a lucky girl, all of my favourites in one anthology :P), so it will come as no surprise at all that I loved this story, too. The setting is simply perfect: an old house, filled with childhood memories, that suddenly feels less than welcoming; an old crush who (maybe without even noticing) inflicted a life-defining hurt; a dead man at the bottom of a magnificent marble stair, crushed by a huge bronze sculpture; little objects missing...
And I was so wrong about the culprit! *laughs* Another excellent story :)
So, if you, for whatever reason, wasn't sure about going for this anthology, go for it! I can't recommend it more.