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A review by camille_catterpillar
Festive Mayhem by Paige Sleuth, Elizabeth Wilkerson, Jennifer J. Chow, Delia C. Pitts, Myra Jolivet, Stella Oni, Forest Issac Jones, S.G. Wong, Carolyn Marie Wilkins, Kia Dennis
I'll be honest, I don't much like reviewing short story collections. However, this is my first (recent) time reading an anthology by different authors...which only makes it harder.
Different styles make this a bit of an uneven experience so I'll break it down:
Some had some very interesting world building, but I felt like something was missing, like the short story didn't work so well as a standalone (New Year's Hex, PIPE DREAMS, THE HOLIDAY MURDER MELANGE by Carolyn Marie Wilkins, S.G. Wong, and Myra Jolivet respectively).
To me, the next three (A CHRISTMAS TIP, THE STRANGER IN THE HOUSE, WHAT LIES INSIDE, and THOSE HOLIDAY BKIES by Elizabeth Wilkerson, Stella Oni, Kia Dennis, and Jennifer Chow respectively) perfectly exemplified what I'd look for in a short crime story - a concise, concluding story with some suspense. Five stars to these ones!
A PUB, BED & BREAKFAST & A DEAD BODY by Forest Isaac Jones was a bit more contemplative with some very interesting observations on racism and the future of police forces in the current climate. The crime itself I found a bit secondary.
I wished A DEADLY FIRST by Delia C. Pitts had been longer! Really enjoyed what I read but the wrap up felt a bit rushed.
Holiday Holdup by Paige Sleuth was a cute small-time cosy that didn't exactly stand out but was enjoyable none the less.
No star rating because it seems unfair with so many different types of stories with such different styles.
Different styles make this a bit of an uneven experience so I'll break it down:
Some had some very interesting world building, but I felt like something was missing, like the short story didn't work so well as a standalone (New Year's Hex, PIPE DREAMS, THE HOLIDAY MURDER MELANGE by Carolyn Marie Wilkins, S.G. Wong, and Myra Jolivet respectively).
To me, the next three (A CHRISTMAS TIP, THE STRANGER IN THE HOUSE, WHAT LIES INSIDE, and THOSE HOLIDAY BKIES by Elizabeth Wilkerson, Stella Oni, Kia Dennis, and Jennifer Chow respectively) perfectly exemplified what I'd look for in a short crime story - a concise, concluding story with some suspense. Five stars to these ones!
A PUB, BED & BREAKFAST & A DEAD BODY by Forest Isaac Jones was a bit more contemplative with some very interesting observations on racism and the future of police forces in the current climate. The crime itself I found a bit secondary.
I wished A DEADLY FIRST by Delia C. Pitts had been longer! Really enjoyed what I read but the wrap up felt a bit rushed.
Holiday Holdup by Paige Sleuth was a cute small-time cosy that didn't exactly stand out but was enjoyable none the less.
No star rating because it seems unfair with so many different types of stories with such different styles.