SMFS Members Published in Festive Mayhem 4: Thirteen Cozy and Cold Winter Holiday Mystery and Crime Fiction Stories

 

Several SMFS list members reported that they have short stories in the recently released anthology, Festive Mayhem 4: Thirteen Cozy and Cold Winter Holiday Mystery and Crime Fiction Stories. You can learn more about the book, including where it is currently available, at Crime Writers of Color.  The SMFS list members that reported their presence in the book are:

 

Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier with “Sweeten.”

 

Delia Pitts with “Yuletide Clean-Up.”

 

P.M. Raymond with “Street Smarts.”

 

Website Description:

Publication Date: October 1, 2024
ISBN: 9798224417056
Subgenre: Anthologies/Short Stories
Race/Ethnic Categories: Black/African American; Asian, South Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander

The Festive Mayhem mystery and crime fiction anthology is back for another year! In this fourth edition, thirteen crime writers of color have teamed up to offer you a baker's dozen of brand-new short stories centered around the winter holidays. From uplifting cozies, to action-packed thrillers, to darker suspense, this collection has it all!

What you'll find inside: 

• "The Townhouse That Cried: A Valentine's Day Haunting" by Persia Walker. In a gorgeous but haunted townhouse, a couple's darkest secrets and buried pasts threaten to destroy their relationship and their lives.
• "Chocolate Kisses, Deadly Wishes: A Clover City Files Short Story" by Barbara Howard. When a candy-themed reality TV show comes to Briarwood College, the event turns chilling when a celebrity chef is found dead amidst the winter wonderland set, thrusting two friends into a hunt for the killer.
• "Dearly Departed: A Crescent City Short Story" by SG Wong. Betta Ha believes deeply in her vocation as a Healer, but can her convictions be enough to protect a gifted new protégé from a predatory family, or her best friend from past mistakes that might now prove more dangerous than anyone imagined?
• "A Tokyo Christmas Dish" by Elizabeth Wilkerson. A burnt-out home health aide's impromptu trip to Japan takes a wild turn when she finds herself entangled in a scheme to spread Christmas cheer.
• "Valentine's Vengeance: A Cozy Cat Caper Mystery Short" by Paige Sleuth. Cherry Hills amateur sleuth Imogene Little finds herself investigating an attempted murder during a Valentine's Day double date.
• "Appalachia Kidnappings" by Lavelle Andrew Miller. A winter storm unearths a decade old mystery.
• "The Case Of The Missing Body: A Lara's Detective Agency Mystery" by Stella Oni. In the days leading up to Christmas, the body of a respected Yoruba chief vanishes from a funeral home under mysterious circumstances.
• "Yuletide Clean-Up" by Delia Pitts. Denise's post-holiday chores include dismantling the Christmas tree, baking cookies, and covering up a death.
• "Before The Ball Drops" by Lekecia Barclay. With the clock ticking down to a killer's midnight deadline on New Year's Eve, a jaded private detective makes a deal with her estranged best friend—find the would-be murderer in exchange for freeing her son.
• "Street Smarts" by P.M. Raymond. Against the backdrop of New Orleans Mardi Gras, a savvy stripper and her most ardent admirer share a dangerous secret that puts them in the crosshairs of a scheming law enforcer.
• "Sweeten: A Naomi Sinclair Short Story" by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier. When blackmail threatens to ruin a perfect Virgin Islands Christmas, St. Thomian food journalist Naomi Sinclair trades her usual bush tea for a glass of maubi and dives in to uncover the truth.
• "The Paradise" by Jill Brock. Nia Jackson, the new tenant, discovers that living at the Paradise Apartments could be deadly.
• "Delilah And The Dangerous Diva" by Carolyn Marie Wilkins. When her boss's client, a renowned Negro opera singer, is accused of killing a crooked theatrical producer at the turn of the last century, legal secretary and aspiring novelist Delilah Rhodes must confront a vicious killer.