As the dog days of summer faded into fall, the members of the Short Mystery Fiction Society continued to turn out a wealth of powerful tales! If you're a reader looking for some of the most rewarding reads of the year, check out these recent publications by our multi-talented authors. And remember, there's always room in the Society for you!
August was another terrific month for crime anthologies, which are seeing a real golden age! First up is BETTER OFF DEAD VOLUME ONE: CRIME FICTION INSPIRED BY THE MUSIC OF ELTON JOHN AND BERNIE TAUPIN, edited by SMFS member D. M. Barr. Saturday night may be alright for fighting, but any time is alright for reading this fab collection, featuring members including Joseph S. Walker ("All The Young Girls Love Alice"), Josh Pachter ("I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself"), Rob Lopresti ("The Cage"), David Dean ("Daniel"), and Avram Lavinsky ("Funeral For a Friend").
Moving from music to the silver screen, Deborah Wells edits CELLULOID CRIMES, a gripping anthology paying homage to the razor-sharp wit and smoky intrigue of classic noir. The prolific Rob Lopresti is present again here with "The Little Death," alongside such SMFS luminaries as M. E. Proctor ("Garbo's Ghost") and Wendy Harrison ("No Way Out"). A cornucopia reminding us that the great tales never die!
And what's this? Why, none other than Rob Lopresti once again, his "Lucky Night" reminding us that he's one of the best in the game as his contribution to THE MOST DANGEROUS GAMES, an anthology of game-themed crime stories edited by Deborah Lacy. Among the others rolling the dice for this one are Jane Limprecht ("Game of Drones"), Stephen M/ Pierce ("Death Streamed Live"), donalee Moulton ("Zebra Finch"), and Shannon Taft ("Old Maid"). Who wins and who loses? You'll have to read to find out!
Going north of the border, COTTAGE CRIMES, edited by Eddie Generous, brings us eight new mystery and crime stories from Canadian authors taking a close look the secrets hidden in idyllic country retreats. SMFS is proud to be represented here by donalee Moulton ("Belted Kingfisher") and Merrilee Robson ("The Adventure in Baker Cabin").
(By the way, you've already heard the name donalee Moulton a couple of times in this post--but did you know that in addition to writing cracking good crime stories, she's an organizational savant? If you're in the market for a roadmap to designing organizational policy--and really, aren't we all?--you owe to yourself to check out her BETTER POLICY / BETTER PERFORMANCE.)
And now for something completely different--STEAMPUNK SLEUTHS, edited by Cameron Trost, with five stories offering up clever mystery puzzles with a steampunk spin. Leading off is SMFS member S. B. Watson's "Tears of the Dargon," a perfect treat for those who love crossing genre lines!
Meanwhile, those who know their mystery history will recall the list of twenty rules composed by the legendary S. S. Van Dine in the 1920s, outlining things that must, and must not, happen in any detective story. A host of today's best writers have taken great pleasure in breaking every one of those rules in DOUBLE CROSSING VAN DINE, edited by Donna Andrews, Greg Herren, and Art Taylor. In her "Baby Love," SMFS Golden Derringer winner Barb Goffman hilariously shreds Van Dine's insistence that love--and lust--have no place in the mystery world.
Turning to the world of magazine, the September/October issue of ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE, as always, includes a number of SMFS stars, including Michael Bracken ("Blind Pig"), Yoshinori Todo ("Japan Trip") and Dave Zeltserman ("Julius Katz and the Dented Fender").
Dave Zeltserman pulls off an impressive feat by also having a story in his enormously popular Katz series, "Julius Katz Draws a Straight Flush," in the September/October ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE. Also present and accounted for here are SMFS members Joseph S. Walker ("High in that Ivory Tower"), Andrew Welsh-Huggins ("The Bear"), and, once again, Michael Bracken ("The Girl in the Shop").
Also earning a place on the summer shelves is issue 47 of PULP LITERATURE, featuring MH Callway's haunting "The Lost Diner"--an eatery you won't soon forget.
Over in ROCK AND A HARD PLACE issue 14, Christina Hoag delivers a jolt of suspense in "Escape."
And in DARK YONDER #10, Christina joins the impressive roster of SMFS members with multiple August publications with "No Evidence."
The most recent issue of MYSTERY, CRIME AND MAYHEM is themed around crimes in coffee houses. David H. Hendrickson joins the caffeinated fun in "When Eggs-cellent Coffer Turned Rotten."
As always, the members of SMFS were well represented in the August issues of BLACK CAT WEEKLY, with highlights including Sybil Johnson's "Mini-Mart Sleuth" and Paula Messina's "How to Finance an African Safari." We've said it before, but it bears repeating--if you love mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, and pulp, there's simply no better value out there than BCW!
Looking for fast, free online stories that still have a powerful punch? SMFS members are happy to provide! Start out at STONE'S THROW with their winning August story, Autumn Harrison's "#emotionallaborday." A quick trip over to GUILTY will reward you with Vinnie Hansen's innovative "Killing With Yellowjackets (Vespula Pensylvanica)." Then roll on over to THE YARD: CRIME BLOG for Daniel Bartlett's "The Last Days of the Time Out Tavern." Stop by MYSTERY TRIBUNE for Abe Margel's "Lost His Head," and wrap things up at THE SATURDAY EVENING POST with Christina Hoag's "The Mysterious Food Truck Affair" and donalee Moulton's "Jackdaw." That's one satisfying surf through some dynamite fiction!
As always, the Short Mystery Fiction Society is your guide to great reading! For more reviews and other treats, don't miss former President Kevin Tipple's KEVIN'S CORNER blog, frequently featuring guest reviews by such folks as Paula Messina. And of course, we'd love to have you in the Society--great discussions, no dues, and a welcome atmosphere for readers and writers alike. What's not to love?
No comments:
Post a Comment