The Session Man

Todd Gleason

by Robert J. Randisi

They call it the “crossroads of the world,” and from its inception Times Square has been the pulsing heartbeat of a city filled with life. Now, in this eclectic and electrifying collection, twenty acclaimed mystery writers take readers into the past history of Times Square, where danger lurked around every corner, and where characters walked its streets with the easy confidence of a con man. Spanning over one hundred years—from its christening on April 19, 1904 to the contemporary “Disney-ized” version, Crime Square is filled with guys, dolls, booze, and bullets. With contributions by such award-winning authors like Parnell Hall, John Lutz--and a host of others--CRIME SQUARE is the ultimate collection of crime stories, set in the world’s ultimate destination.

List of Contributors:

Ira Berkowitz – Shamus Winner

Michael Bracken – short story specialist

William E. Chambers – short story writer

Reed Farrell Coleman – Triple Shamus Winner

Max Allan Collins – Double Shamus Winner

Parnell Hall – Shamus nominee

Robert Levinson - Novelist

John Lutz – Shamus winner

Christine Matthews – novelist and short story writer

Maan Meyers – Martin & Annette Meyers Historical

Warren Murphy – Double Shamus Winner

Mel Odom - novelist

Brad Parks – Shamus winner

Gary Phillips – novelist and short story writer

Joe Pittman – Novelist.

Robert J. Randisi – PWA Life Achievement Winner

Eileen Dreyer

Wallace Stroby - Novelist

Kenneth Wishnia - novelist

Angela Zeman – short story writer

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Robert Joseph Randisi was a prolific American author, editor, and screenwriter, best known for his work in detective and Western fiction. He wrote over 650 books, including The Gunsmith series under the pen name J.R. Roberts, and edited more than 30 anthologies. A co-founder of Mystery Scene magazine, the American Crime Writers League, and Western Fictioneers, he also established The Private Eye Writers of America and created the Shamus Award. Randisi collaborated on novels with Eileen Davidson and Vince Van Patten, and created memorable characters such as Miles Jacoby, Joe Keough, and The Rat Pack. He received multiple lifetime achievement awards and the John Seigenthaler Humanitarian Award.

Reviews

[Charlie Eckhaus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shaping up to be another solid Randisi anthology.
Misdirection: A notch above the earlier stories in this volume, with some pop-culture references..
Sailor in the Picture: Another superior story with contemporary overtones and imagery assistance from a WWII photo.
The Night of the Murder: Atmospheric tale with some real personages that went in a surprising directiion.
A Quarter Past Dead: Couldn't get involved.
Nothing Is Ever as Good as It Seems: Unusual structure, disposition of scary antagonist kept me wondering.
You Would Cry Too: Tidbit with a tie-in to a one huge and one lesser shared experience.
Thirty-Six Stories Up: Cut-and-dried but OK until you realize it.
Halley's Comet: Grim quickie
Getting Out of the Box: A little gem, with a dash of melancholy.
A Fox on Broadway: A blunder, strange lapse of editorial judgment and functionality: I couldn't read due to draftlike quality of the prose and the errors which interrupted the flow.
Dim Bulbs, Dead Roaches: OK trifle.
Blues for Miss Anabelle: Tight, has that classic feel.
The Gatekeeper: A fantasy with some funny beats, a little confusing at the end, but I felt the identity of the eponymous character was obvious -- maybe necessary for others.
Perils of Penelope Pitttston: Two-pronged approach confused me, but the story was fast-paced.
Times Square Shuffle: Perhaps the best in the book, more of a case than an adventure.
The Authors: Backgrounds interested me in a lot of unfamiliar careers and work that should keep me busy for years.

[Mysterious Bookshop · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this collection of twenty stories edited by Randisi (founder of the Private Eye Writers of America and creator of the Shamus Award), Times Square serves as the central character, with all its grit, charm, and gaudy ostentatious nature. Spanning a century, each time period here is tackled by a different author. Though every story realistically evokes the ambiance of its decade--from dirty and crowded 1910s New York to its modern "Disney-ized" tourist destination form--and all pay close attention to ever-changing American customs and colloquialisms, there are stories here which challenge, reinforce, and ultimately illuminate ways in which to think about the city and its history, as well as its seedy criminal underbelly. Highlights include Dreyer's "The Sailor in the Picture," which focuses on Times Square's most iconic photograph, as well as Kenneth Wishnia's "Dim Bulbs, Dead Roaches," Angela Zeman's "A Quarter Past Dead," and William E. Chambers "Frankie Light Fingers' Time Square Follies." --Alex

[David]

Some great little stories, in the tradition of the hard-boiled detective tale. Loved the array of authors and an extra star for the constant reminder of time in New York City.