Landmarked for Murder

by Gay Degani, Pamela Samuels Young, Darrell James (Contributor)

There is far more to the city of Los Angeles than can be discovered through the ordinary guide books, much of it dark, dangerous, even deadly. To find those hidden, shadowy corners of the L.A., wherein reside the less-than-angelic denizens of the City of Angels, you need LAndmarked for Murder, the new anthology by members of Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles. LAndmarked for Murder is a fictional travelogue through some of L.A. most notable natural and manmade landmarks, each of which serves as the setting for ten tales of dark passions and murder.

Leaving Slackerland by Gay Ann Degani is set against the imposing Eagle Rock, an enormous sandstone mound bearing the natural formation of an eagle in flight, in whose rustic environment are hidden deadly secrets. Downtown futuristic-looking Bonaventure Hotel provides the gleaming setting for Just Like Old Times, by G. B. Pool, a mad caper steeped in the fading elegance of 1930s Hollywood that proves one is never too old to get even. L.A. biggest landmark, the majestic Pacific Ocean, provides the backdrop for Darrell James Making It With Gammy, a tough-talking tale of crossing passions and double-crossing events. Marathon Madness by Dee Ann Palmer cleverly combines a genuine city landmark, the elegant Biltmore Hotel in downtown L.A., with a landmark yearly event, the L.A. Marathon, in the story of a shocking murder that occurrs in the most open of places. Paul D. Marks' Sleepy Lagoon Nocturne turns the clock back to the 1940s, the heyday of South L.A. jazz joints such as the Club Alabam, and adds a startling twist to the time of the racially charged Zoot Suit riots, which exploded in the wake of the notorious 1942 Sleepy Lagoon murder case. It Doesn Take a Genius by Kate Thornton is set against the staid and cerebral setting of Cal Tech, but offers a dark tale of revenge that is anything but placid and unemotional. Jinx Beers The Best Laid Schemes chronicles the workaday lives of three friends who spend their daylight hours at the famed Santa Anita Race Track, until death fixes the odds. Pamela Samuels-Young Setup uses the University of Southern California as the setting for a headline-fresh tale of murder, guilt and innocence taking place against the backdrop of Southern California high-profile legal justice system. The last two stories are set around the California Venice Canals, the fascinatingly quixotic remains of the early 20th century attempt to recreate a Venetian paradise on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Some Creature I Care About by Arthur Cob

Genres: Mystery

Paperback

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Gay Degani has had three of her flash pieces nominated for Pushcart consideration and won the 11th Glass Woman Prize. Pure Slush Books released her collection of stories, Rattle of Want, (November 2015). She has a suspense novel, What Came Before, published in 2014, and a short collection, Pomegranate, featuring eight stories around the theme of mothers and daughters. Founder and editor emeritus of Flash Fiction Chronicles, she is an editor at Smokelong Quarterly and blogs at Words in Place where a list of her published work can be found.


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Rattle of Want Links:
Pure Slush Books
For Kindle version: Rattle Amazon
For the e-book version: Rattle e-book
For the trade paperback version: Rattle paperback

Reviews

[Leslie]

Light reading, a bit boring, a bit entertaining.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leaving Slackerland is a great short story. Why aren't there more short stories or novels featuring the main character, Nikki, is a great accidental detective.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great LA-based short mysteries. A.H. Ream's "Running Venice" is particularly exciting.