(I Just) Died in Your Arms: Crime Fiction Inspired by One-Hit Wonders

by Josh Pachter, Barb Goffman, Sandra Murphy

Hitting the charts only once isn’t just unfortunate…it’s a crime.

Over the decades, tons of musical artists and groups have had a hit song that has lived on long after the tune topped the charts and is often looked upon fondly for decades to come. For some musicians, this may be the only the song they’re ever known for and they fade into obscurity soon thereafter. These are affectionately known as “one-hit wonders,” and are much celebrated by fans and music publications, particularly on September 25th each year on One-Hit Wonder Day

12 of today’s best short story authors have taken their favorite one-hit wonders and reimagined them as the influence for some pretty heinous crimes. (I Just) Died in Your Arms features a decades-spanning collection of immediately recognizable hit songs turned into stories from the amazing talents of Vinnie Hansen, Jeanne DuBois, Josh Pachter, J.M. Taylor, Christine Verstraete, Sandra Murphy, Joseph S. Walker, Wendy Harrison, Bev Vincent, Leone Ciporin, Adam Gorgoni and Barb Goffman.

181 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 9, 2024

About the author

JOSH PACHTER is a writer, editor and translator. More than a hundred and twenty of his short crime stories have appeared in EQMM, AHMM, and many other periodicals, anthologies, and year’s-best collections. THE TREE OF LIFE (Wildside Press, 2015) collected all ten of his Mahboob Chaudri stories. His 2023 novel DUTCH THREAT was named a finalist for the Agatha, Lefty, and Macavity awards. FIRST WEEK FREE AT THE ROOMY TOILET, his first chapter book for younger readers, was published in 2024 and was a finalist for the Agatha Award in the Best Childrens/YA Mystery category.

He is the editor of many anthologies, including:

• FRIEND OF THE DEVIL: CRIME FICTION INSPIRED BY THE SONGS OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD (Down and Out, 2024)

• HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN: CRIME FICTION INSPIRED BY THE SONGS OF THE BEATLES (Down and Out, 2023)

• THE BEAT OF BLACK WINGS: CRIME FICTION INSPIRED BY THE SONGS OF JONI MITCHELL (Untreed Reads, 2020)

• THE MISADVENTURES OF NERO WOLFE (Mysterious Press, 2020)

• THE MAN WHO READ MYSTERIES: THE SHORT FICTION OF WILLIAM BRITTAIN (Crippen & Landru, 2018)

• THE MAN WHO SOLVED MYSTERIES: MORE SHORT FICTION BY WILLIAM BRITTAIN (Crippen & Landru, 2022)

• PARANOIA BLUES: CRIME FICTION INSPIRED BY THE SONGS OF PAUL SIMON (Down and Out Books, 2022).

He also co-edited AMSTERDAM NOIR (Akashic Books, 2019), THE MISADVENTURES OF ELLERY QUEEN (Wildside Press, 2018), AND THE FURTHER MISADVENTURES OF ELLERY QUEEN (Wildside Press, 2020), and co-wrote (with the legendary Ellery Queen) THE ADVENTURES OF THE PUZZLE CLUB (Crippen & Landru, 2022).

Coming in 2025:

• EVERY DAY A LITTLE DEATH: CRIME FICTION INSPIRED BY THE SONGS OF STEPHEN SONDHEIM (Level Best)

• CRYIN' SHAME: CRIME FICTION INSPIRED BY THE SONGS OF LYLE LOVETT (Down and Out)

Reviews

[Sherry Fundin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hold onto your hats, people, because I have 12 novellas/short stories to share in the anthology, I Just Died In Your Arms. The beginning of each story tells the history of the song the story is based on. You may want to have some of them playing in the background, complementing these easy reading mysteries. The great cover depicts the blood that will be shed. I didn’t zip through the book like I normally would. Instead I would read a story or two, then move on to a novel I had on the back burner. That is the great thing about a quick read, you can pick it up no matter where you are at and enjoy it. It’s also a great introduction to the writing style of some new authors. Maybe you’ll even add them to your favorites list and read more of their work.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com

[Franklin Codel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I also have a soft spot for “one-hit wonders” and appreciate the idea - and the execution - of a series of short stories based on these songs. The stories are digestible and new closely, in most cases, to the themes of the songs. The top three stories are “Bitch” by Adam Gorgoni, “96 Tears” by Vinnie Hansen, and “Come on Eileen” by Joseph Walker.

Great package of fun and breezy reads. I look forward to hearing more from some of them - especially Gorgoni who rumor has it is working on a crime fiction novel.

Great idea - and have fun listening to some of the one-hit wonders that you may have forgotten about.

Well done.

[Christine Verstraete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ignoring the fact that I have a story in this anthology (and I'm reviewing to include it in my finished book list), makes this collection no less enjoyable. A fast read full of teen angst, adult problems, and various crimes all tied to music that's both familiar and sometimes overlooked. I enjoyed seeing how the different authors made a crime fit the songs - and they did! Interesting twists on a few old favorite songs like "It's Raining Men!" and "96 Tears" made the book that much more fun to read. I definitely look forward to reading more stories in this vein.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun idea for an Anthology. The entirety of this was great, but I wanted to especially call out Come On Eileen by Joseph S Walker, Bitch by Adam Gorgoni, and Teenage Dirtbag by Barb Goffman as the standouts of the collection for me. If you enjoy mystery, character, and a short story format, this is a must.