Every Day a Little Death: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Stephen Sondheim

by Josh Pachter (Editor), Joseph S. Walker

Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Stephen Sondheim? Seriously? What in the world do Sondheim and crime fiction have in common?

Well, nothing…unless you remember that Sweeney Todd is the story of a murderous barber, and Assassins is the story of multiple killers and would-be killers, and Into the Woods tells the story of a wolf who eats grandmothers, and The Last of Sheila—not a musical comedy for the stage but a devious whodunnit Sondheim co-wrote with Anthony Perkins for the screen—won the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Allan Poe Award for the best mystery film of 1973.

In Every Day a Little Death, twenty authors—some from the world of crime fiction, some from the world of the theater—use Sondheim’s lyrics as the inspiration for twenty tales of malfeasance, misdemeanor…and murder.

STORIES Fleur Bradley, John Copenhaver, Brian Cox, Cheryl L. Davis, John M. Floyd, Joseph Goodrich, Cheryl A. Head, J.A. Hennrikus, Alison Louise Hubbard, Rebecca K. Jones, Jeffrey Marks, Lisa Nanni-Messegee, Josh Pachter, Michael Portantiere, David Spencer, Jeffrey Sweet, Marcia Talley, Gabriel Valjan, Joseph S. Walker, Kristopher Zgorski

Josh Pachter is a writer, editor, and translator. His work has been a finalist for the Edgar, Anthony, Agatha, Thriller, Macavity, Lefty, and Derringer awards. In 2020, he was the recipient of the Short Mystery Fiction Society’s Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement.

Genres: Short Stories

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 22, 2025

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

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories in this anthology are so creative and unique. The storytelling in each of the stories also take on the flavor of each musical.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read a lot of crime fiction and only picked this up for the Sondheim connection. it did not disappoint! A few misses, but very few. Lots of fun stories and one very disturbing story that rattled me! Great for Sondheim fans!

[Avram Lavinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this anthology. Wonderful stories, well-crafted and twisty, but what really makes this collection stand out within the burgeoning subgenre of music-inspired crime fiction is its cohesiveness. It is steeped in the culture of musical theater. The stories capture something of the atmosphere of the songs they reference. Easter eggs abound, with some authors tossing in subtle references to songs other than the one their story is titled for. It makes for an immersive experience. Editor Josh Pachter, a legend in short crime fiction for decades, deserves a ton of credit for his vision on this one, including everything from the chosen authors with roots in theater to the formatting. I'm finishing up my second read now, and it won't be my last.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty fun idea for an anthology - a collection of short stories inspired by the works of Stephen Sondheim. You expect something like this to be uneven - and it is, but there are far more hits than misses. It was fun seeing how different authors approached the material - some set them right in the world of the musical, others used the plotlines as a springboard. Others had so little to do with the source material I suspect the author just reconfigured some older material by throwing in a few Sondheim references. But all in all, they were enjoyable, and a good reminder, as though I needed it, of how goddamn brilliant Sondheim was.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthology of stories inspired by favorite music — delightful and well written. Shorter stories are a wonderful counter-balance or palate cleanser between longer works, though these dovetail so well that they could also be read all in a row. My favorites for now are Marcia Talley’s “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid” (the pitfalls of fame) and Josh Pachter’s “Every Day a Little Death.”

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a creative concept for this anthology!!! The layout of the book gives the reader a history lesson in Stephen Sondheim and shows the progression of his career. Each of the short crime stories in this anthology are brilliantly creative, well plotted and for Sondheim freaks the amount of "easter eggs" included in the stories are great fun! I just LOVED this anthology!!

[Suzanne Masterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of short stories inspired by the songs of Stephen Sondheim. I really enjoyed the different takes and connections to the musicals, and it was really fun to look for different Sondheim-related Easter Eggs throughout. Highly recommend!

[NIna Wachsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an entertaining collection of short stories and such a variety of approaches to the theme.