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Dark Yonder: Issue 9
Brace Yourselves.....Welcome to Dark Yonder 9 — it’s one of our strongest story line-ups yet. With tales from neo noir veterans as well as fresh new voices, we take on the heartbreak and triumph of modern life in all of its tragedy and glory. Sex, guns, drugs, love, family, social media and, of course, all of the motivators that cause us to lose our way, yet sometimes find our purpose, are covered in these pages. Enjoy ten great short stories, The Golden Age Fallacy by CW BlackwellHow To Psycho-Analyze Yourself by Fleur BradleyGramma's Heart by Vicki HendricksBenny the Booster & Chlamydia Jane by Jon HornBlood Is Blood by Sean JacquesDomestic by Mike McHoneHello, Marylou by Susan R. MorrittBiff-Bam, The Magic Man by Gary PhillipsComment Section by Jim RulandThe Wishes of the Bishop by Robert Slentz-KeslerAnd, as always, you’ll also find commentary from Dark Yonder editors Eryk Pruitt and Katy Munger as well as a cocktail recipe guaranteed to put the spring into your springtime. Enjoy!
165 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 16, 2025
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May 21, 2025
Excellent Crime Noir Short Story Collection...
DARK YONDER: Issue 9
10 Authors
5 stars. This is a fantastic collection of crime noir short stories...
BIFF-BAM THE MAGIC MAN
by Gary Phillips
Once-notorious cocaine kingpin Bernard Steptoe now drives a bus for special needs kids for a living. One of his passengers, a kid named Emery, knows about Steptoe's past.
GRAMMA'S HEART
by Vicki Hendricks
Jeremy's parents abandoned him, so he lives with his Gramma. Jeremy and Gramma are best buddies. Gramma wants Jeremy to eat the hearty breakfast she fixed for him, but Jeremy is anxious to get to school.
DOMESTIC
by Mike McHone
When Walter Carrigan's wife Marion died, Walter was finally able to buy a sex doll and resume his baseball career.
BENNY THE BOOSTER AND CHLAMYDIA JANE
by Jon Horn
Benny the Booster, a steal and split thief, was dead. He was magical at his craft until he met up with Chlamydia Jane.
BLOOD IS BLOOD
by Sean Jacques
Bo didn't want to take his rebellious nephew off his sister's hands for a week, but blood is blood after all.
THE WISHES OF THE BISHOP*
by Robert Slentz-Kesler
The sex parties at the Cracker Box Mansion were legendary until they went religious and invented a game called The Wishes of the Bishop.
COMMENT SECTION
by Jim Ruland
Four young people were dead, and there had to be more to the story than the usual drug overdose. One overdose might be an accident, but four was a crime. Now, everyone was on social media with their theories because no one trusted news reporters to tell the truth.
HOW TO PSYCHO-ANALYZE YOURSELF
by Fleur Bradley
One Saturday, Harry was just tagging along with his wife to a rummage sale. While there, he found a book, How to Psycho-Analyze Yourself. He hid the book away from his wife. It was his little secret.
THE GOLDEN AGE FALLACY
by CW Blackwell
Her insomnia had turned into hallucinations. After closing out her late shift at the bar, she ran across an old man she knew on the street. The man was a thief who managed to get his hands on a cursed item. Real Indiana Jones sh*t that epitomized the golden age fallacy.
HELLO MARYLOU
by Susan R. Morritt
Emil's friends are all dead and gone, but still, he has his memories, especially of a beautiful girl named Marylou. He wants to find her. He knows she's still somewhere where it all began.
This was an outstanding crime noir short story collection. There are 10 stories, each about 30 minutes long, and I would rate them all 5 stars.
Although they are all great stories, the standouts were Domestic by Mike McHone, How to Psycho-Analyze Yourself by Fleur Bradley, and The Golden Age Fallacy by CW Blackwell, which I wished had been written as a novel.
It is hard to find collections where all the stories are excellent, but this one is the exception, and I can honestly say that I enjoyed every one of them.
Highly recommended!
*Warning to some readers: This story has sacrilegious content
DARK YONDER: Issue 9
10 Authors
5 stars. This is a fantastic collection of crime noir short stories...
BIFF-BAM THE MAGIC MAN
by Gary Phillips
Once-notorious cocaine kingpin Bernard Steptoe now drives a bus for special needs kids for a living. One of his passengers, a kid named Emery, knows about Steptoe's past.
GRAMMA'S HEART
by Vicki Hendricks
Jeremy's parents abandoned him, so he lives with his Gramma. Jeremy and Gramma are best buddies. Gramma wants Jeremy to eat the hearty breakfast she fixed for him, but Jeremy is anxious to get to school.
DOMESTIC
by Mike McHone
When Walter Carrigan's wife Marion died, Walter was finally able to buy a sex doll and resume his baseball career.
BENNY THE BOOSTER AND CHLAMYDIA JANE
by Jon Horn
Benny the Booster, a steal and split thief, was dead. He was magical at his craft until he met up with Chlamydia Jane.
BLOOD IS BLOOD
by Sean Jacques
Bo didn't want to take his rebellious nephew off his sister's hands for a week, but blood is blood after all.
THE WISHES OF THE BISHOP*
by Robert Slentz-Kesler
The sex parties at the Cracker Box Mansion were legendary until they went religious and invented a game called The Wishes of the Bishop.
COMMENT SECTION
by Jim Ruland
Four young people were dead, and there had to be more to the story than the usual drug overdose. One overdose might be an accident, but four was a crime. Now, everyone was on social media with their theories because no one trusted news reporters to tell the truth.
HOW TO PSYCHO-ANALYZE YOURSELF
by Fleur Bradley
One Saturday, Harry was just tagging along with his wife to a rummage sale. While there, he found a book, How to Psycho-Analyze Yourself. He hid the book away from his wife. It was his little secret.
THE GOLDEN AGE FALLACY
by CW Blackwell
Her insomnia had turned into hallucinations. After closing out her late shift at the bar, she ran across an old man she knew on the street. The man was a thief who managed to get his hands on a cursed item. Real Indiana Jones sh*t that epitomized the golden age fallacy.
HELLO MARYLOU
by Susan R. Morritt
Emil's friends are all dead and gone, but still, he has his memories, especially of a beautiful girl named Marylou. He wants to find her. He knows she's still somewhere where it all began.
This was an outstanding crime noir short story collection. There are 10 stories, each about 30 minutes long, and I would rate them all 5 stars.
Although they are all great stories, the standouts were Domestic by Mike McHone, How to Psycho-Analyze Yourself by Fleur Bradley, and The Golden Age Fallacy by CW Blackwell, which I wished had been written as a novel.
It is hard to find collections where all the stories are excellent, but this one is the exception, and I can honestly say that I enjoyed every one of them.
Highly recommended!
*Warning to some readers: This story has sacrilegious content
Displaying 1 of 1 review