THUGLIT Issue Twenty-Two

by Todd Robinson (Editor), Rob Hart, Matthew Hockey

You want award-winning crime fiction?

Do ya?

DO YA, PUNK???

Well, then—THUGLIT ISSUE 22 is here to knock your literary teeth out the back of your head with EIGHT brand new tales of misdemeanors, misdeeds, misanthropy and misbehavior.

IN THIS ISSUE OF

THE JACKPOT by Tom Barlow
LAST REQUEST by Rob Hart
STRESS POSITIONS by Matthew J. Hockey
FKAKTED by Robert Hart
GAME DOG by Joshua D. Moyes
THE EASTER ISLAND JOHNNY by Jon Zelazny
CRANFILLS GAP by William Dylan Powell
THAT DREADED UNDERTOW by Nolan Knight

Genres: Crime, Childrens

148 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 29, 2016

Reviews

[Jon Zelazny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eight stories, by eight different authors... one of them being me. First time in print, no less. A great feeling, of course, but kind of weird too. I keep holding the thing in my hands, staring at the typeface. Yup, that is exactly what I wrote. Right there in a book. My name. Spelled correctly. Amazing.

Happy to report there any no weak entries here. All these guys are good. My favorite is probably "Last Request." Great intro, interesting structure, every word suspenseful, and a killer ending. Makes me wish I was still a film student so I could adapt it for my senior thesis.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last issue—it was a good run and I’ll miss it. In this issue I liked all but the last story.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I REALLY enjoyed this, a modern anthology of crime short stories, of the "hard boiled" variety, as one would imagine from the name and cover.

All the stories were good, and reminded me of the joys of short genre fiction, of discovering and supporting new authors, and reading for 100% enjoyment. The sort of thing you can read drinking a beer or two, and I did. And the joys of journeying from Texan small towns, vast American military camps in Kuwait, to London terraced streets all in 140 pages, all with distinct and genuine voices.

Of its type, well deserved of 5 stars, not judging it as I would a classic. None of the stories were poor, all of them contained something to make me laugh, or get a chill, or learn something. What novel can give you that times 8.

Glad I got into this through a goodreads friend who got published therein, Jon Zelazny, but now I know he has a military background, and writes stories highlighting how soldier on soldier rape is common, not sure I will see him the same way again. Found his story unsettling as it avoided the great moral staple of crime fiction, that bad people ultimately pay the price for their actions, and pay for it heavily. To have the horror of military bureaucracy for what it is, especially in war time, a real chiller.

[A.B. Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of noir pieces, as always from "Thuglit".

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blackmailing hookers, hitmen, Jane Austen-reading death row inmates, the ultimate ecstatic joy of real genuine New York pizza, debts that have to be paid, buddies you're too sick of to even speak about it, double crossing thieves, stakeouts, knife fights, killer dogs, old tough guys walking into battle, deploying to Iraq, wandering around warehouses, women who taste like stale bourbon and even then none of it mattered, because, in the end, "life scrapes the flesh off us all sometimes." If you are looking for boring, it ain't here. Eight tales that take you on a journey down that dark stairway where all that glitters isn't gold and no one walks out whole.

[J.D. Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another solid collection of noir stories.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories all but nothing I'd pound the table over.

[M.G. Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read lots of Thuglits. So much so I can't remember which I've read, how many but I can tell ya I'm never disappointed. I always pick this one up for a short story collection because they are always tightly plotted, keep my eyes on the screen. Subject matter ranges from mob antics, shoot em up crime, white collar crime, sex, the whole shebang. Life is like a box of Thuglits, mama used to say.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really dig this genre

Noir in the short story format: becoming my favorite reading material. And Thuglit is a favorite. These stories are always a great read if you like this kind of stuff. They care always well written and edited.